The Monkey King is a restored animation masterpiece that tells the fanciful version of Journey to the West, inspired by real-life 7th century Chinese monk Xuanzang.
This remarkable film is a painstaking frame-for-frame restoration and 3D rendering of the original 1961 Wan Laiming masterpiece, a national treasure and China’s most celebrated work of animation. Composed of gorgeously flowing animation created by hand from over 130,000 ink drawings and an opulent soundtrack inspired by the Beijing Opera, the film follows the adventures of the magical Monkey King of Flower Fruit Mountain, a mischievous character who creates havoc by refusing to bow down to the authority of the Celestial Jade Emperor. Based on the classic Chinese story Journey to the West, the original film was made at the height of the country’s golden period of animation. Released mere months before the entire film industry was shut down by the Cultural Revolution, it is a stunning work of animation and mythological storytelling, far surpassing anything China has produced before or since. –Film Society Lincoln Center
Wednesday, March 20, 7:00 pm at Sundance Kabuki Cinema
Tickets on sale now.
Related screening: The Great Pilgrim, a documentary on the life of Xuanzang, has its US Premiere March 3, 1:30 pm at Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center as part of our IBFF Showcase 2013.
Tickets on sale now.
