Monkey

The clssic TV series, based on the 1592 Chinese novel 西遊記 (Journey to the West, published posthumous) by Wu Cheng'en (c. 1500–1582). The novel is an extended account of the legendary pilgrimage of the Tang dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang who traveled to the "Western Regions", that is, Central Asia and India, to obtain Buddhist sacred texts (sūtras) and returned after many trials and much suffering. It retains the broad outline of Xuanzang's own account, Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, but the Ming dynasty novel adds elements from folk tales and the author's invention, that is, that Gautama Buddha gave this task to the monk (referred to as Tang Sanzang in the novel) and provided him with three protectors who agree to help him as an atonement for their sins. These disciples are Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, together with a dragon prince who acts as Tang Sanzang's steed, a white horse.

Saiyūki (西遊記, lit. "Journey to the West"), also known by its English title Monkey, also commonly referred to as Monkey Magic (the show's title song), is a Japanese television drama based on the 16th century Chinese novel, Journey to the West, by Wu Cheng'en. Filmed in Northwest China and Inner Mongolia, the show was produced by Nippon TV and International Television Films in association with NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), and broadcast from 1978 to 1980 on Nippon TV.

Monkey is considered a cult classic in countries where it has been shown, reaching as far as South America. Among the features that have contributed to its cult appeal are the theme song, the dubbed dialogue spoken in a variety of over-the-top "oriental" accents, the reasonably good synchronization of dubbing to the actors' original dialogue, the memorable battles which were for many Western youngsters their first exposure to Asian-style fantasy action sequences, and the fact that the young priest Tripitaka was played by a woman, despite being male.

In 1981, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation debuted the BBC-dubbed Monkey at 6pm on week-nights. Since then, the show has been frequently repeated on the ABC, notably during the contemporary youth TV show Recovery which aired episodes of Monkey weekly from 1996-2000. When Recovery was put on hiatus, it was replaced with three hours of Monkey. The radio station Triple J often made references to Monkey and interviewed the original BBC voice actors on several occasions.

Francis Bacon: A Brush with Violence (2017)

Francis Bacon was the loudest, rudest, drunkest, most sought-after British artist of the 20th century. Twenty-five years after his death, his canvases regularly exceed £40million at auction. Bacon's appeal is rooted in his notoriety - a candid image he presented of himself as Roaring Boy, Lord of Misrule and Conveyor of Artistic Violence. This was true enough, but only part of the truth. He carefully cultivated the facade, protecting the complex and haunted man behind the myth. In this unique, compelling film, those who knew him speak freely, some for the first time, to reveal the many mysteries of Francis Bacon.

Europe after the Rain: Dadaism and Surrealism (full movie)

Produced by the Arts Council of Great Britain, c1978, 'Europe after the Rain'’ (from painting by same name, Max Ernst [1941]) examines Dada and Surrealism not simply as modern movements in the arts, but also as a history of ideas - emphasising the desire to unify political and psychological values with artistic creativity.

 Begins with birth of Dada in Zurich, Switzerland, against background of the First World War, then to the Surrealists. Describes how Dada und Surrealism attempted to transform the world and how they were transformed by it. Directed by Mick Gold.

La città femminista non si sgombera! / The Feminist City will not be Evicted!

Rome, Spring 2018. In recent months, repression towards social centers in Rome has increased. Now also the feminist social spaces and women's anti-violence centers are at risk of being evicted. In this documentary we follow the feminist struggles in Rome and the feminist movement ”Non una di meno” in defense of these social spaces. The Municipality of Rome, despite an increasing structural violence in Italian society, wants to close the self-organized women’s anti-violence centers. These are often the only psychological and material support for women who want to find a path out of violence. We meet activists from various parts of the city.

From "Lucha y Siesta" in Cinecittà to the "Centrodonna LISA" in Tufello to "International House of Women" in Trastevere. We follow the movement in the streets, from the demonstration in Campidoglio to the occupation at the Policlinico hospital and the global women’s strike of the 8th March 2018. As the movement “Non una di meno” says: “We won’t stop: hands off the women’s house, we will defend it with our struggle! You cannot evict the feminist city”.

Malcolm Douglas - Across The Top (1968)

Made in 1967 it has become a classic Australian adventure film. The film shows Aboriginal tribal life in Arnhem Land and an incredible journey through the Gulf of Carpentaria and up Cape York.

The Story of American Slavery

Slavery as it was established in the colony and then maintained and expanded in the nation state of the United States, was a legal institution and entity. Slavery did not simply arise out of nowhere, to become a vital part of the economy. Slavery was a solution and a resource for the rich and powerful of the United States. Slavery brought untold suffering to untold millions. By the mid-1600s a child born to an enslaved woman was itself a slave, from birth. This is perhaps the greatest obscenity of a litany of cruel injustices that form the contours of slavery.

Kayne West described slavery as "a choice". The very idea is so flawed as to sound ridiculous. Slavery was an economy based on cruelty and law where human beings were traded and worked as chattels. Nothing else. 

Benjamin Zephaniah on Windrush, anarchism and his time in North Korea

Poet, writer and activist Benjamin Zephaniah talks to Krishnan Guru-Murthy about the Windrush scandal, how the political system should be torn down and why he spends so much time in China. 

Warning: offensive language.

André BRETON – Documentaire légendaire : Passage Breton (1970)

Voici la publication du dimanche, jour dédié aux poètes contemporains :
Documentaire de Robert Benayoun,
produit par Michel Polac,
diffusé sur sur la deuxième chaîne de l'O.R.T.F.
le 19 avril 1970.
Participants : Salvador Dalí, Jean-Christophe Averty, Julien Gracq, André Pieyre de Mandiargues, Jean Schuster, José Pierre, Jacques Baron, Robert Lebel, Roberto Matta, Joyce Mansour, René Alleau et Man Ray.