Alakazam the Great

Over the years, I have seen many reviews that have mercilessly slagged ALAKAZAM THE GREAT as a bad movie, and it even made it into the highly questionable book THE 50 WORST FILMS OF ALL TIME. The question I have is: did all of you who hate this movie see the same film that I did when I was a youngster? I have shown many children this film over the years and not one of them failed to enjoy it.

ALAKAZAM THE GREAT is loosely based on the Wu Cheng-En classic JOURNEY TO THE WEST, a landmark of Chinese epic literature, and tells the story of an arrogant monkey king who learns the secrets of magic and becomes a cosmic pain in the ass. After a brief rampage through the heavens, he is imprisoned by the gods and eventually sent on a pilgrimage to atone for his sins and learn humility. The monkey must escort a young prince (who is the son of the gods) through a series of insanely lethal adventures in a land teeming with demons and monsters of every description, picking up a couple of unusual traveling companions along the way (an anthropomorphic pig-man and a burrowing cannibal). Much magic and cartoon ass-whuppin' ensues, and despite the (mercifully brief) musical numbers, this film has raw imagination to spare. Fast-paced and fun, this is not the dud that some would lead you to believe. Give it a chance!

This excellent Japanese animated fantasy is an adaptation of the old Chinese Legend of the Monkey King. Having seen the original Japanese version of this film, I don't have any problems with what American International did with this film, they have removed most of the religious references, but the story is still more or less intact, and AIP hired good talent for the voices.

The American score is by film music great Les Baxter, and this is probably the most symphonic score written for an animated film at the time of its U.S. release as Alakazam The Great. Gorgeous stuff, and the movie is lots of fun for both children and adults, who will enjoy a lot of humor added to keep parents awake.

I fortunately as a child was able to see this film twice, and the memories have out-lasted many of those of the Disney classics that bombarded my adolescent senses at the same time. For years I have scoured video bins worldwide in an attempt to locate a copy of this long last classic, but as yet to no avail. This, in my opinion, is one of the greatest and most memorable animated films and stories presented to date (that is the US-dubbed and scored version, for I've never seen the original Japanese version). Great characters and animation, awesome moralistic and quasi-religious end messages, and a just plane fantastic story. The depth is nearly as great as that of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Putting aside all the lost cinema gems still kicking around the depths of my childhood memories, this is the one I would most like to revisit and share with the children of today.

Like others on this site, I have warm memories of this film, having watched it since I was a child. American International did a fine job, in my opinion, of dubbing the picture. What makes their version of "Alakazam The Great" for me though, is the truly beautiful score by Les Baxter (an AIP regular) which perfectly complimented the visuals. A soundtrack album was released back in '61, which I found 35 years ago--at a thrift shop in excellent condition. HBO video released a widescreen videotape of the film about 10 years ago. They did a great job--wonderful picture and sound. Alas, it went out of print when the AIP package changed hands. MGM (now Sony) holds the rights. Hopefully, one day, they will release a DVD.

Although it's not the spectacle of the greatness of Japanese Anime, the Western release of Saiyu-ki was a testament to the early days of the art.

Alas, like so many classics of animation, such as Toei's "Gulliver's Travels Beyond The Moon (Gariba no uchu ryoko)" or Nelvana's "Rock & Rule", this film will never be seen again except on rare, pirated copies, for it has been cast into the pit of Moritorium Hell, where major video chains unceremoniously trash the remaining copies into a dumpster without the opportunity to purchase them to try to salvage history. This disgusting form of book burning for profits by the major studios that now run the major video rental chains, leading to the demise of the Mom & Pop stores of the past will be remembered as corporate greed at it's worst.

I hope there is a special Hell for these arrogant suits.