The Mighty Peking Man Blu-ray

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Goliathon" or "Xing xing wang" or "Colossus of Congo")

directed by Meng Hua Ho (as Homer Gaugh)
Hong Kong 1977

Covered in Arrow's Shawscope Volume One Blu-ray Boxset reviewed in full HERE

King Kong comes to Hong Kong in The Mighty Peking Man, a uniquely Shaw Brothers spin on the ageless theme of beauty and the beast. The beast, seven stories high and hailing from the Himalayas, makes his way to the jungles of India in the wake of a violent earthquake. The beauty is Swiss starlet Evelyn Kraft, a sexy blonde Tarzanette who is the Mighty Peking Man s best friend. Both are discovered by Danny Lee, a handsome young explorer who brings the odd couple back to Hong Kong, where Evelyn is almost raped and the monster runs amuck. Instead of the Empire State Building, the special effects laden climax takes place at the Connaught Centre, then Hong Kong s tallest building. Plenty of action, location shooting in India, and an inter-racial romance make this one of Shaw Brothers most unique motion pictures. Variety s verdict: High camp, Chinese style.

***

The success of the Japanese GODZILLA movies led to all kinds of strange cash-in capers - including the legendarily bizarre North Korean opus PULGASARI (1985). However, it was with THE MIGHTY PEKING MAN in 1977 that the Shaw Brothers studio cast their own attempt at a mega-sized monster movie and, for many, this is the one that even outdoes the Tokyo originators for sheer sublime cinematic genius. Featuring the iconic Danny Lee (THE KILLER/ THE UNTOLD STORY/ CITY ON FIRE) as an explorer in the Himalayas who gets caught up with a ravishing jungle Jane (played by the delicious Evelyne Kraft), and discovers a huge King Kong-inspired ape hiding in the forest, THE MIGHTY PEKING MAN is a creature feature that is packed full of sex appeal, city-smashing theatrics and monstrous moments. Acclaimed by Quentin Tarantino, who considers it a personal favourite, and highlighting assured direction from the great Ho Meng Hua (whose genre career also spans such sleazy classics as BLACK MAGIC and THE OILY MANIAC), MIGHTY PEKING MAN sets a gold standard in Hong Kong grindhouse glory and is finally back on British shelves, ready to pummel its way into the hearts of a new generation!

Posters

Theatrical Release: March 1980 (USA)

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

More of the 88 Asia Collection on Blu-ray

Bewitched	Black Magic	Black Magic 2	The Bride From Hell	The Enchanting Ghost	The Ghost Lovers	HEX	The Oily Maniac	The Seeding of a Ghost

The Dragon Missile	Five Element Ninjas	The Flying Guillotine	Gifted	Killer Constable	The Mighty Peking Man	The One-Armed Swordsman	Sea Fog	The Spiritual Boxer	The Super Inframan

Comparison:

Miramax - Region 1 - NTSC vs. 88 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the Miramax Screen Caps!

(Miramax - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. 88 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - RIGHT)

Box Covers		Re-Released by 88 Films, on Blu-ray, in December of 2018:
Distribution	Miramax Region 1 - NTSC	88 Films Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:30:24	1:29:41.334
Video	2.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.9 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	2.35:1 Disc Size: 21,424,352,343 bytes Feature Size: 21,087,713,280 bytes Total Bitrate: 25.00 Mbps Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Miramax
Bitrate: 88 Films Blu-ray
Audio	English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono	LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit LPCM Audio Chinese 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 224 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 224 kbps
Subtitles	English SDH, none	English SDH, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Miramax Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.33:1 Edition Details: � Trailer (2:26) � Previews DVD Release Date: 23 May 2000 Amaray Chapters	Release Information: Studio: 88 Films 2.35:1 Disc Size: 21,424,352,343 bytes Feature Size: 21,087,713,280 bytes Total Bitrate: 25.00 Mbps Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC Edition Details: • Audio Commentary with Bey Logan • Trailer (1:05) • THE BALLED OF DANNY LEE : Limited Edition Booklet notes by Calum Waddell • Reverse Sleeve featuring Original Hong Kong Poster Art Second disc DVD included! Blu-ray Release Date: March 13th, 2017 Transparent Blu-ray case (thick - UK) LE slipcase Chapters: 8

Comments

Covered in Arrow's Shawscope Volume One Blu-ray Boxset reviewed in full HERE

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: 88 Films - Region 'B'- Blu-ray - March 17': First, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth had abundant, overly-tight, breast-bursting, prehistoric jungle-garb - something, along with being a total hoot of a popcorner, it shares with The Mighty Peking Man. There was also the Korean A.P.E. in 3D as another King Kong rip-off a year before the Hong Kong made Peking Man. But this, Shaw Brothers produced effort, is far more polished than the latter plus has the, almost nude, Swiss-Russian babe Evelyne Kraft, fittingly, with top billing.

I'll make it short - not much more we can say beyond the screen captures. It is cited as a "RESTORED UNCUT HD TRANSFER" and we can confirm it is 1080P and looks significantly superior, in every area, than the 2000 DVD. It has more information in the frame - adheres to the 2.35:1 AR, colors are richer, deeper, detail rises... It can look a shade waxy, in spots, but in-motion is a treat. Plenty of depth. What a pleasure!

Audio has linear PCM tracks for the English and Mandarin audio plus optional English subtitles for the Mandarin. There are plenty of effects - mostly modest - of buildings crashing, animal sounds (gorilla, leopard, tiger, elephant and snake) but the authentic uncompressed remains flat but carries a modicum of depth. The boisterous score is credited to Yung-Yu Chen and 'DeWolfe' (Dutch-born Walter Warren) and adds some, unbridled, flavor to the unapologetically melodramatic film. The Blu-ray disc is region 'B'-locked.

Big extra is an audio commentary with Bey Logan - who knows his stuff - especially Shaw Bros. and Hong Kong sets and locations. He continues to flood the commentary with details of the performers, cast and crew... and it adds value to the Blu-ray package.

There is also a trailer and the package contains a limited edition booklet with excellent notes by Dr. Calum Waddell entitled The Ballad of Danny Lee, a reverse sleeve featuring original Hong Kong Poster Art and a second disc DVD is included.

I realize this is a personal thing - but I want my digital library to have The Mighty Peking Man on Blu-ray - who knows how many more times I'll re-watch this gem on a rainy day. 88 Films package fits the bill perfectly and I loved my HD viewing. Absolutely recommended!

- Eric and Gary

Menus

88 Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray