It was a triumph interrupted by tragedy. Shooting was halted three times on Akira Kurosawa’s monumental fusion of Shakespeare’s “King Lear” and the legend of feudal lord Mōri Motonari, due to the deaths of his regular fight choreographer Ryu Kuze, his soundman since ”Stray Dog,” Fumio Yanoguchi, and his wife and sounding board, Yôko Yaguchi.
Nevertheless, Kurosawa still finished the film that would forever cement his reputation as one of the world’s greatest filmmakers. Still as overwhelming as ever, the 4K restoration of Kurosawa’s final straight-up masterpiece “Ran” opens Feb. 23 in New York, at Film Forum.
Rialto Pictures
