North America, UK, and Ireland audiences will soon have the opportunity to view the quintessential wuxia film, King Hu’s “Legend of the Mountain” as it was meant to be seen. Kino Lorber and Eureka Entertainment has acquired the film rights through the Taiwan Film Institute and have brought new life into the acclaimed director’s work by reintroducing the digital image in 4K.
The three-hour director’s cut of “Legend of the Mountain” debuted at the Venice Film Festival and will be released as part of The Masters of Cinema Series in 2018. This is the third film of Hu’s that will be released after digital restoration, following “Dragon Inn” and “A Touch of Zen.”
“We are delighted to have acquired the rights for the UK and US for this wonderful film and to have the chance to work again with the Taiwan Film Institute,” Ruth Schofield, Managing Director of Eureka Entertainment, said in a statement.
It’s certainly a must-see for those unfamiliar with King Hu’s work, who is best known for directing various wuxia films in the 1960s and 1970s, which brought Chinese cinema to new technical and artistic heights and was incredibly influential on filmmakers like the Wachowskis (“The Matrix”).
“Legend of the Mountain” is set during the 11th-century Sung Dynasty and stars Feng Hsu, Sylvia Chang, and Chun Shih. The film takes a supernatural fable and transcends it into a spiritual and exquisite experience any cinephile will appreciate.
Watch the trailer below to prepare for “Legend of the Mountain’s” 2018 release, which will kick off at NYC’s Metrograph on February 2.
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