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The Last Emperor [Blu-ray]
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Aspect Ratio: 2.20:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: Blu-ray
EAN: 0715515033725
Format: Color, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Widescreen
Label: Criterion Collection
Languages: English (Original Language),
Manufacturer: Criterion Collection
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Criterion Collection
Region Code: 1
Release Date: January 06, 2009
Running Time: 164 minutes
Studio: Criterion Collection
Theatrical Release Date: 1987
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Editorial Review:
Bernardo Bertolucci does the nearly impossible with this sweeping, grand epic that tells a very personal tale. The story is a dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the emperors of China. It follows his life from its elite beginnings in the Forbidden City, where he was crowned at age three and worshipped by half a billion people. He was later forced to abdicate and, unable to fend for himself in the outside world, became a dissolute and exploited shell of a man. He died in obscurity, living as a peasant in the People's Republic. We never really warm up to John Lone in the title role, but this movie focuses more on visuals than characterization anyway. Filmed in the Forbidden City, it is spectacularly beautiful, filling the screen with saturated colors and exquisite detail. It won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. --Rochelle O'Gorman
Bernardo Bertolucci s The Last Emperor won nine Academy Awards, unexpectedly sweeping every category in which it was nominated quite a feat for a challenging, multilayered epic directed by an Italian and starring an international cast. Yet the power and scope of the film was, and remains, undeniable the life of Emperor Pu Yi, who took the throne at age three, in 1908, before witnessing decades of cultural and political upheaval, within and without the walls of the Forbidden City. Recreating Ching-dynasty China with astonishing detail and unparalleled craftsmanship by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro and production designer Ferdinando Scarfiotti, The Last Emperor is also an intimate character study of one man reconciling personal responsibility and political legacy.DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY EDITION FEATURES:
Restored, high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro
DTS-HD Master Audio stereo surround soundtrack
Audio commentary by director Bernardo Bertolucci, producer Jeremy Thomas, screenwriter Mark Peploe, and composer-actor Ryuichi Sakamoto
The Italian Traveler: Bernardo Bertolucci, a 53-minute film by Fernand Mozskowicz, tracing the director s geographic influences, from Parma to China
Video images taken by Bertolucci in China
The Chinese Adventure of Bernardo Bertolucci, a 52-minute documentary that revisits the film s creation
A 47-minute documentary featuring Storaro, editor Gabriella Cristiana, costume designer James Acheson, and art director Gianni Silvestri
A 66-minute documentary exploring Bertolucci s creative process and the making of The Last Emperor
A 30-minute interview with Bertolucci from 1989
Interview with composer David Byrne
Interview with Ian Buruma examining the historical period of the film
Theatrical trailer
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic David Thomson
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - "Director's Cut" versus "Theatrical Cut"
This review is not so much a review of the movie or this release in particular. It would seem that there will be no shortage of glorious reviews of this movie and I would just be adding my voice to the gale winds of appraise. I write this to clear up the common mis-perception that the longer cut of this movie is a director's cut.
The previously released longer cut of The Last Emperor which was released on DVD and subsequently labeled as a "Director's Cut" is in fact a longer, made for ... Read More
Rating:  - Previous reviews incorrect.
The shorter version of the film is the director's preferred version of the film. The longer version was a version he had cut for television distribution, and while its a shame that the extended version will not be included, rest assured that the shorter version is the director's cut of the film.
Rating:  - Not Director's Cut on Blu-Ray DVD
I agree with the last reviewer. There's gonna be much controversy with this Blu-Ray release because the last release on standard DVD was so spectacular. The Blu-Ray release seems to only contain the 165 min. version as opposed to the 219 min. Director's Cut. It would make sense for Criterion to release both versions with all the extras since they normally contain all the bells and whistles.
Rating:  - Not everything that shines is gold
I was swept out of my feet when I saw the movie more that 20 years ago. I bought it on VHS format. When it was released on DVD I dumped the VHS and bought the DVD format, then there was a second version of the movie and here comes the sad part. It was the original director's cut of 218 minutes (read 3 hours and 38 minutes). Dump the short version and buy the complete movie. Never regretted it. And what do I see now? The Last Emperor on Blu-ray? Far out! But there's a catch. Despite the bunch of documentaries, ... Read More
Rating: - A Visual Gem
I saw "The Last Emperor" a few years back and the movie has staid with me in many a positive way. I was truly amazed at the quality of the sets, the costumes and and the color throughout the movie. I had the feeling that we were seeing scenes shot in the Forbidden City itself. The tale is one that deserved telling because it gives us the story of China in the 20th Century.
The prime focus of the story, obviously, is the last emporer of China, Pu Yi. We are given ample time to see the Old China ... Read More
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