The Last Emperor [Blu-ray]

The Last Emperor [Blu-ray]
by Bernardo Bertolucci

The Last Emperor [Blu-ray]

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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Joan Chen, John Lone, Peter O'Toole
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Brand: IMAGE ENT.
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.20:1
Running Time: 164 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-01-06
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Criterion Collection
Product features:

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 d

Movie Reviews of The Last Emperor [Blu-ray]

Movie Review: Cultural Clash
Summary: 5 Stars

I call this "a cultural clash" because within a lifespan, this story presents one way of life colliding with another one, both being part of the lifespan of a person who was born as an emperor, receiving all the honors of one, later to see his way of life move on to witness the end of monarchies to control by communist type economies and governmental controls, all within the life span of the "emperor" who refuses to acknowledge this profound cultural change. Can a person tolerate such changes while remaining "sober"? Our hero seems to have held on to a rational life, still thinking he is the emperor... emperor of what? The answer to this is the heart of the story.

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Summary of The Last Emperor [Blu-ray]

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

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

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