The Last Emperor - Criterion Collection
by Bernardo Bertolucci
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Joan Chen, John Lone, Peter O'TooleDirector: Bernardo Bertolucci
Brand: Image Entertainment
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, HiFi Sound, NTSC, Restored, Surround Sound, THX, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 163 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-02-26
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Criterion Collection
Movie Reviews of The Last Emperor - Criterion Collection
Movie Review: Criterion - How is this travesty possible?!
Summary: 1 Stars
i waited a long time before getting this criterion release of the last emperor. i read criterion's response to all the controversy about recropping the film from 2.35:1 to 2.00:1. reviews by "expert" websites also said that the cropping didn't really lose much of the picture. but they were all wrong: bodies, faces, and objects are now awkwardly cut off by the new cropping. i don't believe for one moment that storaro meant this film to be in 2.00:1. why? check out the scene called "secondary consort". this is the scene where wen xiu tells pu yi that she wants a divorce. there's some back and forth dialog and pu yi finally scoffs at her and says, "no one can divorce me." in this last frame, the picture suddenly looks different - the characters' faces and the entire picture is suddenly elongated. they squeezed the original 2.35:1 into a 2.00:1 frame! how could this happen with a company like criterion?! i didn't mind the cropping at first but squeezing the picture to fit a dubious framing is just the worst travesty!
Summary of The Last Emperor - Criterion Collection
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 outside of the walls of the Forbidden City. Recreating Qing-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.Special Features
* - DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FOUR-DISC SET FEATURES:
* - All-new, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro
* - All-new, restored high-definition digital transfer of the extended television version
* - Audio commentary featuring 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 Moszkowicz tracing the director's geographic influences, from Parma to China
* - Video images taken by Bertolucci while on preproduction in China
* - The Chinese Adventure of Bernardo Bertolucci, a 52-minute documentary that revisits the film's making
* - A new, 47-minute documentary featuring Storaro, editor Gabriella Cristiana, costume designer James Acheson, and art director Gianni Silvestri
* - A 66-minute BBC documentary exploring Bertolucci's creative process and the making of The Last Emperor
* - A 30-minute interview with Bertolucci from 1989
* - A new interview with composer David Byrne
* - A new interview with Ian Buruma examining the historical period of the film
* - Theatrical trailer
* - PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by David Thomson, interviews with production designer Ferdinando Scarfiotti and actor Ying Ruocheng, a reminiscence by Bertolucci, and an essay and production-diary extracts from Fabien S. Gerard
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