The Last Emperor (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Description

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 scope of the film was, and remains, undeniably powerful—the life of Emperor Puyi, who took the throne in 1908, at age three, before witnessing decades of cultural and political upheaval within and without 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.DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURESRestored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, presented in the aspect ratio of 2.00:1, with DTS-HD Master Audio stereo surround soundtrackAudio commentary featuring director Bernardo Bertolucci, producer Jeremy Thomas, screenwriter Mark Peploe, and composer-actor Ryuichi SakamotoThe Italian Traveler, Bernardo Bertolucci, a film by Fernand Moszkowicz tracing the director’s geographic influences, from Parma to ChinaFootage taken by Bertolucci while on preproduction in ChinaTwo documentaries about the making of the filmProgram featuring cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, editor Gabriella Cristiani, costume designer James Acheson, and art director Gianni SilvestriArchival interview with BertolucciInterviews with composer David Byrne and cultural historian Ian Buruma TrailerEnglish subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingPLUS: An essay by David Thomson