The Last Emperor on Blu-ray (Nov 18)

" "The Last Emperor" on Blu-ray.

Blu-ray and DVD news

By Tom Landy
First published Sep 15, 2008

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On November 18, "The Last Emperor" will head to Blu-ray. For the first time, the winner of nine Academy Awards will receive the high-definition treatment as part of the Criterion Collection. The disc will feature a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Track and will be packed with bonus features including:

• 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
• A new interview with composer David Byrne
• A new interview with Ian Buruma examining the historical period of the film
• Theatrical trailer
• Booklet featuring an essay by critic David Thomson

Synopsis:
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.

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