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Last Emperor, The (BLU-RAY)

Last Emperor, The (BLU-RAY)

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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 SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, with DTS-HD Master Audio stereo surround soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer of the extended television version (DVD box set only)
  • 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 (DVD box set and Blu-ray editions only)
  • Video images taken by Bertolucci while on preproduction in China (DVD box set and Blu-ray editions only)
  • The Chinese Adventure of Bernardo Bertolucci, a 52-minute documentary that revisits the film's making (DVD box set and Blu-ray editions only)
  • A new, 47-minute documentary featuring Storaro, editor Gabriella Cristiani, costume designer James Acheson, and art director Gianni Silvestri (DVD box set and Blu-ray editions only)
  • A 66-minute BBC documentary exploring Bertolucci's creative process and the making of The Last Emperor (DVD box set and Blu-ray editions only)
  • A 30-minute interview with Bertolucci from 1989 (DVD box set and Blu-ray editions only)
  • A new interview with composer David Byrne (DVD box set and Blu-ray editions only)
  • A new interview with Ian Buruma examining the historical period of the film (DVD box set and Blu-ray editions only)
  • Theatrical trailer
  • PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by David Thomson (single DVD, DVD box set, and Blu-ray); 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 (DVD box set only)