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The Last Emperor [4 Discs] [Criterion Collection]

The Last Emperor [4 Discs] [Criterion Collection]

Director: Bernardo Bertolucci Cast: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Ryuichi Sakamoto
, Su Cong
Su Cong
, John Lone
John Lone
, Joan Chen
Joan Chen
, Peter O'Toole
Peter O'Toole
, Ying Ruocheng
Ying Ruocheng
, Victor Wong
Victor Wong
The Last Emperor [4 Discs] [Criterion Collection]

The Last Emperor [4 Discs] [Criterion Collection]

Director: Bernardo Bertolucci Cast: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Ryuichi Sakamoto
, Su Cong
Su Cong
, John Lone
John Lone
, Joan Chen
Joan Chen
, Peter O'Toole
Peter O'Toole
, Ying Ruocheng
Ying Ruocheng
, Victor Wong
Victor Wong

Overview

The Last Emperor is the true story of Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi, the last ruler of the Chinese Ching Dynasty. Told in flashback, the film covers the years 1908 to 1967. We first see the three-year-old Pu Yi being installed in the Forbidden City by ruthless, dying dowager Empress Tzu-Hsui (Lisa Lu). Though he'd prefer to lark about like other boys, the infant emperor is cossetted and cajoled into accepting the responsibilities and privileges of his office. In 1912, the young emperor (Tijer Tsou) forced to abdicate when China is declared a republic, is a prisoner in his own palace, "protected" from the outside world. Fascinated by the worldliness of his Scottish tutor (Peter O'Toole), Pu Yi plots an escape from his cocoon by means of marriage. He selects Manchu descendant Wan Jung (Joan Chen), who likewise is anxious to experience the 20th century rather than be locked into the past by tradition. Played as an adult by John Lone, Pu Yi puts into effect several social reforms, and also clears the palace of the corrupt eunuchs who've been shielding him from life. In 1924, an invading warlord expels the denizens of the Forbidden City, allowing Pu Yi to "westernize" himself by embracing popular music and the latest dances as a guest of the Japanese Concession in Tientsin. Six years later, his power all but gone, Pu Yi escapes to Manchuria, where he unwittingly becomes a political pawn for the now-militant Japanese government. Humiliating his faithful wife, Pu Yi falls into bad romantic company, carrying on affairs with a variety of parasitic females. During World War II, the Japanese force Pu Yi to sign a series of documents which endorse their despotic military activities. At war's end, the emperor is taken prisoner by the Russians; while incarcerated, he is forced to fend for himself without servants at his beck and call for the first time. He is finally released in 1959 and displayed publicly as proof of the efficacy of Communist re-education. We last see him in 1967, the year of his death; now employed by the State as a gardener, Pu Yi makes one last visit to the Forbidden City...as a tourist. Bernardo Bertolucci's first film after a six-year self-imposed exile, The Last Emperor was released in two separate versions: the 160-minute theatrical release, and a 4-hour TV miniseries. Lensed on location, the film won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Product Details

Release Date: 02/26/2008
UPC: 0715515027922
Original Release: 1987
Rating: PG-13
Source: CRITERION
Region Code: 1
Presentation: [Wide Screen]
Sound: [Dolby Digital Surround]
Language: English
Time: 2:45:00
Sales rank: 5,707

Special Features

Disc one: The theatrical version:; All-new restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro; Audio commentary featuring director Bernardo Bertolucci, producer Jeremy Thomas, screenwriter Mark Peploe, and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto; Theatrical trailer; Disc two:; All-new, restored high-definition digital transfer; Disc three:; 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 51-minute documentary that revisits the film's making; A new 45-minute documentary featuring Storaro, editor Gabriella Cristiana, costume designer James Acheson, and art director Gianni Silvestri; Disc four:; 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 cultural historian Ian Buruma examing the period of the film; 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

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
John Lone Pu Yi
Joan Chen Wan Jung,Capital of Imperial Guard
Peter O'Toole Reginald Johnston
Ying Ruocheng Governor
Victor Wong Chen Pao Shen
Dennis Dun Big Li
Ryuichi Sakamoto Masahiko Amakasu
Maggie Han Eastern Jewel
Ric Young Interrogator
Wu Jun Mei Wen Hsiu
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Chang
Jade Go Ar Mo
Fumihiko Ikeda Yoshioka
Richard Vuu Pu Yi (age 3)
Tijger Tsou Pu Yi (age 8)
Wu Tao Pu Yi (age 15)
Fan Guang Pu Chieh,Japanese Bodyguard
Henry Kyi Pu Chieh (age 7)
Alvin Riley III Pu Chieh (age 14)
Lisa Lu Tzu Hsui, The Empress Dowager
Hideo Takamatsu Gen. Ishikari
Hajime Tachibana Japanese Translator
Basil Pao Prince Chun
Jian Xireng Lord Chamberlain
Zhang Liangbin Big Foot
Huang Wenjie Hunchback
Pan Hung Li Shu Xian
LiDien Lang Empress Wan Rung
Liang Dong Lady Aisin-Gioro
Dong Zhendong Old Doctor
Dong Jiechen Doctor
Constantine Gregory Oculist
Soong Huaikuei Lung Yu
Shao Ruzhen First High Consort
Li Yu Second High Consort
Li Guangli Third High Consort
LiDien Xing Li Yu Qin
Xu Chunqing Grey Eyes
Zhang Tianmin Old Tutor
Luo Hongnian Sleeping Old Tutor
Yang Baozong Gen. Yuan Shikai
Cai Hongxiang Scarface
Yu Shihong Hsiao Hsiu
Wu Jun Wen Hsiu (age 12)
Lucia Hwong Lady of the Book
Cui Jingping Lady of the Pen
Wu Hai Republican Officer
Gu Junguo Tang
Xu Tongrui Captain of Feng's Army
Li Fusheng Minister of Trade
Chen Shu Chang Chinghui
Cheng Shuyan Lady Hiro Saga
Zhang Lingmu Emperor Hirohito
Luo Shigang Chang Ching Hui's Secretary
Zhang Daxing Tough Warder
Zu Ruigang Second Warder
Jin Yuan Party Boss
Akira Ikuta Japanese Doctor
Cui Xinmin Japanese Bodyguard
Li Zhenduo Dignitary
Yang Hongchang Scribe
Wang Biao Prisoner
Michael Vermaaten American
Matthew Spender Englishman
Martin Reynolds Englishman
Rio Ruocheng Actor
Liangbin Zhang Big Foot
David Byrne Composer
Cong Su Composer

Technical Credits
Mark Peploe Screenwriter
Bernardo Bertolucci Screenwriter
Jeremy Thomas Producer
Gianetto De Rossi Special Effects
Fabrizio Martinelli Special Effects

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- The Last Emperor: The Theatrical Version
1. Manchuria, 1950 [6:46]
2. Peking, 1908 [8:03]
3. First Coronation [3:42]
4. The Young Emperor [2:43]
5. Criminal [2:06]
6. Puchieh [9:07]
7. A New Republic [4:39]
8. Reginald Johnston [4:34]
9. First Lesson [3:53]
10. Protests [4:10]
11. Grief [7:19]
12. Spectacles [3:18]
13. Two Wives [4:29]
14. Strangers [5:30]
15. Confession [3:01]
16. Reforms [8:22]
17. Departures [1:00]
18. Life Outside [5:14]
19. Secondary Consort [6:47]
20. Tientsin, 1931 [8:00]
21. Manchuria, 1934 [4:09]
22. Second Coronation [6:02]
23. New Quarters [9:05]
24. Manchuria, 1935 [2:48]
25. Puppet [7:53]
26. The Russians [5:04]
27. Freedom [7:17]
28. Peking, 1967 [3:24]
29. Citizen [5:51]
1. The Story's Challenges [6:46]
2. Locations and Sets [8:03]
3. Shooting Logistics [3:42]
4. Details [2:43]
5. Reeducation Begins [2:06]
6. History as Dramatis Personae [9:07]
7. Metaphors [4:39]
8. Change in China [4:34]
9. Casting Difficulties/Reginald Johnston [3:53]
10. Dialogue Continuity [4:10]
11. Color/Lighting [7:19]
12. Reference Works [3:18]
13. Chinese New Wave [4:29]
14. Joan Chen/Sex and Sexuality [5:30]
15. Ric Young/Interrogations [3:01]
16. Process/Lies [8:22]
17. Two Sides of Pu Yi's Nature [1:00]
18. Vittorio Storaro/Life Outside [5:14]
19. Become the Structure/Eastern Jewel [6:47]
20. Re-Creating the Past [8:00]
21. An Ordinary Man [4:09]
22. Nagisa Oshima/The Score [6:02]
23. An Interest in Asia/Ryuichi Sakamoto [9:05]
24. John Lone/Omnipotence [2:48]
25. On China and Japan [7:53]
26. Historical Background [5:04]
27. An Inaccuracy [7:17]
28. The Tragedy of the Governor [3:24]
29. A Useful Life [5:51]
Disc #2 -- The Last Emperor: The Television Version
1. Manchuria, 1950 [6:46]
2. Peking, 1908 [9:12]
3. First Coronation [4:19]
4. Criminal [1:48]
5. The Young Emperor [7:02]
6. Prison [1:57]
7. Pu Chieh [9:25]
8. Reeducation [3:27]
9. A New Republic [8:07]
10. Instructions [4:17]
11. Reginald Johnston [4:57]
12. First Lesson [4:56]
13. Protests [7:13]
14. Grief [9:38]
15. Spectacles [3:46]
16. Two Wives [7:32]
17. Strangers [6:48]
18. Confession [3:03]
19. Reforms [7:45]
20. Expelled [2:14]
21. State Prisoners [3:22]
22. Life Outside [7:56]
23. Secondary Consort [7:19]
24. Tientsin, 1931 [9:28]
25. Manchuria, 1934 [7:46]
26. Second Coronation [6:47]
27. New Quarters [9:26]
28. Manchuria, 1935 [4:43]
29. Puppet [9:48]
30. The Russians [9:41]
31. Freedom [8:08]
32. Peking, 1967 [4:01]
33. Citizen [7:21]
Disc #3 -- The Last Emperor: Supplements - Part 1
1. The Journey Begins [6:03]
2. Provocations [7:21]
3. Ghosts [10:34]
4. Far West to Far East [3:51]
5. From Darkness to Light [8:38]
6. Metamorphoses [9:45]
7. Mystery [6:44]
1. Memories [6:55]
2. "The Birth of Omnipotence" [4:36]
3. The Expulsion of the Eunuchs [2:12]
4. Directing [4:37]
5. Editing [9:08]
6. Recording the Score [12:23]
7. Sakamoto As Amakasu [3:39]
8. First Screening [4:23]
9. Metamorphoses [2:54]
1. A Unique Collaborator [1:53]
2. Preproduction [8:38]
3. Logistics [5:22]
4. Visuals [9:25]
5. The Coronation Scene [8:35]
6. Small Details/Editing [5:48]
7. Recollections [4:44]
Disc #4 -- The Last Emperor: Supplements - Part 2
1. A Brief History [8:47]
2. First Memory [8:03]
3. Walled In [3:59]
4. Protests [9:48]
5. Reginald Johnston [9:03]
6. Becoming a Man [7:07]
7. Puppet Emperor [6:42]
8. Prison [6:58]
9. Freedom [5:25]
1. A Need for Reform [6:21]
2. A Surge of Nationalism [5:45]
3. The Warlord Period [7:28]
4. Japan and Manchuria [8:12]
5. 1937-45 [8:16]
6. 1945-50 [5:41]
7. The Cultural Revolution [2:59]

Menu

Disc #1 -- The Last Emperor: The Theatrical Version
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Chapters
Color Bars
Commentary
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On
Index
Color Bars
Trailer
Disc #2 -- The Last Emperor: The Television Version
Play the Movie
Chapters
Color Bars
Disc #3 -- The Last Emperor: Supplements - Part 1
The Italian Traveler, Bernardo Bertolucci
Play
Index
Postcards From China
Play
Play With Commentary
Bernardo Bertolucci's Chinese Adventure
Play
Index
Making the Last Emperor
Play
Index
Subtitles
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Disc #4 -- The Last Emperor: Supplements - Part 2
The Southbank Show
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Index
David Byrne
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Beyond the Forbidden City
Play
Index
The Late Show: Face to Face
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