The Last Emperor

When plans to film Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest in the U.S. fell through, Italy's Bernardo Bertolucci traded the West for the East, a decision that led to one of the finest European movies about China ever made (the director was even granted permission to film in the Forbidden City). The Last Emperor begins in 1908 when three-year-old Pu Yi assumes the throne, concluding in 1967, long after his reign has ended. In the interim, the pampered if powerless figure (played by John Lone as an adult) receives a gentleman's education from Scottish tutor Reginald Johnston (Peter O'Toole), takes an empress (Joan Chen) and a concubine (Vivian Wu), and becomes a puppet emperor under Japanese rule (a section featuring Maggie Han and actor/composer Ryuichi Sakamoto), before being captured by the Russians. After reeducation, Pu Yi returns to the People's Republic a different man, bloodied but not broken, to live out his days in peace as a gardener. Though less emotionally satisfying than Bertolucci's The Conformist or Last Tango in Paris, this extravagant epic won Oscars for all nine categories in which it was nominated, including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Soundtrack, and Cinematography (courtesy of the legendary Vittorio Storaro, who works miracles with natural light and bold color, particularly the emperor's trademark gold). The Criterion Collection has pulled out all the stops for this special edition four-disc set, which includes the director's cut (with digital restoration approved by Storaro), the extended television edition, audio commentary (with Bertolucci, producer Jeremy Thomas, co-writer Mark Peploe, and Sakamoto), three interviews (with Bertolucci, co-composer David Byrne, and historian Ian Buruma), three vintage documentaries, a new “making-of” featurette, a video diary, and a 96-page booklet. Highly recommended. (K. Fennessy)[Blu-ray Review—Jan. 20, 2009—Criterion, 165 min., not rated, $39.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1987's The Last Emperor boasts an amazing transfer and a DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. Blu-ray extras are nearly identical to the previous 4-disc DVD release (missing is the 218 minute TV version, and the 96-page booklet has been replaced with a 16-page booklet), including audio commentary by director Bernardo Bertolucci, producer Jeremy Thomas, screenwriter Mark Peploe, and composer-actor Ryuichi Sakamoto, a 66-minute “making-of” documentary exploring Bertolucci's creative process, Fernand Moszkowicz's “The Indian Traveler: Bernardo Bertolucci” documentary on the director's geographic influences (53 min.), Paolo Brunatto's “The Chinese Adventure of Bernardo Bertolucci” behind-the-scenes documentary (51 min.), a 45-minute production featurette (with cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, editor Gabriellea Cristiani, costume designer James Acheson, and art director Gianni Silvestri), a half-hour 1989 BBC interview with Bertolucci, an interview with composer David Byrne (25 min.), an interview with cultural historian Ian Buruma, video images from China, trailers, and a booklet featuring an essay by critic David Thomson. Bottom line: a gorgeous Blu-ray release of a contemporary classic.]