#422: BERTOLUCCI, Bernardo: The Last Emperor (1987)

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BERTOLUCCI, Bernardo (China)
The Last Emperor [1987]
Spine #422
Blu-ray


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 in 1908, at age three, before witnessing decades of cultural and political upheaval within and without the walls of the Forbidden City. Re-creating Ching dynasty China with astonishing detail and unparalleled crafsmanship 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.

165 minutes
Color
Stereo
2:00:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2008
Director/Writers


Screenplay by Mark Peploe with Bernardo Bertolucci.
Bertolucci was 46 when he directed The Last Emperor.

Other Bertolucci films in the Collection:

#272: La Commare Secca (1962)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Sixteen-page booklet featuring an essay by critic David Thomson.

Commentary

Featuring director Bertolucci, producer Jeremy Thomas, screenwriter Peploe, and composer-actor Ryuichi Sakamoto.

The Indian 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 film by Paolo Brunatto revisiting the creation of the film.

Documentary 1

45-minutes, featuring DP Vittorio Storaro, editor Gabriella Cristiani, costume designer James Acheson, and art director Gianni Silvestri.
Documentary 2

30-minute BBC interview with Bertolucci from 1989.

Interview 1

From 2008 with composer David Byrne.
Interview 2

With cultural historian Ian Buruma examining the period of the film.

Theatrical trailer

 Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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