The Last Emperor The Criterion Collection

Product Description Epic about a Chinese emperor who ascended the throne at age 3. Additional Features Among the finest Western-made movies about the East, Bernardo Bertolucci's epic traces the emergence of modern China through the life of one man. After taking on Italian history in The Conformist and 1900, the director was well placed to tackle the story of Pu Yi (played by John Lone as an adult). The narrative proceeds along two tracks: the emperor's post-Forbidden City existence and his cloistered upbringing. Educated by Scotland's Reginald Johnston (Peter O'Toole, in a role slated for Sean Connery), the monarch develops into a sophisticated, if powerless figure. After taking an empress (Joan Chen) and playing into the hands of the Japanese, Pu Yi ends up a menial member of the People's Republic. This four-disc special edition honors Bertolucci's vision, starting with restored transfers of the final cut and the 218-minute broadcast edition, the former overseen by Oscar-winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. Recorded in 2003 and 2007, the audio commentary features Bertolucci and fellow award recipients Jeremy Thomas, Mark Peploe, and actor/composer Ryuichi Sakamoto (co-composer David Byrne appears in a separate interview). Among the revelations: the film was originally planned as a five-part series, Peploe adapted the screenplay from over 50 books, and the filmmaker admits he now finds some scenes embarrassing. The supplements continue with documentaries about the director's path from Parma to Peking ("The Italian Traveler") and the production ("Bernardo Bertolucci's Chinese Adventure" and "The Southbank Show"), a video diary ("Postcards From China"), and a new featurette ("Making The Last Emperor"). Lest viewers fear these features merely flatter their subject, 1986?s "Adventure" captures Bertolucci pitching a fit on the set (in an attempt to protect his youngest actor from distractions). As lavish as the film it celebrates, this beautifully designed keepsake concludes with the theatrical trailer, two additional interviews (Bertolucci and historian Ian Buruma) and a 96-page booklet. --Kathleen C. Fennessy