Last Emperor 09/19 Blu-ray (Rental)

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 scope of the film was, and remains, undeniably powerful—the life of Emperor Puyi, 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. Recreating Qing-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 BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES | Restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, with DTS-HD Master Audio stereo surround soundtrack | Audio commentary featuring director Bernardo Bertolucci, producer Jeremy Thomas, screenwriter Mark Peploe, and composer-actor Ryuichi Sakamoto | The Italian Traveler, Bernardo Bertolucci, a film by Fernand Moszkowicz tracing the director’s geographic influences, from Parma to China | Footage taken by Bertolucci while on preproduction in China | Two documentaries about the making of the film | Program featuring cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, editor Gabriella Cristiani, costume designer James Acheson, and art director Gianni Silvestri | Archival interview with Bertolucci | Interviews with composer David Byrne and cultural historian Ian Buruma | Trailer | PLUS: An essay by David Thomson