The Last Emperor - Criterion Collection

• No Country for Old Men
• There Will Be Blood
• The Ice Storm
• Pierrot le Fou - Criterion Collection
• Bonnie and Clyde
• El Cid (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (The Miriam Collection)
• Michael Clayton (Widescreen Edition)
• American Gangster (2-Disc Unrated Extended Edition)
• The Thief of Bagdad - Criterion Collection
• The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Below is a short summary -. Criterion Collection - both Director's cut and theatrical versions, top quality transfers, anamorphic, excellent packaging and extra materials (just like any other Criterion DVD in general). not anamorphic widescreen), transfer quality just ok. Japanese version - only theatrical version, original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, anamorphic widescreen, very good quality transfer, but no English subtitles, only Japanese ones (an issue for me). The five stars are given to the movie itself. I am really quite tired of comparing the various versions. For the different DVD versions, there are various pros and cons.

No English subtitles for both versions. Now, over 20 years since I first watched this excellent movie, the wait for the ultimate video release is not yet over. longer TV version), original 2.35:1 aspect ratio but only 4:3 letterboxed (i.e. Criterion blu-ray - do not have it yet (no blu-ray player), but from other reviews, it seems to contain only the theatrical version. PAL version means the length of the movie is slightly shorter (209 mins for Director's cut and 156 mins for theatrical version). If crop is not an issue, then get the Criterion version. Just want to get the right one to really enjoy the movie once more.

Recommendations for DVD: Get the UK version if crop is an issue and English subtitles are not necessary. UK Optimum version - both Director's cut and theatrical version, both in 2.35:1, both anamorphic, good quality transfer but slightly not as good as Japanese version (some flickering of the words is visible). Hong Kong version - forget what it's like, given it away long ago. US Artisan version - only Director's cut (i.e. - this ruins everything. But what, 2:1 crop. I thought the Criterion release would end the wait but eventually it did not (because of the crop issue).

All that was written before my review is not hype. It's all true. See it on the largest screen you can.

Why the hell was it cropped in 2:1. I usually admire and revere the work that the guys at Criterion do, especially when it comes to Japanese movies such as those of Akira Kurosawa (in those they have surpassed themselves). Was Bernardo Bertolucci at all involved, or concerned with the transfer of his own movie. Besides, the sound is far better on the Optimum copy than on Criterion. No. Until then and if you have the chance to have a Region/Code Free DVD player, stick to the British copy. Besides being cheaper, it has a far higher image resolution and it still comes with a pristine 2:35 image ratio.

Then stick to the Criterion copy (it is stuffed with tons of material). This over-emphatization of sound effects, results in some dialogues being lost to the dogs. It is far, far superior. Do you care more about the Bonuses and Extras offered, rather than the movie itself.

But if you, like me, are more focused on the movie and don't give a hoot about the wrappings, the candles and the cherries, than try to get hold of an Optimum DVD of this movie (you may still find it at Amazon.co.uk). Despite being filled with extras, the Criterion copy sports a sound mix that is filled with effects, while the Optimum copy has them in a much more discreet way. And if so, did he agree with such stupid idea. Thank Heavens I did not trash my Optimum PAL DVD of the very same movie.

Maybe in a future, when those involved in this chopping will be gone, we might stand a better chance at having the full movie as it was actually presented and restored the way Criterion knows. But here, nah, not worth the effort and the money (despite of all the extras). But in the end it is up to you.

The late Gene Siskel called this film "one of the greatest films I've seen since I became a film critic" (I'm paraphrasing here). Colors and textures are butchered, which is insulting, considering how beautiful this film is. The Best Picture Oscar, unfortunately, has been known to go to films of dubious or questionable quality, or to films that are safe and non-controversial (remember the Brokeback Mountain vs. Very rarely does an artistic work like this even get nominated, much less win in every category it's nominated in.

Crash controversy). The film, on paper, is a recipe for disaster. The early Artisan DVD is an abomination. Many were angry at Xaver for "tinkering" with Fassbinder's film, but Xaver knew the material better than anyone (except maybe Fassbinder himself), and he was the only one who really had any credibility over the transfer. I was always under the impression that the 218 minute cut was his film. The film is also remarkable that it's one of the few Best Picture Oscar winner that not only deserves its wins, but is a real work of art. The film is remarkable for many reasons.

Bertolucci's career was on the wane at the time. I accept that this is the proper framing. Bertolucci said that the director's cut of this film is the 164 minute version, not the longer version. His previous two films, Luna and Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man, were pretty much dismissed by critics and audiences alike (especially the latter). Many assumed (including me) that since the 5 1/4 hour version of 1900 was a director's cut (which it is, and it's available on DVD now), that the television version of The Last Emperor was as well.

The Criterion version of this film does it complete justice. He's a marvelous filmmaker, but he's been erratic his whole career, going for long periods without making any films, and making uneven films as well. It's one of the most mysterious, beguiling, and transendant epics ever made. It is not.

It's one of my top ten films, and it's so ravishing and enthralling I never really get tired of seeing it. It had no known stars, it's directed by a filmmaker who doesn't make blockbusters, it's about a little known Chinese emperor (little known in the West, anyway), it's a long film, and it's a long, costly shoot (though not as much as other epic films). This film, along with 1900, are Bernardo Bertolucci's greatest films (so far). This set has many, many extras, almost as expansive as the film itself, and a 90 page booklet with interviews, essays, and articles about the film, the production, and Chinese history.

He's very much alive and I know that Bernardo isn't going to let his film be squeezed and butchered by his cinematographer, Vittorio Storario (one of the best ever). You get the original 164 minute, theatrical version and the 218 minute TV version. Yet, it's a rare film where everything seems to work. The film isn't a feel good, easy to digest Best Picture. Bertolucci was under contract to deliver a longer version for Chinese television, and that's what the longer version is.

The Last Emperor is one of my all time favorites, safely secure in my top ten list. There is no discernible reason as to why a cinemtographer would butcher his own work, and that includes Xaver and Vittorio. Perhaps the Academy was so overwhelmed by the beauty and majesty of this film that they felt compelled to give it the awards it so richly deserved. When they both say the film was intended to be shown in a 2:1 aspect ratio, I believe them. It's a demanding film, one that you have to use every portion of your eyes to adore. When Berlin Alexanderplatz was restored, it was overseen by Xaver Schwarzenberger, the original cinemtographer.

This set (and the film) are endlessly fascinating, and for any serious cinema person out there (and you know who you are), this is a must film. You get two versions of the film.

As for the controversy of the "new" framing, it isn't like Bertolucci wasn't there to approve this transfer. It's so immensely challenging visually and thematically. This film came at a time when Bertolucci wasn't really respected by critics at large.

Somehow, Jeremy Thomas, a fabulous producer, managed to scrap together funds for this film, and after the film was completed, Bertolucci had returned to his top form, making arguably his best film. It's not a director's cut. It wasn't.

The transfer for the 164 minute version is the best I've ever seen it.

Puyi's younger brother - Pu Chieh - and Li Wenda, who assisted in the writing of his autobiography, were consultants in the making of the film. The winner of nine Academy Awards - including Best Picture - it chronicles the tragic life of Puyi (John Lone and several young actors), the last Emperor of China - which was written by Mark Peploe & Bernando Bertolucci and directed by the latter. His life encompassed the power struggles of influential warlords, the invasion & occupation by Japan and civil war, which ultimately consolidated the power of the Communist forces under Mao Zedong. Additional materials include a Bertolucci travel companion, video diary and a featurette on the making of the film. The DVD includes the film as edited for theaters and the lengthier version for television.

Though there are composite characters and omissions, the storyline is highly factual in the film. A visually stunning movie, it stands the test of time and will remain a classic in cinematography. From his ascension to the throne at age two, Puyi ruled from 1908-1912 and briefly in 1917, while being a puppet leader ruler Imperial Japan - 1932-1945 - of Manchukuo. Through chronological flashbacks, the story encompasses Puyi's life, which ultimately found him imprisoned in the Soviet Union and China from 1945-1960, until deemed "reformed." He died in 1967. This multi-DVD set is a definitive setting for this sweeping epic.