The Last Emperor was originally released in theaters by Columbia, but after a few change of hands has been picked up by The Criterion Collection. Criterion released a 4-disc DVD set back in February of 2008, and has now released the hi-def version.
The Blu-ray Disc version of the film is formatted in MPEG-4 AVC at 1080p with a super wide aspect ratio of 2.00:1. Audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround. Total length of the film is 165 minutes.
It should be noted that the packaging for The Last Emperor is not the traditional Blu-ray blue plastic case, but rather a blue label on the bottom right. Look carefully for this disc on the shelf as it is easy to miss. A Blu-ray spec can also be found on the back of the package. You can also order the The Last Emperor from Amazon.com
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Here are the extras included on this disc:
• Audio commentary by director Bernardo Bertolucci, producer Jeremy Thomas, screenwriter Mark Peploe, and composer-actor Ryuichi Sakamoto
• The Italian Traveler: Bernardo Bertolucci, a 53-minute film by Fernand Mozskowicz, tracing the director’s geographic influences, from Parma to China
• The Chinese Adventure of Bernardo Bertolucci, a 52-minute documentary that revisits the film’s creation
• A 47-minute documentary featuring Storaro, editor Gabriella Cristiana, costume designer James Acheson, and art director Gianni Silvestri
• A 66-minute documentary exploring Bertolucci’s creative process and the making of The Last Emperor
• A 30-minute interview with Bertolucci from 1989
• Video images taken by Bertolucci in China
• A new interview with composer David Byrne
• A new interview with Ian Buruma examining the historical period of the film
• Theatrical trailer
• Booklet featuring an essay by critic David Thomson
