Bernardo Bertolucci‘s Academy Award-winning 1987 epic THE LAST EMPEROR – which swept the 60th Academy Awards winning nine OSCARS including Best Picture and Best Director – will be released on Limited Edition Blu-ray and Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD on 13th February 2023 from Arrow Video, presented from a brand new 4K restoration.
Following the life of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his birth in 1908 through his childhood in the fortress-like Forbidden City and his later misguided collaboration with the Japanese in World War II, THE LAST EMPEROR tells the history of China through the eyes of the man brought up to believe he was the country’s divine ruler.
Filmed on location in China, Bertolucci and British producer Jeremy Thomas were the first western filmmakers to be allowed access to previously forbidden locations. Together with a cast including John Lone, Joan Chen and Peter O’Toole, and director of photography Vittorio Storaro’s lushly evocative cinematography, they created a classic film of sweeping scope and delicate intimacy that stunned critics and audiences alike.
4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
• New 4K restoration of the original theatrical version
• Original and extended versions of the film presented in their original aspect ratio of 2.39:1
• Original uncompressed stereo 2.0 audio, plus 5.1 audio option for theatrical version
• Reversible sleeve featuring two artwork options
• Eight double-sided postcard sized lobby card reproduction artcards
• Fold-out double-sided poster featuring two artwork options
• Illustrated collectors book featuring new writing by film critics Kat Ellinger and Philip Kemp, plus select archival material
DISC 1 – THEATRICAL VERSION (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-rayTM presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original uncompressed stereo 2.0 and 5.1 audio options
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• First to Last: The Road to the Forbidden City, a new visual essay by film critic David Cairns exploring Bernardo Bertolucci’s career prior to The Last Emperor
• Open the Door, a new visual essay by film critics David Cairns & Fiona Watson in which they follow Bertolucci into the Forbidden City to explore in-depth The Last Emperor and the truth on which it is based
• Archive interview with director Bernardo Bertolucci
• Archive interview with star John Lone
• Archive interview with star Joan Chen
• Postcard from China, video footage shot by Bernardo Bertolucci while location scouting in China
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery
DISC 2 – EXTENDED VERSION (BLU-RAY)
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Original uncompressed stereo 2.0 audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
