Rent The Last Emperor (1987)
3.8 of 5 from 209 ratings
2h 36min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Following Pu Yi (John Lone), the last of the Emperor's 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 modern China through the eyes of the man brought up to believe that he was the country's divine ruler.
- Actors:
- John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Ruocheng Ying, Victor Wong, Dennis Dun, Ryûichi Sakamoto, Maggie Han, Ric Young, Vivian Wu, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Jade Go, Fumihiko Ikeda, Richard Vuu, Tsou Tijger, Tao Wu, Guang Fan, Henry Kyi, Alvin Riley III, Lisa Lu
- Directors:
- Bernardo Bertolucci
- Producers:
- Jeremy Thomas
- Writers:
- Mark Peploe, Bernardo Bertolucci, Puyi, Enzo Ungari
- Others:
- David Byrne, Bernardo Bertolucci, Gabriella Cristiani, Vittorio Storaro, Osvaldo Desideri, Bruno Cesari, Ferdinando Scarfiotti, Cong Su, James Acheson, Mark Peploe, Ryûichi Sakamoto, Fabrizio Martinelli, Ivan Sharrock, Fabrizio Sforza, Bill Rowe, Gino De Rossi, Les Wiggins, Jeremy Thomas
- Studio:
- Optimum
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama
- Collections:
- 10 Films to Watch if You Like: Raise the Red Lantern, A Brief History of Coronations on Screen, Award Winners, Films & TV by topic, Films to Watch If You Like..., Getting to Know..., Introducing a British Film Family, Memory Lane: Films Set in 1920s, Remembering Donald Sutherland, Roeg and Bertolucci: Remembering the Masters, The Biggest Oscar Snubs: Part 2, A Brief History of Film..., Top 10 Best Last Films: World Cinema, Top 10 Best Picture Follow-Ups, Top 10 Tennis Films, Top Films, What to Watch Next If You Liked Chariots of Fire
- Awards:
1988 Oscar Best Cinematography
1988 Oscar Best Costume Design
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 19/04/2010
- Run Time:
- 163 minutes
- Languages:
- English LPCM Stereo
- DVD Regions:
- Region 2
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
- Colour:
- Colour
- Bonus:
- Director's cut of the feature
- Theatrical feature commentary with Bernardo Berolucci, Jeremy Thomas, Ryuichi Sakomoto
- Bernardo Bertolucci: An in-depth documentary about the making of "The last emperor"
- Postcard from China
- Theatrical trailer
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 13/02/2023
- Run Time:
- 219 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English
- DVD Regions:
- Region 2
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.39:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- 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 and 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 interviews with Director Bernardo Bertolucci and stars John Lone and Joan Chen
- Postcard from China, video footage shot by Bernardo Bertolucci while location scouting in China
- Theatrical Trailer
- Image Gallery
- Disc 1:
- This disc includes the following:
- Theatrical Version (4K)
- Special Features - Disc 2:
- This disc includes the following:
- Extended Version (Blu-Ray)
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Reviews (2) of The Last Emperor
A true epic. - The Last Emperor review by CP Customer
'The Last Emperor' is a truly unique film based on a truly unique story. The film recounts the real life story of 'Pu Yi', who at the tender age of three ascended to the throne to become emperor of China. It's an epic story of a man who spent the majority of his life as a puppet of others, who during his lifetime was transformed from the supreme emperor of imperial China, to an anonymous peasant gardener in the communist people's republic of China. The quality of acting is superb, with John Lone's portrayal of 'Pu Yi' being one of the best aspects of the film. Peter O'Toole is equally good and his quiet understated style of acting supports the story beautifully. The direction is stunning with beautifully lavish scenes held within the Forbidden City, and director Bertolucci cleverly manages strike the right balance between being both a big budget epic and an intimate character based drama. If you're not sure as to what disk to rent, the 'theatrical version' or the 'directors cut', the directors cut has around 50 minutes of additional footage which, apart from a couple of scenes, doesn't really add an awful lot to the overall story and at over 3 and a half hours in length is pretty hard work to watch in one sitting. In my opinion the 'theatrical version' is the better film; it's finer paced, easier to follow, and running at 2 hours and 40 minutes, it holds your attention throughout. Overall, 'The Last Emperor' is an outstanding piece of storytelling and both a moving and memorable experience.
1 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Don't miss this - The Last Emperor review by Swambi
An amazing & unique film, with a story that shouldn't be forgotten. Great filming, great acting, excellent Chinese music, sights and sounds, which seem very authenitic. If you are interested in history, people, other cultures and countries, don't miss this.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.