"The Last Emperor" is a sweeping epic that has been given a stunning four disc set from Criterion.

Content:
Mostly told via flashbacks from his time in prison, “The Last Emperor” chronicles the life of Pu Yi from being the Emperor of the Forbidden City during his childhood to his eventual life outside the City as an adult. Along the way, we also get sub-plots about the ever changing world of politics and Pu Yi’s troubled wife.

Make no mistake about it; “The Last Emperor” is epic in every sense of the word. The cinematography, location shooting, costumes, score, are all grand and authentic and fully worthy of massive amounts of Awards. The acting (especially by Peter O’Toole and John Lone) is first rate.. The direction by Bernardo Bertolucci is assured and masterful. Of course, I could go on and on and shower the film with praise, but I don’t want to get repetitive.

As good as this film is, I do have some issues with the screenplay by Mark Peploe. Granted, he deserves credit for crafting a unique story structure, showing the world via Pu Yi’s eyes, and somehow managing to condense a life story, but the script is not without its flaws. In my opinion, the film loses steam after Pu Yi is forced to leave the Forbidden City. Not only do we see (or learn) very little about his time as a prisoner, but Mark crams in far too many short segments of events that took place outside the Forbidden City. Of course, almost all biopics (like “Ray” for instance) tend to have script problems.

Much has been said about the widescreen picture quality as it is shown in 2.00:1 instead of the original 2.35:1. I don't mind, however, as it was the cinematographer's decision to do this. I do have to say that the picture quality is often blurry and grainy and not as sharp as I would have liked.

The Dolby Digital Stereo track is also slightly disappointing. This is a big film that deserves a superior audio track.

* A neat 97 page booklet containing interviews and essays..

Disc 1:
* Trailer
* Commentary by Bernardo Bertolucci, Jeremy Thomas, Mark Peploe and Ryuichi Sakanoto. The group talks about the script, story structure, experiences in filming the movie and also give more insight into the story itself.

Disc 3:
* “The Italian Traveler, Bernardo Bertolucci”- A 53 minute movie about Bertolucci prepping the ill-fated “Red Harvest” in Los Angeles before going to China to make “The Last Emperor.”
* “Postcards From China”- An 8 minute video diary from China (with optional commentary).
* “Bernardo Bertolucci’s Chinese Adventure”- A 51 minute on set documentary that gives us Bertolucci’s POV as he shoots, edits, and screens the movie.
* “Making The Last Emperor”- A 45 minute docu containing interviews with the cinematographer and editor.

Disc 4:
* “The Southbank Show”- A 66 minute BBC show filmed in China that includes set footage, behind-the-scenes clips, and insight into Bertolucci’s vision.
* A 25 minute interview with David Byrne (“Talking Heads” singer) as he talks about composing the score, how he met Bertolucci at a screening for “Stop Making Sense,” etc.
* “Beyond The Forbidden City”- A 45 minute history lesson on certain real life events.
* “The Late Show: Face To Face”- A 30 minute sit down interview between Jeremy Isaacs and Bernardo Bertolucci. Bertolucci chats about his family, life, and his epic movie.