The Last Emperor Blu ray

I was unsure if I should buy this blu-ray disc because of unfavourable customer reviews on amazon.in. Also, the product detail said "German" for language in the movie. These were misleading/wrong information. I want to clarify to customers that if you are buying a blu-ray version of this movie (blu-ray player needed) you have nothing to worry. It's of 1080 quality and the 70mm movie is clear and enlarged enough for your TV screens.

Bernardo Bertolucci's classic on the last monarch of China. With 9 Oscars including a pictorial style of cinematography, this movie will capture your joy.

It is not DVD quality. The picture comes letter boxed in HD screen. However, it is an old movie and copies may be difficult to get. So will have to bear it. I wish they mention it is not 1080p resolution on the DVD. For the price charged I thought it was ok.

The quality of the product is really bad - images are just green patches and flicker continuously.This is the first time that I feel thoroughly disappointed about a product that I have bought through Amazon. Saw the movie ages ago when it was released on the big screen and wanted to view it again. What a let down.

Did Not Like It

Superb movie. Good quality Bluray

There is some interesting controversy about aspect ratios and cuts with variousreleases of the film. The Criterion releases have been reformatted fromthe original 2:35 to 2:1, but it was done at the request of, and under thesupervision of cinematographer Vittorio Storaro.Also, the Criterion BR doesn't have the longer Italian TV cut, but the2 disc Criterion DVD does.Then there is this 2 disc Optimum UK DVD set which has the film init's original 2:35 theatrical ratio (and a quite nice transfer, if not quiteup to Criterion's quality.) It also contains the longer TV cut, but in atransfer much weaker than the Criterion DVD.Now, as for the film itself...I can understand someone loving "The Last Emperor" (as I do), or beingbored stiff. Visually ravishing, it is an epic film about an empty man,the last emperor of China Pu Yi.Raised from birth with no real experience of the outside world, trainedonly to fulfill his role as a symbolic figurehead, we watch Pu Yi sweptalong by the great tides of history in the 20th century east. Onlyafter going through ten years 're-education' at the hands of theChinese communists does he start to seem connected to the world and tohimself.The film forces a lot of challenging 're-thinking'. While clearly notforgiving the murderous excesses of the Chinese cultural revolution inthe 60s, it does show that ' at least in this specific case ' theharshness of the Chinese communists was better for Pu Yi as a humanbeing than the false kindness of all those that surrounded him for muchof his life.There are weak spots. Peter O'Toole - who I usually love - is at hismost self-consciously theatrical as Pu Yi's western tutor, a tone thatmakes it feel like he's in a different film. Some scenes feel like pureexposition, with characters having conversations only so we theaudience understands historical context. And it's sometimes hard tostay fully connected to a 165 minute epic about an empty man (although'Citizen Kane' could be looked at that way).But in the end, when Pu Yi finds some measure of happiness andwholeness as a simple gardener, there is a fascinating feeling of deepemotional reward for much of what felt flat earlier.The Italian TV cut is almost a full hour longer than the featureversion (which Bertolucci is now said to prefer), I find each havedifferent strengths. I agree that the longer version is a bit "moreboring" to quote the director himself, but it also fills out the storyin important ways. By giving us more information about Pu Yi'schildhood, and time in prison (even if some of those scenes do feel abit clunky with exposition) his character feels much more fleshed out,less of a cipher. More a man, less a symbol. And some of the importantchanges both in the story and in his personality feel less sudden orconfusing. Probably my personal 'perfect' version would split thedifference, but I was very glad to see this alternate cut.

It is at least 25 years since I saw this film and watching it again in 4K has been well worth it. I am lucky enough to have visited The Forbidden City over 30 years ago and the threats portrayed in the film are certainly with us once again... As a 4K goes there is plenty to like including Peter O'Toole looking as good as I have ever seen him.

Breathtakingly sumptuous bluray transfer by Criterion (region A), head and shoulders above any other releases in my collection that will now be up for sale. With literally hours and hours of extras this is a bluray to treasure.

This DVDs would not play as it is a region 1 and not 2 .i did not notice this when I bought it.it is not very clear if you don't know about regions.

Basierend auf der Autobiografie des letzten Kaisers von China. Als Dreijähriger besteigt Pu Yi 1908 den Thron eines Reiches, das von äußeren Einflüssen bedroht und technologisch rückständig ist. Während er in der Verbotenen Stadt von der Außenwelt abgeschottet ist, zerbricht das Reich wenige Jahre später. Zunächst ändert sich nichts, doch nach der Flucht aus dem goldenen Käfig wird er erst zum Lebemann und wird später als Marionetten-Kaiser der Japaner nach deren Besetzung der Mandschurei in den 1930er Jahren benutzt. Danach landet er in einem chinesischen Gefangenenlager und wird als alter Mann entlassen.