The Last Emperor - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Mediabook Cover B (German Import)

Historical epics like Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor can be incredibly difficult to review. On one hand, you have to juggle historical accuracy while on the other you have to balance entertainment value for an audience. Toss in an expensive independently funded production against the backdrop of Chinese censorship and script approval along with the honor of being the first Western film to shoot at the Forbidden City, there’s a lot one must consider with a film like this. But history, in this case, speaks for itself. Sweeping the Oscars and bringing home nine golden dudes including Best Picture, The Last Emperor has proven to be one of Bertolucci's greatest accomplishments. 

Focusing on Puyi, the final monarch of the Qing Dynasty, we have a fascinating historical character who witnessed incredible cultural change firsthand from a unique social position. He was also far from being a benign presence in these events, and Bertolucci may undercut his film by glossing over the worst behaviors of his main character. No historical epic is immune from glossing over or stretching certain details to fit a narrative, but it’s important to understand that Puyi was a far more complicated individual than portrayed. 

To the credit of actor John Lone, he delivers an incredibly nuanced portrayal of the adult Puyi humanizing a figure born to believe he was beyond the approach of normal humans. Richard Vuu, Tsou Tijger, and Tao Wu were also impressive in their performances as the young Emperor in his formative years. Between these actors, we flash backward and forward in time as the three-year-old Puyi ascends the throne, learns of Western culture, and grapples with his reeducation after the fall of the Japanese-backed Manchukuo state. The film tackles a large period in 20th-century Chinese history and these actors never falter. 

John Lone has always given fantastic performances, even in films like The Shadow, but it’s here where he shines brightest. It’s one of those mysteries how this film could sweep the Oscars but neglect to even nominate him. Likewise, Joan Chen delivers a devastating performance as Puyi’s wife Wan Jung. While a small supporting role, Peter O’Toole gives a masterful turn as the English tutor Reginald Johnston and yet again another oversight from the Academy. 

Leave it to an Italian filmmaker like Bertolucci to bring this epic tale to life. Combined with producer Jeremy Thomas, co-writer Mark Peploe, and cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor is a visual feast while never losing its dramatic footing focusing on its main character. A film like this, the first Western production to shoot in the Forbidden City, could easily get lost in the visual splendor. It’s a costume epic that has a lush, vivid eye for spectacle but thanks to Bertolucci and Peploe’s screenplay, never loses the eye for human drama.

I wouldn’t personally put this on a “favorite films” or “best ever made” list, but it’s one I greatly admire. I grew up with this movie in the house thanks to my dad forgetting to send back the monthly Columbia House card. It was one of those films I watched very young and probably annoyed my parents to death because I had so many questions. “Why did they do this?” “Why did this happen?” “What’s going to happen now?” I had so many questions because it was one of the first big “grownup” films that fully captured my attention. Because of that, I try to revisit The Last Emperor every few years. It’s not one I pull off my shelf often, but every time it arrives in a new home video format I’m always compelled to give it another viewing.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
The Last Emperor or Der Letzte Kaiser arrives on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray from Germany’s Turbine Medien in lovely four-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray Mediabook. A BD-100 disc supports The theatrical cut is offered in 4K with a BD-50 offering the 1080p. An additional BD-50 is included for the film’s Extended Cut with another BD-50 offering up the bonus features. All four discs are Region Free (tested on multiple setups) and have individual trays within the mediabook and are not stacked. The booklet is forty pages featuring an impressive making-of-history about the film from author Tobias Hohmann. The text is in German, but using my Google Translate app, it’s a great read. Each disc loads to an animated main menu with traditional navigation options.

The Theatrical Cut of The Last Emperor arrives fully restored to 2160p with the proper 2.39:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision HDR (and HDR10). The effort was a shared project between Turbine and Arrow in collaboration with StudioCanal. The results are simply fabulous. The contrasting images of the bright, bold, and colorful early years of Pu Yi’s life against the dark, cold, and drab later years are striking and have never looked better. The smallest intricate details in facial features, clothing textures, and the incredible production design never falter. The ceremony where Pu Yi is to choose a wife and first consort is particularly stunning with the immaculate beading in the costumes. There’s good reason why this film won Best Cinematography - Vittorio Storaro earned every ounce of that golden statue. 

Worth noting, the Turbine disc has a notably higher bitrate. Since their disc isn’t sharing space for bonus features, it clocks in about fifteen gigs heavier. Bitrates run a respectable 10-20 mbps higher than the Arrow disc with peaks well above 110 mbps. In some sequences, it’s not always easy to spot the difference, but as an example, the famous sequence when little Piyu runs through the yellow curtain looked a bit sharper with a better-refined grain structure. Perhaps not night and day, but enough to catch the eye. 

Dolby Vision HDR is another amazing highlight for this release offering spot-on color saturation giving extra attention to key primaries, especially reds, while ensuring flesh tones are healthy and human. Black levels are in perfect form offering deep inky blacks with lovely shadow separations. This is key for the scenes depicting Puyi’s later years. Whites are brilliant and crisp without blooming. From frame one, this is an exceptional transfer. 

The Extended Cut has always looked a bit rough. I don’t know the exact reason why the elements weren’t available for restoration, I’ve heard different explanations, but it’s a notable down from the 4K. I keep hoping one day we’ll see this version fully restored, but as is the Theatrical Cut is still magnificent.

On the audio front, we have two options, a DTS-HD MA 2.0 or a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track. Personally, I loved the 5.1 option. The 2.0 is strong in its own right, but it feels far more lively and immersive with 5.1 audio. The extra spacing of key audio effects, dialog, and the magnificent Oscar-winning score by Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne, and Cong Su sounds magnificent. Big lively parade scenes or anytime you have hundreds of extras, the soundscape feels massive. Later when Pu Yi is in confinement during his reeducation period the mix is intensely confined. The slightest foot shuffle or whisper has great impact for these tense scenes.

Turbine offers up their own selection of extra features. Of the new extras, we see a great interview with producer Jeremy Thomas as he details how the film came together. After that we have some nice archival extras, the first is an in-depth making-of-documentary that chronicles the production, shooting on location throughout China, and gives a lot of attention to the Forbidden City sequences. After that is the amusing The Italian Traveler focusing on Bertolucci. Most noteworthy of its extra features package is the Extended Edition which arrives in pretty much the same condition as the Arrow Limited Edition set. 

4K Disc 

• German Trailer 
• German Trailer Recut 

Blu-ray Disc

• US Trailer
• International Trialer
• German Trailer 
• German Trailer Recut 

Blu-ray Disc Two

• The Last Emperor Extended Cut (HD 3:38:38)

Bonus Features Disc

• Making-of Documentary (SD 1:04:58)
• The Italian Traveler (SD 50:19)
• Postcards from China (SD 07:43)
• Documenting A Dynasty - Interview with Producer Jeremy Thomas (HD 19:01)

The Last Emperor ascends to the 4K throne with a gorgeous Dolby Vision transfer. Bernardo Bertolucci’s daring and unique biopic is remains a fascinating undertaking about a compelling and challenging figure in modern history. Germany’s Turbine Medien gives fans an excellent four-disc mediabook to consume. All discs are Region-Free, and the 4K disc offers up a higher bitrate. Bonus features are different from the Arrow set with more archival extras including the hour-long making-of documentary. As The Last Emperor is yet to be released domestically, importing is your current best option and this is an excellent release for the collection. Must Own

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