Sexual Astrology - VHS : The Last Emperor - Director's Cut

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starring: John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Ruocheng Ying, Victor Wong directed by: Bernardo Bertolucci See Larger Image Used Price: $5.41 Collectible Price: $24.98 Third Party New Price: $6.65 Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 9780784012161 Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Letterboxed, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC ISBN: 0784012164 Label: Live / Artisan Manufacturer: Live / Artisan Number Of Items: 2 Publisher: Live / Artisan Release Date: February 23, 1999 Running Time: 160 minutes Sales Rank: 10377 Studio: Live / Artisan Theatrical Release Date: December 18, 1987 Related Items: Empire of the Sun Gandhi (Widescreen Two-Disc Collector's Edition) Farewell My Concubine Raise the Red Lantern (MGM World Films) Chariots of Fire (Two-Disc Special Edition) see more Editorial Review: Amazon.com essential video: Everything that was good about the 163-minute theatrical release of Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor in 1987 is even better in this new 218-minute director's cut. By contrast, much that was peculiarly distant and lifeless the first time around isn't really better or worse in this edition. Conclusion: the net gains are considerable if you invest time to appreciate Bertolucci's full feeling for the odd story of Pu Yi, China's final monarch. You remember the saga: taken from his mother at the age of three, Pu Yi is brought into the enclosed walls of the Forbidden City to replace the real emperor. There he becomes a pampered prisoner and hollow symbol of an older monarchy that has since given way to a ruthless, 20th century republic. With his pining loyalists beheaded or kept at bay by armed soldiers outside the City's walls, Pu Yi is tutored by an English gentleman (Peter O'Toole) and wed to a kindred spirit (Joan Chen). Eventually cast from his gated paradise, Pu Yi (wonderfully portrayed in adulthood by John Lone) becomes, by turns, a playboy, a dupe to the Japanese, and a victim of China's cultural reforms and re-education programs. This longer cut largely top-loads the film with greater reason to feel compassion for the emperor, with his often wordless sense-adventure in the mysteries that could only be known to one little boy plunged into indecipherable alien decorum, robbed of self-determination and common sense by his infinite privilege. Added scenes (including some in the political rehabilitation camp where Pu Yi is held for a decade) fill out not so much added facts as density of experience. This improved The Last Emperor is richer in soul and a pronounced sense of Bertolucci actually directing this film in the most personal and profound sense. --Tom Keogh Customer Reviews Average Rating: Rating: - Buy this one! If you enjoyed this movie as much as I did you will want it in you DVD library, however, be aware of the fact that there is a Chinese version which is in Mandarin. I ordered the Chinese version by mistake because at the time it was not clear that it was not in English. Rating: - Yeah, what he said. I agree 100% with Nix Pix. He said it all. I only wish to reiterate here. Amazing film but world's worst DVD transfer. Shame on ARTISAN for releasing such an inferior product. DO NOT waste your time or money on this version. Even if you find it in a bargain bin for 99 cents, leave it alone. Unless you need a new coaster or something. Instead buy the new Criterion 4 disc remastered version. A little more expensive but well worth it. The preservation of excellent cinema alone ... Read More Rating: - Wait for the Criterion Editon! It comes out at the end of February and well worth the wait. Search it out! Rating: - The Twilight of the Middle Kingdom "The Last Emperor" tells the amazing true story of Pu Yi,the Middle Kingdom's last emperor. From its gripping opening sequence in which the young Pu Yi is torn from his mother's arms to his life as a nobody in the gray blandness of Communist China, it is a powerful spectacle. Ryuichi Sakamoto&David Byrne's soundtrack captures the epic sweep of the movie. Bernardo Bertolucci's direction is superb&his international cast is perfect. "The Last Emperor" begins with Pu Yi being taken to the ... Read More Rating: - The REAL DEAL! This is the AUTHENTIC ARTISAN RELEASE of "The Last Emperor". The other DVD listings are for CRAPPY Korean and Chinese Counterfeit R1 Imports. Asian Regions do not Manufacture legitimate Region 1 for Export. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! I can't figure out why Amazon allows the other illegal counterfeits to be listed on their website!!?? Is Amazon turning into FakE-BAY? see more Browse for similar items by category: By Country - Art House & International - Genres - VHS - Video - China United Kingdom - By Country - Art House & International - Genres - VHS - Video - Drama By Theme - Art House & International - Genres - VHS - Video - Biography Drama - Genres - VHS - Video - General AAS Lions Gate Home Entertainment - Studio Specials - Custom Stores - Specialty Stores - VHS - Video - Top Sellers