Criterion Brings 'Last Emperor' to Blu-ray this November

Criterion has announced the latest addition to their growing Blu-ray collection, bringing 'The Last Emperor' to high-def this November.

The Oscar-winning epic (which took home nine awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Bernardo Bertolucci), will make its highly-anticipated Blu-ray debut on November 18. (Criterion previously released an extensive DVD set in 2001.)

Tech specs will see a BD-50 dual-layer presentation with a new 1080p high definition digital transfer approved by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo track.

Extras on the two-disc set are impressive, and will include audio commentary (by Bertolucci, producer Jeremy Thomas,screenwriter Mark Peploe, and composer-actor Ryuichi Sakamoto), Bertolucci's 53-minute film "The Italian Traveler," a montage of video images taken by Bertolucci in China, multiple making-of documentaries ("The Chinese Adventure of Bernardo Bertolucci," "Making of The Last Emperor"), additional crew interviews, the theatrical trailer and a collectible booklet with an essay by critic David Thomson.

Suggested retail price for the Blu-ray has been set at $39.95.

You'll find the latest specs for 'The Last Emperor' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under November 18.