Last Emperor Gets Its Due
February 21, 2008

 Jeremy Thomas, producer of The Last Emperor, says no one has really seen the movie until they’ve seen the Feb. 26 Criterion Collection release.

Sure, the theatrical version ended up sweeping the 1988 Academy Awards, matching its nine nominations with nine Oscar trophies, including one for Best Picture. But that big screen cut was missing about two hours of footage.

Thomas and Last Emperor director Bernardo Bertolucci thank Criterion and its distributor Image Entertainment for allowing them to do the film justice and release it in its original four-hour form.

“You’ll see whole other scenes, new storylines, a lot more richness,” said Thomas, who chatted with VB at a Last Emperor launch party in Los Angeles on Feb. 19. “[And with the DVD] you can watch it with intermissions if you need. Maybe have a cup of tea.”

Thomas explained that it would have been impossible to release a four-hour cut theatrically. But he is still pleased to give audiences this as-intended Criterion version of the movie.

This longer cut “makes the story clearer,” promises Thomas. “I think it’s more understandable.”

The Criterion release is especially dear to Thomas as he considers Last Emperor to mark the pinnacle of his career. His other producing credits include the Ben Kingsley-starring Sexy Beast and the David Cronenberg-directed Crash and Naked Lunch.

“How can you ever find a story like that again?” asked Thomas. “It’s about this absolute ruler of the world. And it’s real.”

Also celebrating the Criterion release was Last Emperor star Joan Chen.

Although she enjoyed her filming experience, Chen said that she has still one big regret.

“I didn’t get to know Peter O-Toole,” she said. “I never went up and said ‘Hi.’”

But overall, Chen “does remember having a wonderful time with the film.”

Posted by Susanne Ault on February 21, 2008 | Comments (0)