wrote:
> The versions I have heard of are:
>
> Region 1: Director's Cut, non-anamorphic widescreen, hellishly bad
> quality unwatchable cropped picture. AVOID THIS VERSION.
>
> PAL versions (french, australian etc): Theatrical Cut, good 16x9 picture.
>
> Comparison of the two:
> http://207.136.67.23/film/dvdcompare/lastemperor.htm
And I'll take the opportunity to plug a third edition, which I think is
superior to both the above (quoting from a post I made to
alt.video.laserdisc back in May):
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the first four images from that DVDBeaver page, but this time
comparing the French R2 PAL disc and my Korean R0 NTSC disc:
French: <http://207.136.67.23/film/dvdcompare/lastemperor/1r2.jpg>
Korean: <http://www.gweep.net/~trystero/images/TLE/TLE-1.jpg>
French: <http://207.136.67.23/film/dvdcompare/lastemperor/2-r2.jpg>
Korean: <http://www.gweep.net/~trystero/images/TLE/TLE-2.jpg>
French: <http://207.136.67.23/film/dvdcompare/lastemperor/3r2.jpg>
Korean: <http://www.gweep.net/~trystero/images/TLE/TLE-3.jpg>
French: <http://207.136.67.23/film/dvdcompare/lastemperor/4-r2.jpg>
Korean: <http://www.gweep.net/~trystero/images/TLE/TLE-4.jpg>
These aren't quite exact frame matches (I did them in a hurry), but they're
close enough to be a good basis for comparison.
The two discs are roughly comparable, but look to be different transfers:
the French R2 is much more red-hued (especially noticeable in the skin
tones), while the Korean disc seems more yellowish. I think the Korean
transfer is superior: the image is more detailed and has less colour
bleeding. Check out the third screen-cap: the white insignia on the
bearers' red robes is clearer, as is the pattern of the golden fabric on
the front facings of Pu Yi's litter. Similarly, in the fourth cap, the
pattern of the straw in Johnston's hat is more detailed in the Korean
transfer.
(As to whether the reddish or yellowish tinge is more accurate to the
filmmakers' intent, I can't say. Aesthetically, I think I prefer the yellow
hue, but I may be biased in favour of the disc I already own.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I don't know of any DVD which has the director's cut in good quality...
> if there is one please tell me.
Sadly, the Korean disc only has the theatrical cut in decent-quality
anamorphic video: it includes the director's cut in the same
badly-transferred, over-compressed form in which it appears on the US set.
There's been some talk about an improved re-issue of the director's cut,
though. Last November, an article appeared in the _New York Times_ which
included this tidbit:
"Steve Beeks, Artisan's president, says a new version of _The Last
Emperor_, mastered from [Bernardo] Bertolucci's personal print, will come
out next year..."
--<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/09/movies/09KAPL.html>
Caveat: the same article claimed that Lowry Digital was working on the
individual DVD releases of the _Godfather_ films, which turned out not to
be the case. And in any event, Artisan's buyout by Lion's Gate may have
affected any plans for a better-quality re-issue. But I'm still hoping...
doug
--
"I am mesmerised by my own beat like a heartbeat..."
--Wire
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