ADDITION: Criterion - Region 1- NTSC (February - 08') - Criterion bring fans a 4-disc package  of Bertolucci's masterpiece. The first 2 discs are for the films (Theatrical and TV versions) and discs 3 and 4 are for supplements. All 4 DVDs are dual-layered and in the NTSC standard coded for region 1.  The Criterion blog HERE mentions this:

"Not long after we began corresponding, Storaro came to New York, and when we met he explained the story behind the two different cuts. The filmmakers had been required to deliver a four-hour television version as part of their original deal. They delivered four 50-plus-minute episodes, accounting for the 218-minute length. Gabriella Cristiani, the editor, and Bertolucci then continued editing until they had the picture they wanted. The film screened in movie theaters in 1987--and which swept the Oscars--is Bertolucci's final cut."

The Criterion DVD is advertised on their website, and this package, as "All-new, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro ".

I know there were some raised eyebrows at the adjustment of the aspect ratio to 2.20:1. (WikiPedia says - 'Storaro has reframed many of his earlier widescreen releases for the 2:00:1 ratio upon DVD release, including Apocalypse Now, Reds, and The Last Emperor[7]. This has however proved controversial with many film enthusiasts, who believe that regardless of Storaro's attempt to unify all aspect ratios, films should be viewed in the ratio they were filmed in, without any cropping...'). You can see the results below - there is some information, on both the Artisan and the Gaumont, that is not included within the frame of the Criterion transfer. However, the two most startling differences in the older editions to the new Criterion are in the areas of color and detail. Comparatively speaking the Gaumont appears even more greenish/yellow alongside the Criterion which exhibits far truer colors and a slightly soft pallet. The TV version on the Criterion is weaker than the theatrical - obviously because of the compression factor with such a larger amount of data being squeezed onto one disc. It tends to look significantly inferior in certain scenes - showing a  lot of digital noise. It has a bitrate of only 4.7 mbps and I assume could only have been greatly improved by spreading the 3.5 hour version on two discs. We have included some extra screen captures from the Criterion theatrical at the very bottom of this page to further show how competent the image has been rendered.

Audio is very clear and consistent - only an English 2.0 channel is offered and there are optional English subtitles 9see sample below).

Extras: Disc one (Theatrical) offers a wonderful audio commentary featuring director Bernardo Bertolucci, producer Jeremy Thomas, screenwriter Mark Peploe, and composer-actor Ryuichi Sakamoto. Each has interesting input and I feel I got a great education on both the production of The Last Emperor as well as historical data on the fascinating story behind the film. Also on Disc 1 is a theatrical trailer. Disc 3 has a feature called The Italian Traveler: Bernardo Bertolucci. It is a 53-minute film made in 1984 by Fernand Moszkowicz (assistant director on Last Tango in Paris) traces the director's geographic influences, from Parma to China. The video quality is quite poor but the story is fairly engaging. Next there is 'Postcards From China' - 8 minutes of home-video-like images taken by Bertolucci while on preproduction in China searching for faces, landscapes and atmosphere. The Chinese Adventure of Bernardo Bertolucci is a 52-minute documentary that revisits the film's production by Paolo Brunnato made in 1986 with footage taken on the set. Making the Last Emperor is a new, 47-minute documentary featuring Storaro, editor Gabriella Cristiana, costume designer James Acheson, and art director Gianni Silvestri. It focuses on some of the reasons that it swept the technical Oscars for 1988. Disc 4 has a 66-minute BBC documentary exploring Bertolucci's creative process and the making of The Last Emperor, a 30-minute interview with Bertolucci from 1989, a new 25-minute interview with composer David Byrne and a new interview with Ian Buruma examining the historical period of the film (great for those keen on the Chinese history). Not including the commentary there is almost 5 hours of supplements. Finally there is a very professionally bound 96-page liner notes booklet featuring an essay by David Thomson, interviews with production designer Ferdinando Scarfiotti and actor Ying Ruocheng, a reminiscence by Bertolucci, and an essay and production-diary extracts from Fabien S. Gerard.

The package is busting with Criterion's extensive and passionate attention to detail and is a wonderful addition to any DVD library. The film has never looked better on digital in my opinion and it is loaded with valuable insights into the production, the nstory, and Bertolucci himself. A grand achievement of a film supported by a grand achievement of a DVD package. Strongly recommend!

Gary Tooze

ON THE ARTISAN VS. THE GAUMONT: The picture and sound quality on the R1 (Artisan) are TERRIBLE! It's unbearably dark and grainy throughout the movie. The colors are adjusted up as if it was a copy of a transfer from a video tape. It has contrast boosting and is very hazy at times. Though the back cover indicates Widescreen version: Presented in a "matted" widescreen format preserving 2:35.1 OAR...., it shows to be cropped and zoomed at around 2.29:1. Horrible! Compared to the R2, the image on the R1 is severely cropped both sides and even top/bottom as well.

Though the Artisan R1 edition is the 218-min Director's Cut, containing an additional hour of new scenes which expand on Pu Yi's childhood, including details of Pu Yi's tight bond with his wet nurse, the terrible transfer quality ruins everything and makes the movie no longer enjoyable. Everything is superior on the Region 2!

 - Kevin Tran