• The Sounds of The Last Emperor

    What happened when Bernardo Bertolucci went to see Stop Making Sense in Florence? Well, as he confessed to director Jonathan Demme, he not only loved the film but was also stunned by (and even a little envious of) the response it got from the audience, who were dancing in the theater and even applauding between numbers. He also met the concert movie’s star, Talking Heads’ David Byrne, with whom he began discussions on what would become the unique blended score for his epic The Last Emperor. Byrne recounts these origins, and the collaborative process with the director and his fellow composers Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su, in this excerpt from an interview included with the four-disc special edition and Blu-ray release of the film (the latter just out), in which you can hear part of the magical musical results, which garnered an Oscar for best original score.

    Video

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6 comments

  • By Chalkie
    January 12, 2009
    10:16 PM

    Maybe Peter O'Toole should have worn the big suit in 'Emperor'.
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  • By kazu
    January 13, 2009
    03:57 PM

    Thanks for sharing this!
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  • By xoconostle
    January 13, 2009
    10:36 PM

    This clip of Mr. Byrne's endearing anecdotes certainly makes me want to revisit "The Last Emperor." It also makes me wish that "Stop Making Sense" were a Criterion title.
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  • By Craig J. Clark
    January 14, 2009
    07:41 AM

    I always wondered how this film wound up with multiple composers. I'm glad Byrne was able to shed light on that. (Of course, I'd like to hear Ryuichi Sakamoto's thoughts on his process as well.) Also, while it would be great to have "Stop Making Sense" in the Collection, the current DVD that is out is pretty comprehensive. I'm not sure what could really be added to it.
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  • By Kun Chang
    August 29, 2009
    07:40 PM

    I have own the laser disc of the Last Emperor and later on I purchased the DVD verson I just bought the blue ray copy of the Last Emperor the other day I have to say I am very disappointed that the longer TV version 219 minutes is not included A respectable company like Criterion should not limit the viewer's option Any chance the longer TV version may be included in the near future Thank you
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  • By Jeffrey Chastain
    October 23, 2009
    01:05 AM

    Stop Making Sense would be a fantastic addition to the Criterion Collection. I have the DVD, and would love to see a Criterion "treatment" of this great concert. Come on Mr Byrne, lets BURN DOWN THE HOUSE!
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