The Last Supper releases today on Blu-ray and DVD.
Despite the evocative ideas and visuals that the title The Last Supper doubtlessly conjures up, this is not a film about Jesus and the Disciples, nor of Leonardo DaVinci or his famous painting.
“My name is Liu. I am 61. I was born in a small place called Pei County. I am the emperor.
I have had two mortal enemies in my life. They haunted my dreams my entire life. One was Lord Yu. The other was General Xin.”
With this opening narration, ailing Emperor Liu quickly establishes the loose focus of the next two hours. The sickly ruler, weak and probably nearing death, thinks back on the last 13 years of his life in which he rose from a mere commoner to emperor. He contemplates his rivalries with the two men who were both his greatest allies and foes, and how ambition and distrust sowed seeds of paranoia that tore at the unity of his inner circle of friends and advisors. The film looks at how power corrupted this once-noble man.
Nearly the entire film takes place in the form of flashbacks, and out of order. The frenetic sequencing is a jarring and confusing device, making it difficult to follow the film rather than enhancing the telling of the story. It’s quite probable that someone with a better knowledge of Chinese history would be less lost that I was, but from my outsider perspective it felt disjointed and incoherent.
I might feel more invested in the story if Liu were more worthy of the viewer’s sympathy or affection. Despite his better qualities of leadership and bravery, he’s a very disagreeable protagonist: ambitious to a fault, power-mad, distrustful, and exceedingly selfish in all his ways — including a lifelong habit of womanizing which brings constant pain to his long-suffering wife.
Visually, the film is strikingly beautiful. Rich photography captures the natural beauty of the land, and what CG there is looks either tastefully artistic, or realistic and refined. The Qin Palace in particular is a gorgeous and inspiring location, perched in a mountainous area and brimming with neat designs: Running waterfalls feed into pools which flank long outdoor walkways, and the enormous Imperial Archives building features an ingenious delivery system to transport records, quite similar to modern pneumatic tubes. So inspiring is the scope and magnificence of the architecture that Liu comments that the palace is a place which inspires ambition in the hearts of those who enter it.
The film is full of great quietude. Music is almost completely de-emphasized, creating long periods of stillness and silence. Much of the narration and dialogue is whispered. Some of the film’s marketing has tried to pass it off as a martial arts film, but this is simply not true. The story is a meditation on ambition and politics, and there’s very little physical fighting, even where the tale really requires it. Battles are frequently alluded to but the fighting is never shown.
Unfortunately this sense of quietude, combined with the film’s jumbled timeline, created an experience with was both incomprehensible and, I hate to say, very boring. It’s artsy and surrealistic, but rarely interestingly so. One the one hand, I’m positive that The Last Supper is the sort of film which will become clearer in its narrative and meaning with each viewing, but then again I don’t think I would want to sit through it again.
In its defense, the film has a solid final act that brings some pretty heavy stuff to the table, finally making sense of certain plot threads and bringing some dramatic flair which was missing from the rest of the film. In one particularly poignant scene, one of the Emperor’s advisors realizes the extent of the administration’s mad power: the “history” of several other characters has already been written and placed in the Archives. The empress hands him his own history, and with great fear and trembling he opens it to read his fate. This scene is so perfectly executed, so powerful; I just wish the balance of the film was half as compelling.
The Package
The Last Supper arrives on Blu-ray distributed by Cinedigm and Random Media in a Blu-ray & DVD Combo Pack. My copy included a slipcover with artwork identical to the cover. The film is presented in the original Mandarin with English subtitles.
Special Features and Extras
There are no special features. The only on-disc extras are a pair of pre-menu trailers for Breaking At The Edge (1:21) and Around The Block (2:02).
Viewers who appreciate an enigmatic experience and non-linear storytelling, or like their films “poetic” and “meditative” may find something here to love, but I didn’t care for it. The film does finish strong, but a solid third act can’t atone for a meandering narrative. There’s no doubt that repeat viewings would probably uncover greater meaning and a sensible progression of events, but this just isn’t the sort of movie I’m anxious to revisit.
A/V Out.
Get it at Amazon:
The Last Supper [Blu-Ray] | [DVD] | [Instant]