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The Last Emperor
1987
The story of Pu Yi, who ascended to the Imperial Throne in China at the age of three and became the country’s last Emperor. Although it is 160 minutes long and shot with breathtaking scope and sumptuousness, Bernardo Bertolucci's film is a story about claustrophobia. Pu Yi is a prisoner in the palace he rules over. Outside, .. Read more
| Starring | John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Dennis Dun |
|---|---|
| Director | Bernardo Bertolucci |
| Genres | Drama |
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The Last Emperor
The story of Pu Yi, who ascended to the Imperial Throne in China at the age of three and became the country’s last Emperor. Although it is 160 minutes long and shot with breathtaking scope and sumptuousness, Bernardo Bertolucci's film is a story about claustrophobia. Pu Yi is a prisoner in the palace he rules over. Outside, real power changes hands with each coup d'etat. Pu Yi grows to manhood, is tutored by a Westerner (Peter O'Toole), and marries a gorgeous princess (Joan Chen). However, the adult Pu Yi (John Lone) is destined for a communist re-education camp when the war is over. From start to finish, Pu Yi is a passive antihero who can never come to grips with the idea that the absolute power conferred on him as a child was only a mirage. The mistakes Pu Yi made trying to realise that power--especially collaborating with the Japanese during the war--provide Bertolucci with the chance to explore his familiar theme of collaboration and its moral consequences (as he did in THE CONFORMIST and 1900). In the end, Pu Yi seems to have reached a kind of peace, and the terrible waste of a special man's life disappears into a drab, grey-clad Beijing.
| Starring | John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Dennis Dun |
|---|---|
| Director | Bernardo Bertolucci |
| Studio | SECOND SIGHT FILMS LTD. |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 36 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 18 Oct 1999 Production year: 1987 |
| Format | DVD |
The Last Emperor (1987)
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Critics' reviews (5)
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This majestic epic from director Bernardo Bertolucci was the first western production to be allowed to film inside the Forbidden City and the winner of nine Oscars. It is one of the most visually arresting pictures of recent years, with Ferdinando Scarfiotti's design beautifully juxtaposing the pre- and post-revolutionary Chinese worlds, and the red and yellow trappings of the simple uniforms of Mao's republic stunningly captured by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. However, the glorious images distance the viewer from the momentous events that overtook 20th-century China and, in spite of a multifaceted performance from John Lone, Emperor Pu Yi remains a stranger, even at the end of the film.
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A lavish spectacle which caught the imagination of audiences, though many found the compression of 60 years of Chinese politics baffling.
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Most helpful member's review
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9 out of 9 people found this review helpful
An interesting view on an individual piece of history
An interesting cross between a character piece and historical documentary. It follows the life of the Last Emperor from spoilt childhood through partying early adulthood to liason with the Japanese and eventual imprisonment by the Communists.
We are often viewing his life either from the perspective of his English tutor or from him remembering his early life from prison. So the early years are also treated with the perspective of an outsider either in time or station in life. A long film but one that will keep your interest in the detail of his life.
If you have children ignore the 15 rating this was before 12 certificates were created and I remember being taken to see it by my parents when I was 12 and finding it facinating and not at all shocking. There is only a very small amount of breast feeding and other minor nudity consistent with the story. -
Most recent members' review
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5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
Tedious, but some insight
An incredibly tedious, slow moving film with hidden gems and insights into old Chinese culture.
Only bother if you are interested in learning about old Chinese Imperialism, and the last Emperor, otherwise it will bore you witless. -
News and features
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Abbey Road studio, immortalised by the 1969 Beatles' album of the same name, is opening its doors for a film festival. The North London venue near where the fab four were pictured walking synchronised over a zebra crossing is usually closed to the public. But for 16 days this spring it will be showing many of the films that were scored at the St John's Wood site in an exclusive festival. The films to be screened range from blockbusters such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Raiders of the Lost... Read more
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