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Plot:
A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his ...( read more 
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:August 21, 2008
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"Reginald Fleming 'R.J.' Johnston:
The Emperor has been a prisoner in his own palace since the day that he was crowned, and has remained a prisoner since he abdicated. But now he's growing up, he may wonder why he's the only person in China who may not walk out of his own front door. I think the Emperor is the loneliest boy on Earth. "
"
Reginald Fleming 'R.J.' Johnston:
Words are important.
Pu Yi, at 15:
Why are words important?
Reginald Fleming 'R.J.' Johnston:
If you cannot say what you mean, your majesty, you will never mean what you say and a gentleman should always mean what he says.
"
It is not a film for everyone. At times it is decidedly opaque; the acting is unspectacular, and the story is slow moving. If you want a dramatic, fantastic epic, go see Braveheart or Lord of the Rings.
But if you're in the right state of mind, Last Emperor is spectacular. Much of the story centers around the title character's life in a communist re-education camp, told in flashbacks as he comes to grips with his life and the parts he played. For years a prisoner in his own palace, held captive by the winds of change in China, he becomes tyrant and puppet-emperor of Manchuko, the Imperial Japanese puppet state, and collaborator. In his own mind, he has finally ascended to greatness, but we see how sad and utterly pathetic he has become. When the war ends, and he is captured by the communists, he is confronted with the reality of his own sad life, and forced to come to grips with it. The conflict between inner and outer perceptions characterizes most of the film.
The Last Emperor is one of the finest, and last, examples of the old-fashioned art epic. Featuring a massive cast, an extravagant budget, and an epic sweep that brings it from the Forbidden City to Manchuria to the streets of Bejiing, it chronicles a half-century of history and the life of China's last emperor Pu Yi.
Incredible detail in story, costume, scenery and characterization makes this one of the best historical movies ever made. It is very long, about twelve minutes shy of a solid four hours, but flows at an even pace throughout.
Bernardo Bertolucci comes his finest and most accomplished outing yet. Following the life of the last emperor in China, The fact that the film manages to fit an considerable amount of material into an relatively short space of time is an minor miracle, With excellent performances from John Lone as the emperor, Joan Chen as the empress and Peter o Toole as his english teacher. This is truly a work of art but what makes this particularly compelling is possibly the greatest example of cinematography to date by Italian genius Vittaro Storaro. The effect created by him is truly stunning and recreates the emperor's world perfectly, photography that hasn't quite been matched before or since by anyone. Bernardo Bertolucci directs with an sure artist's hand pacing the story and dazzling visuals to perfection. This is also an study of how noone is invulnerable and most importantly, how power corrupts.
A movie about very interesting man in history with breathtaking cinematography and art like direction.
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"He was the Lord of Ten Thousand Years, the absolute monarch of China. He was born to rule a world of ancient tradition. Nothing prepared him for our world of change" -
MCT:August 17, 2008Mesmerizing, Oscar-winning, fate-filled journey to a vanished time and place. Bertolucci's gorgeous and seductive The Last Emperor imbues this powerless and constantly thwarted figure with a resolute if melancholy grace. It's a tribute to the film's intelligence and its feeling for dialectics that it views both the Forbidden City and the detention center as prisons, and that when Pu Yi winds up as a gardener there's a sense of gain as well as loss.
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MCT:August 14, 2008
Its Was an Allright Movie, a great story. wel i dont like that chind of life that Pu Yi have in his childhood.
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MCT:August 7, 2008Well there are two good things I can say about The Last Emperor, it a visually stunning film. The sets, costumes and camera work is nothing short of brilliant and I have to respect how close they paid attention to the details of Pu-Yi life. Now here is where the problems come, director/writer Bernardo Bertolucci uses the film's epic look to hide the film's lack of a compelling story and acting or anything else that could give this film a epic feeling. Not a terrible film but this 3 hour special on the history channel really doesn't deserve a best picture win.
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MCT:July 30, 2008
"Words are important.
Why are words important?
If you cannot say what you mean, your majesty, you will never mean what you say and a gentleman should always mean what he says." -
MCT:July 27, 2008Artistic study of China's last monarch, Pu Yi. This film is visually stunning, I wish I had seen it in a theater on the big screen. Still, even on my television, it was breathtaking in depth and scope. Beyond the look of The Last Emperor, the history it details is, to say the least, fascinating. A beautiful epic tale, one that I want to see again and again.
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MCT:July 7, 2008
Excellent movie. Though it gets very slow in the middle but it has an excellent screenplay and direction. Worth watching if you are a history movie buff. Otherwise also.
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MCT:June 30, 2008
"The Last Emperor" depicts the dramatic story of the life of Pu Yi, who went from emperor to Japanese war collaborator to obscure Beijing gardener, all shown in a series of flashbacks as China undergoes political changes. I happened to be born on the year this nine-time Academy Award-winning- including Best Picture- was released (1987), and that's no lie. That was a very good historical epic from director Bernardo Bertolucci.
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MCT:June 27, 2008
It certainly looks good, but I defy you to stay awake during this 218 minute snoozefest. Perhaps the editor fell asleep too.
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MCT:June 7, 2008
Two stories in one. One of the last Emperor of China, and the second of the modern man he became and how modernism and secularism can destroy even the most powerful men on Earth! While I do love this movie, I feel that the actor chose for the adult Emperor was a poor one, as he often looks more caucasian than Chinese.
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MCT:June 1, 2008
There are more than enough reasons to like this movie. One of them is the very expressive John Lone (as Pu Yi), who somehow manages to play the same character over 30 or 40 years effectively.
It has it's arty aspects (of the beneficial sort), but there aren't too many rolling landscape shots (not enough to make you scream, anyway).
The one flaw is that the Chinese atmosphere is slightly warped by the movie being in English. But I award an extra half star for the music. Especially the track playing on the dvd menu.
Verdict: Bertolucci is a master of his occupation. -
MCT:May 3, 2008
a little disappointment for me, actually. very long and slow-paced but impressive visually and historically.
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MCT:April 27, 2008A visually stunning piece. Probably best suited for history buffs who might like to debate the accuracy of the story. If you're looking for pure entertainment value, however, this one might not be for you. I'm bothered, as usual, by English being the primary language of communication among non-English-speaking people. I'm never too lazy to read subtitles, and I'd have appreciated that kind of historical accuracy myself.
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MCT:April 21, 2008
A biography of the pathetic Pu Yi, whose freedom is always being controlled. I just think that I'm watching a classic Chinese made movie! For the effects, Bertolucci uses many symbolisms, including his well-known sex related ones. For the confession of Pu Yi and a scene of the Cultural Revolution, they again criticize communism.
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MCT:April 19, 2008
in my opinion, i think that this movie is somehow rather disappointing, especially when it's made by bernardo bertolucci, which should've been great. i've seen some of his works and i think they're all good, great actually. at the extend of taking the story of pu-yi into the cinema, personally i think he failed. some of the actresses in this movie, who are mostly chinese have failed to show their true acting capabilties. on the other hand, actor peter o'toole too doesn't give much more effect to the film itself. the setting is alright. but bertolucci should've explored more of pu-yi's emotions and transitions from an emperor to a lowly peasant. i, myself think that bertolucci is too focused on the history parts that somewhere on the way, he forgot to put more intensities in the film. somehow, this film has failed to amuse me.
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MCT:April 12, 2008
Bit long winded but can be seen as a very stylish and colourful insight into the Chinese empire and monachy!
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MCT:March 31, 2008
I'm not a big biopic guy. I mean, I always kind of tolerate them and sometimes just lightly enjoy them. This movie kind of moves beyond the normal biopic and focuses on an entire era through the eyes of one important man. This is more of a feeling movie than anything else.
Bertolucci knows how to make things look gorgeous while telling a fantastic movie. Mind you, I watched his encouraged theatrical cut of the film, but every second of this movie absolutely stunning. You can tell that Memoirs of a Geisha really wanted to be this movie, only this movie is actually successful. Bertolucci uses light to create an amazing emotional reaction. He's got quite a subject material with this broken child. He has never lived a real life and then that life has been taken away. He finds friendship in an older Westerner, which makes almost no sense. Well, it makes perfect sense when it comes to the fact that Easterners have locked him in this horrible position.
Really, this is a movie of paradoxes. People beg for power and leadership, but he's a man who just wants to be a real person. When he has the opportunity, it frightens him because it comes all at once. Everyone in their lives would kill for that kind of power and prestige. In many ways, so did he. But he didn't belong in either world.
Okay, enough with my philosophy. This movie uses the flashback and forward in an absolutely interesting way. As much as I liked the main story, I was facinated by the prison life. It was a gorgeous look just to see the blood spilled in the water. Call this the most emo review I've ever done, but it really was beautiful. Also, the cold harsh light was insanely powerful. The fact that he finds friendship in this communist world just seemed mind-boggling. I have to applaud some of these aspects. -
MCT:March 28, 2008
this incredible film has been noted for its historic accuracy... and the world from the forbidden city to the fields is an amazing run. Could see 10 more hours of this film. / update, it is now out on the criterion collection and is getting my top spot in film. Just amazing. Watched it at least that many times. Unbeleivable, political, histiorcal, and beautiful
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MCT:March 20, 2008
A visual feast with excellent performances. Sometimes suffers from its extreme length (especially the director's version for television), but worth the effort. An important film in many ways for the location shoot in the Forbidden City.
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MCT:March 10, 2008
excelent movie. Spielberg to a fault. Should have ben to long but it tells a verty human story about war
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MCT:February 25, 2008
Another Epic film, beautifully shot and impressivly acted. A treat for the eyes that is not an insult to the mind.
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MCT:February 12, 2008
I wasn't hooked at once, but further in, the story revealed itself to me and thrilled me. Bertolucci is a very special director..
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MCT:February 3, 2008Want to see at some point in the future...
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