The Last Emperor (1987)

Director:

Bernardo Bertolucci

Writers:

Mark Peploe (writer) and
Bernardo Bertolucci (writer)

Release Date:

18 December 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

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.

Plot:

The story of the final Emperor of China.

Plot Keywords:

Wet Nurse | Imperial Japan | Breast Suckling | Drug Addiction | Abdication

Awards:

Won 9 Oscars. Another 39 wins & 12 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Aug. 2	9:00 PM	PBS
Sun. Aug. 3	1:20 AM	PBS

Cast

John Lone	...	Emperor Pu Yi / Henry
Joan Chen	...	Empress Wan Jung / Elizabeth
Peter O'Toole	...	Reginald F. 'R. J.' Johnston
Ruocheng Ying	...	Governor of Detention Center (as Ying Ruocheng)
Victor Wong	...	Chen Pao Shen
Dennis Dun	...	Big Li
Ryuichi Sakamoto	...	Amakasu
Maggie Han	...	Eastern Jewel
Ric Young	...	Interrogator
Vivian Wu	...	Wen Hsiu (as Wu Jun Mei)
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa	...	Chang (as Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa)
Jade Go	...	Ar Mo
Fumihiko Ikeda	...	Yoshioka
Richard Vuu	...	Pu Yi - Age 3
Tsou Tijger	...	Pu Yi - Age 8 (as Tijger Tsou)

Also Known As:

Dernier empereur, Le (France)
Modai huangi (China: Cantonese title)
Ultimo imperatore, L' (Italy)

Runtime:

160 min | 219 min (director's cut)

Country:

China | Italy | UK | France

Language:

English | Mandarin | Japanese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Brazil:14 | Germany:12 (director's cut) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Germany:12 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | UK:15 (director's cut) | Iceland:12 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1999) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-11 (re-rating) | Finland:K-14 (original rating) | France:U | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:12 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Netherlands:12 (director's cut)

Filming Locations:

Beijing Studios, Beijing, China

Company:

Yanco Films Limited

Trivia:

Bernardo Bertolucci proposed the film to the Chinese government as one of two possible projects - the other was "La Condition Humaine" by André Malraux. The Chinese preferred this project, and made no restrictions on the content.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When the princess gives birth, you can hear the baby crying, yet when the camera moves across, the baby has a calm expression.

Quotes:

The Governor: All your life you thought you were better than everyone else. Now you think you're the worst of all!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: War of the Colossal Beast (#4.19)" (1991)

Soundtrack:

Am I Blue

An Oriental paradise that is wonderfully mastered to the screen.

I guess I'm the only one who watched this from a worn out-of-print VHS copy. No matter what the quality, THE LAST EMPEROR is arguably among the best of the foreign pictures. The sights and sounds of The Forbidden City are sharp and beautifully screened right on with the provocative events that unfold the coming-of-age life of Pu Yi. It has plentiful moments including his romantic affairs with concubines and how he learns the way of the world as a child. His chronicle of a young emperor boy paints a colorful picture for the first half, only leading to more conflicting matters later, which is the most exciting part. Don't expect to see heads getting chopped off, like I thought would happen (unless you have the longer DVD version), but the intensity of the talk surrounding it sounds horrifying and true. Nevertheless, the dialogue is clearly mystical. Every minute is a feel-good breeze through crafty cinematic art, but it ends too fast, and the narration from Pu Yi in his prison term could use a lot more detailing. Maybe I'll stick around longer and wait to see the Director's Cut which has more. Definitely a winning treat not to be missed for foreign movie lovers and collectors of premium filmfare.