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The Last Emperor (1987)

7.8
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Ratings: 7.8/10 from 44,277 users   Metascore: 76/100
Reviews: 115 user | 66 critic | 15 from Metacritic.com

The story of the final Emperor of China.

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(screenplay), (screenplay), 2 more credits »
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Won 9 Oscars. Another 43 wins & 13 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
Ruocheng Ying ...
The Governor (as Ying Ruocheng)
...
Dennis Dun ...
...
Maggie Han ...
Eastern Jewel
...
Interrogator
...
Wen Hsiu (as Wu Jun Mei)
...
Chang (as Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa)
Jade Go ...
Fumihiko Ikeda ...
Richard Vuu ...
Tsou Tijger ...
Pu Yi - 8 Years (as Tijger Tsou)
Edit

Storyline

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 decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic. Written by Martin H. Booda <booda@datasync.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

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.


Certificate:

PG-13 | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

| | |

Language:

| | |

Release Date:

18 December 1987 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

El último emperador  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$21,105 (USA) (27 November 1998)

Gross:

$108,939 (USA) (8 January 1999)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (television)

Sound Mix:

(35 mm prints)| (70 mm prints)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Jeremy Thomas managed to raise the $25 million budget for his independent production single-handedly. See more »

Goofs

At the time when he next sees his mother, Henry Pu-yi says, "My mother has not seen me for seven years." That would make the year 1915, but it is wrong. He should say, "My mother has not seen me for four years," which makes the year 1912. In the spring of 1912, the new republican government divided the Forbidden City by constructing a wall, thus restricting the emperor's domain. Assuming that it is that dividing wall on which Pu Yi and Pu Chieh climb, one must reasonably assume that, since the wall is clearly under construction, the date is mid-1912 at the latest. If so, then Pu Yi has just turned six, not eight, and has been separated from his family for four years, not seven. See more »

Quotes

The Governor: [bidding farewell to Pu Yi as he is released from reform camp] You see, I will end up living in prison longer than you!
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Saving Face (2004) See more »

Soundtracks

"Kaiser Walzer (Emperor Waltz) op. 437"
(1889)
Written by Johann Strauß (as Johann Strauss)
Performed by Berliner Philharmoniker (as The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra)
Conducted by Herbert von Karajan
with kind permission of Polydor International GmbH
See more »

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User Reviews

 
A great artistic achievement
16 April 2006 | by (Portland, Oregon US) – See all my reviews

Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Last Emperor" is a monumental, perfect film, and stands as one of the great artistic achievements in any artistic medium.

Told in a complicated flashback/ flash-forward style, it's the story of Pu Yi (born 1906) who was the last absolute monarch of China. During his lifetime he falls from the Lord of Ten Thousand Years, the emperor/God of billions of Chinese, to an anonymous peasant worker in communist China.

Pu Yi was the child emperor from 1908 until the Chinese revolution in 1911 when he had to abdicate. He was allowed to remain in the Forbidden City but was stripped of his power by the communists. He was expelled from the city in 1924 by a warlord. In 1932, Puyi was installed by the Japanese as the ruler of Manchukuo, a puppet state of Imperial Japan. At the end of World War II, Pu yi was captured by the Soviet Red Army and turned over to the Chinese communists. Considered a traitor, he spent ten years in a reeducation camp until he was declared reformed. He voiced his support for the Communists and worked at the Beijing Botanical Gardens.

This film vividly portrays the change from the imperial and religious traditions of ancient China to the godless totalitarianism of modern communist China, so the film is, on one level, the story of China's revolutionary transition from imperialism to communism.

Visually the film is stunning especially the scenes in the Forbidden City. It was the first film to receive permission to film in the Forbidden City.

The film can be enjoyed on the first viewing but really demands more than one viewing and some knowledge of history. In this respect it resembles Akira Kurasawa's masterpiece "The Seven Samurai.

The cast includes John Lone as emperor Pu Yi, Joan Chen, and Peter O'Toole.

The film won 9 Oscars including best director and best film. A must see on DVD widescreen or in the theater.


22 of 24 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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