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IMDbPro

The Last Emperor

  • 19871987
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 43m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
105K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,248
400
Richard Vuu in The Last Emperor (1987)
China's final Emperor is chronicled in this Oscar winning film
Play trailer0:55
3 Videos
97 Photos
BiographyDramaHistory
Dramatization of China's last emperor, Puyi.Dramatization of China's last emperor, Puyi.Dramatization of China's last emperor, Puyi.
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
105K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,248
400
    • Bernardo Bertolucci
  • Writers
    • Enzo Ungari(initial screenplay collaboration)
    • Mark Peploe(screenplay)
    • Bernardo Bertolucci(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • John Lone
    • Joan Chen
    • Peter O'Toole
    • Bernardo Bertolucci
  • Writers
    • Enzo Ungari(initial screenplay collaboration)
    • Mark Peploe(screenplay)
    • Bernardo Bertolucci(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • John Lone
    • Joan Chen
    • Peter O'Toole
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 200User reviews
    • 86Critic reviews
    • 76Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 9 Oscars

    Videos3

    The Last Emperor
    Trailer 0:55
    Watch The Last Emperor
    The Last Emperor
    Trailer 1:04
    Watch The Last Emperor
    The Cast of 'Tigertail' Name Their Favorite Films in Asian Cinema
    Clip 2:56
    Watch The Cast of 'Tigertail' Name Their Favorite Films in Asian Cinema

    Photos97

    Bernardo Bertolucci, Vittorio Storaro, James Acheson, David Byrne, Gabriella Cristiani, Mark Peploe, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Cong Su, and Jeremy Thomas in The Last Emperor (1987)
    Bernardo Bertolucci in The Last Emperor (1987)
    Bernardo Bertolucci and Jeremy Thomas in The Last Emperor (1987)
    Richard Vuu in The Last Emperor (1987)
    Joan Chen and Tao Wu in The Last Emperor (1987)
    The Last Emperor (1987)
    Peter O'Toole in The Last Emperor (1987)
    Joan Chen and Tao Wu in The Last Emperor (1987)
    Peter O'Toole in The Last Emperor (1987)
    The Last Emperor (1987)
    Bernardo Bertolucci in The Last Emperor (1987)
    The Last Emperor (1987)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Lone
    John Lone
    • Pu Yi (Adult)
    Joan Chen
    Joan Chen
    • Wan Jung
    Peter O'Toole
    Peter O'Toole
    • Reginald Johnston (R.J.)
    Ruocheng Ying
    Ruocheng Ying
    • The Governor
    • (as Ying Ruocheng)
    Victor Wong
    Victor Wong
    • Chen Pao Shen
    Dennis Dun
    Dennis Dun
    • Big Li
    Ryuichi Sakamoto
    Ryuichi Sakamoto
    • Amakasu
    • (as Ryûichi Sakamoto)
    Maggie Han
    Maggie Han
    • Eastern Jewel
    Ric Young
    Ric Young
    • Interrogator
    Vivian Wu
    Vivian Wu
    • Wen Hsiu
    • (as Wu Jun Mei)
    Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
    Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
    • Chang
    • (as Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa)
    Jade Go
    • Ar Mo
    Fumihiko Ikeda
    • Yoshioka
    Richard Vuu
    Richard Vuu
    • Pu Yi (3 years)
    Tsou Tijger
    • Pu Yi (8 years)
    • (as Tijger Tsou)
    Tao Wu
    • Pu Yi (15 years)
    • (as Wu Tao)
    Guang Fan
    • Pu Chieh (Adult)
    • (as Fan Guang)
    Henry Kyi
    • Pu Chieh (7 years)
      • Bernardo Bertolucci
    • Writers
      • Enzo Ungari(initial screenplay collaboration)
      • Mark Peploe(screenplay)
      • Bernardo Bertolucci(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This was the first Western film made in and about the country to be produced with full Chinese government cooperation since 1949.
    • Goofs
      When Johnston is about to board a ship to England in 1931, a ticket office window is seen in the background with opening and closing times given in simplified Chinese characters. China only switched to simplified characters after the Communists came to power in 1949, with a drive to improve literacy. At the time this scene takes place, traditional full-form characters would have been used.
    • Quotes

      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.

    • Alternate versions
      The theatrical version runs 163 minutes. A 218 minute version was released in the US in 1998 under the mistaken title of the "Director's Cut". It was known by this erroneous title until the 2008 Criterion DVD and Blu-ray Disc came out. Bertolucci and DP Vittorio Storaro made it clear while working on the DVD and BD that the shorter theatrical version is without doubt the director's cut. The 218 minute version was an early cut meant only to be aired as a four-part television mini-series by the Italian television network that funded the film.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The Last Emperor/Cross My Heart/The Running Man/Sign o' the Times/Steel Dawn (1987)
    • 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

    User reviews200

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    The Last Epic
    The Last Emperor, like Once Upon a Time in America, is an epic saga that delves, among various aspects, into the realm of Time and the ensuing effects it has on a human being and his culture as it passes through his lifetime. The Last Emperor of the Qing dynasty, Pu-Yi, was coronated in 1909 at the age of three and due to his youth ended up being a puppet to his adminstration. Bertolucci successfully shows us a young man who while understandably spoilt by many luxuries of monarchy, is in actuality a tender hearted, independent thinker (not doer) who is passionate about his homeland (Manchuria) and has a ravenous desire for experiencing life in the outside world. His caged lifestyle in the Forbidden City (Beijing) is definitely a major contributor to this mindset. From his infancy the director takes us through a chain of historical events that ultimately lead to Pu-Yi being an ordinary man (we know this from the beginning, however flashbacks explain his situation at the start). However, it is not the desired lifestyle that he sought as an Emperor in his youth.

    The Last Emperor is breathtaking in its cinematography and Bertolucci's direction is impeccable. A lot of criticism was directed at his film '1900' (1976) due to its sheer length. The Last Emperor clocks in at 215 minutes (director's cut) and barring 10 minutes of a marriage related scene, it never lets up. Bertolucci seamlessly interweaves the flashbacks with Pu-Yi's situation in post-WWII China by providing us with a real life tragedy that epitomizes human weaknesses, vices, love and loyalty. Here is a film that is a true story but goes beyond mere narration or simple depiction - it is a three and a half hour, non-stop attention grasping journey through the spectrum of humanity that defines our lifetime through the eyes of an unfortunate soul who was a victim of circumstances like many are. Any questions that the viewer will have concerning an event in the plot will be immediately answered through the rich tapestry that Bertolucci shows when depicting Pu-Yi's imperial life.

    On a technical note, the acting in this film is brilliant. John Lone deserved atleast an Oscar nomination for best actor due to his seamless portrayal of Pu-Yi. He makes his portrayal of a 21 - 60 year old Pu-Yi seem like an effortless act. Through his performance the audience feels an even greater compassion for the last emperor as we come across a man who despite all the hardships he endured was very compassionate and soft centered. The sheer down to earth nature of his character as a 55-60 year old who walks with a tired smile, forever accompanied by his loving brother, is a testament to Lone's ability to portray any age and move the audience.

    Once again, it takes a Hailey's comet like event for the Academy to nominate someone from the eastern world (or non-British, non-American when it comes to best actor). The rest of the cast is also brilliant barring Ryuichi Sakamoto (who portrays the one-armed Masahiko Amakasu) who, for the most part, presents us with a classic display of Japanese overacting. Although I wouldn't call it overacting in a Kurasawa-esque/Japanese film environment, it becomes quite hilarious in a production such as this.

    This apart, the film is brilliant. It is the last great epic (yes, Gladiator is very good, but is far from an epic in my mind) and somehow I hope it is rediscovered and re-appreciated as it once was back in the late eighties.

    While the Oscars have always contrived to ignore the true best picture for most of the last two decades, here is an example of a best picture winner which beat the competition by miles.
    helpful•55
    8
    • shardik
    • May 28, 2001

    FAQ2

    • After China became a republic, why was the empire able to go on even though they could not rule over China anymore?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 15, 1988 (United States)
      • China
      • Italy
      • United Kingdom
      • France
      • English
      • Mandarin
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Forbidden City, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China
    • Production companies
      • Yanco Films Limited
      • TAO Film
      • Recorded Picture Company (RPC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 43 minutes
      • Color

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