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.
Directors
Cast
Constantine Gregory, Peter O'Toole, Henry O, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Vivian Wu, Ric Young, John Lone, Lisa Lu, Chen Kaige, Victor Wong, Joan Chen, Daxing Zhang, Dennis Dun, Jade Go, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ruocheng Ying, Maggie Han, Richard Vuu, Tsou Tijger, Yu Li, Fumihiko Ikeda, Tao Wu, Hideo Takamatsu, Basil Pao, Shi Liang, Shu Chen, Cai Hongxiang, Glen Murphy, Biao Wang, Tianmin Zhang
Trailer
Reviews
100
It probably is unforgivably bourgeois to admire a film because of its locations, but in the case of The Last Emperor the narrative cannot be separated from the awesome presence of the Forbidden City, and from Bertolucci's astonishing use of locations, authentic costumes and thousands of extras to create the everyday reality of this strange little boy.
100
Empire
The small screen doesn't quite do justice to the rich visuals but with an incredible story and fine performances, it is still a compulsive and moving epic.
100
This grand and powerful biography begins in 1908 when, at the age of three, Pu Yi was named emperor of China and follows him through a tumultuous life inextricably intertwined with the history of modern-day China, one that that ended with the once-coddled emperor working quietly as a gardener at Peking's Botanical Gardens.
88
Boston Globe
The most startling achievement of The Last Emperor is that it accomplishes what seems to have eluded Bertolucci for some time. He has found the small in the large and, in many ways, he has created what many thought impossible -- an intimate epic. [18 Dec 1987, p.95]
80
Chicago Reader
Bernardo Bertolucci's visually ravishing spectacle about the life of Pu Yi is a genuine rarity: a blockbuster that manages to be historically instructive and intensely personal at the same time.
Other Movies You Might Enjoy
Apr 7, Apr 2017Orbiter 9 (2017)
Sep 13, Sep 2024The Waterboyz (2024)
Jun 14, Jun 2007Resurrecting the Champ (2007)
Sep 3, Sep 2020Night in Paradise (2020)
Aug 17, Aug 2007High School Musical 2 (2007)
Jun 30, Jun 2012Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
May 13, May 2004The Football Factory (2004)
Dec 20, Dec 1996One Fine Day (1996)