The last Emperor

The Last Emperor (The Last Emperor) is a 1987 biographical film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and starring John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Ruocheng Ying, Victor Wong, Dennis Dun, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Maggie Han, Ric Young, Vivian Wu and Chen Kaige in the lead roles. It is a co-production of China, Italy, the United Kingdom and France, winner of nine Oscars.

Plot

It is the story of Puyi, the last emperor of China, who ascended the throne at the age of two in 1908 and was worshiped as a god by 500 million people. He ruled in the Forbidden City until the republican forces, who wanted to abolish the imperial court, imprisoned him there, and there he was married twice. Later, he had to abdicate and leave.

In his quest to at least rule Manchuria after China turned its back on him, Puyi became a puppet of the Japanese occupation forces in Manchuria for a time until Japan had to surrender to the Allies. After the Japanese capitulation, Puyi decided to surrender to the Americans, but his attempt failed and he was taken prisoner by the Soviets, who handed him over to the Chinese communists.

When the communist revolution triumphs in China, Puyi is imprisoned to "cleanse up" his mind of all capitalist thought and for having collaborated with the Japanese. During his stay there, the prison warden teaches him to do things with his hands, to realize the atrocities the Japanese did in China while he was Emperor of Manchuria, and to take responsibility for his actions in this regard.. After his imprisonment, he returns to Beijing and, in the last years of his life, is a gardener in the city's botanical park. He then leads a life like any other man in his country, and is a witness to the cult of Mao and the Cultural Revolution.

Died in 1967.

Cast

Production

The film is based on the book I was Emperor of China, an autobiography by Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi o Puyi. To make it, it was filmed in the Forbidden City. It was the first time the Chinese authorities had given permission to shoot a Western film at the location.

Puyi's younger brother, Pujie, who had helped him write the autobiography, was present as a consultant on the filming of the film. For certain scenes up to 19,000 extras were needed.

Comments

• Throughout the film there are differences with reality; some examples are these:
  • Puyi left the Forbidden City when her mother died. However, in the film the doors are closed.
  • In his real life, as he himself counts in his memories, he did not have carnal relations with his wives, while in the film he tells the opposite.
  • In the film the Empress lover is killed; in real life, Puyi prevented the Japanese from killing him.

Reception

With the film work, Bertolucci returned triumphantly after a six-year absence as director. Not only did he manage to obtain a very good box office collection with the film, he was also the great winner that year at the Oscar awards ceremony, taking the nine statuettes he was competing for.

Awards

Oscar