The Last Emperor
by Bernardo Bertolucci
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Joan Chen, John Lone, Peter O'TooleDirector: Bernardo Bertolucci
Brand: Image Entertainment
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 2.20:1
Running Time: 164 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-11-18
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Criterion Collection
Movie Reviews of The Last Emperor
Movie Review: A Lonely Life - *spoiler alert*
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie is not for everyone. But for those who enjoy history and travel, it could be one of the greatest movies you ever see. This is the epic story of Pu Yi, who becomes the last emperor of China when he is only three years old. His life is a spectacular one, and we see it from his birth into an ancient world bound by tradition to his adulthood and old age, where he is affected by the events of the past century. An overarching theme of this movie is that Pu Yi lives so much of his life as a puppet for other people and nations. Pu Yi struggles to reconcile his priveleged birth with the desire of others to control his destiny. He aspires to some kind of greatness, but his naivety or vanity often leads him to failure. One gets a sense that his life is a lonely one, despite the fact that he is born into such privelege and is still "a symbol of great importance, to many people." We see him as a young child in the Forbidden City running through crowds of people kowtowing to him. Yet he knows hardly any of his subjects. He is sealed off from them by the gates of the Forbidden City. He hardly ever knows his real mother and is taken away from his nurse when he reaches a certain age. His guards don't talk to him, his eunuchs are more interested in stealing or scheming to make money. His relationship with his brother is awkward and that is because he almost never meets any other children. We see him alone in that huge city, bored and trapped at the same time. Before he meets his tutor Johnston, his only real friend is a small mouse. Later on, Johnston becomes his outlet for the outside world, teaching him about events and things outside of the Forbidden City. When Pu Yi is evicted from the Forbidden City, he desires to become a part of the outside world. He is unuable to navigate through it successfully and becomes a pawn of first the Japanese and then the Soviets. Finally he ends up a prisoner in Communist China. Despondent and still alone, he attempts suicide. So begins his redemption. When we see him in old age, he is walking, alone yet again, through the Forbidden City. The scene is moving and somewhat sad as he makes his way to the throne he once sat in as emperor. All the pomp and scenery that he was born into is gone, the Forbidden City is now a relic of a time that has long since disappeared. He is still alone, but due to the lessons of his teacher in prison, has now reconciled to his place in the world.
Summary of The Last Emperor
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