The Last Emperor

I missed this when it came out years ago, pity, because I loved this movie! It was colorful, intriguing, well scripted and superbly acted. And of course the WWII period & setting in China, well, it cannot be beaten. Shot on location, naturally, the scope and splendor of this production is self evident. While the main character is clearly a flawed individual, the circumstances of his "reign" were surreal if not downright bizarre. To see his very extraordinary life unfold, knowing it is all true for the most part, really reinforces the old saying 'Truth is stranger than fiction'. Do yourself a favor, rent/buy this movie, get some munchies and enjoy a truly entertaining film.

Most of our great late-20th-Century film directors were artists, not leftist ideologues; but Louis Malle, Luis Buñuel, Lina Wertmüller, and Bernardo Bertolucci are exceptions. Their Marxism is fundamentally anti-fascist, and rightly so since the authoritarian crypto-fascist state is still the greatest threat to intellectual and personal freedom. Malle and Bertolucci both made successful film studies of the psychology of the European fascist believer: Malle's Lacombe, Lucien (1974) and Bertolucci's The Conformist (1970). In contrast, Bertolucci's early film Before the Revolution (1964) is a sentimental study of the young Marxist believer, in which the student protagonist of the film is so mesmerized by his Marxist ideals that he is well-described by the wall-graffiti slogan in Buñuel's Discrete Charm of the Bourgeoisie - "Revolution is the Opiate of the Intellectuals." Therein lies the difficult line to thread, between the saccharin-sweet idealism of the young Marxist and the jaded mature Marxist's objective, unblinking view of the harsh inequalities of our industrial economies. Bertolucci leaps this chasm in his film masterpiece The Last Emperor. The political lessons regarding the corrosive impact of imperialism (Western and Japanese) on a weak imperial China are obvious; less obvious are the corrosive effects of power on the film's more ambitious characters. Every aspect of this epic film is flawless. Bertolucci has indeed reached beyond the revolution and made a truly post-ideological work of art.

I became interested in seeing this film after reading the book, “The Rape of Nanking” by Iris Chang. In it, reference was made to the fact that some archival footage of the Japanese invasion of Nanking was included in this film. Since it had won an Academy Award for best picture in 1987, I thought I would watch it. Am I ever glad I did. I loved this filmThe film is primarily the story of Pu Yi, the last emperor of China, as told through the backdrop of history. He became Emperor, the last of the Manchu Qing dynasty, in 1908 just before his third birthday and lived in dazzling splendor in the Forbidden City.The 1911 Revolution saw the end of his reign in China, when China became a Republic. Still, he continued living in the Forbidden City, forbidden to leave its solitary splendor. He was given a Scottish tutor from whom he learned Western ways.Through Pu Yi’s life, the viewer see the events, which forever changed China, unfold on the screen. The viewer also see some of the dubious decisions that Pu Yi made which made him an unwitting pawn in Japan’s aggression towards China, and how it impacted on both China and his personal life. Pu Yi’s life was certainly an uncommon one, fascinating in terms of its highs and lows.This is a beautifully realized film with spectacular cinematography. It was the first foreign film to be filmed on location in the Forbidden City. The film boasts a wonderful cast, and the acting is superlative. The unfolding vicissitudes of Pu Yi’s life, intertwined with the that of China’s changing history, makes for a compelling story, masterfully told. Bravo!

An amazing movie, well worth the $20 asking price except for one problem: if you like to see extras and credits etc, or want to read the back side of the CD case for credits etc, this ain't the one to buy. Printed for a Korean audience the subtitles are in English and Korean only with no special features to speak of, and the sleeve is in Korean on all credits,dates, etc on the reverse side.

Product reviewed: The Last Emperor, DVD, 2 disc Special Edition.This is a visually stunning film telling the life story of China's last emperor Pu Yi who ascended to the throne as an infant in the early 1900s and spent a lonely and unhappy childhood in the luxury of the palaces in Beijing's Forbidden City before receiving a Western style education from a Scottish tutor. In later years Pu Yi became a puppet regent under Japanese occupying forces, was arrested, incarcerated and "re-educated". When he was released from prison, he worked as a simple gardener before dying on the eve of China's Cultural Revolution in 1967. The story is told in retrospective as the elderly Pu Yi remembers his life.I remember the film's original release some thirty years ago and the hype around it back then, and I loved seeing it once again. This is the first foreign feature filmed on location in the Forbidden City in China. Director Bernardo Bertolucci made full use of the stunning locations and deservedly was rewarded with a best director's Oscar. The film was nominated for (and won) eight further Oscars including Best Picture, though interestingly none in any of the acting categories. And that's not to say that the acting isn't good. It is. The actors playing Pu Yi at different ages are all solid, as is Peter O'Toole (the only name with real star power) who delivers a very sensitive performance as the emperor's tutor and confidante.A few words about the DVD I bought, the 2 disc Special Edition: Picture and sound are very nice. Subtitles are not available. The DVD set includes:Disc 1: - Original Theatrical Version of the Film (156 mins) - Commentary with Bernardo Bertolucci, Jeremy Thomas and Ryuichi Sakamoto - Bernardo Bertolucci: An In-depth Documentary About the Making of The Last Emperor - Postcard from China - Theatrical TrailerDisc2: - Director's Cut of the Film with nearly an hour of extra footage (209 mins)

Brilliant film about the last emperor of China, whose life is tragic as it is ludicrous. Caught in the cross-roads of massive change, the once ever powerful Manchu Qing Dynasty becomes a mere pawn and puppet to the major world powers. Puyi is at the centre, being moved and controlled, not only by real powers and might of others, but by his self-belief/delusion that he has any meaningful power at all.The cinematography is breathtaking and the costuming is spot-on. The final scene is very poignant and moving.

Great film which has until recently been pretty difficult to get. The scale of the grandeur and the colour of the scenery in and out of the Forbidden City are fantastic. It’s also quite easy to feel sorry for the little boy, taken from his family to become an emperor and then a few years later, at no fault of his own because he was still in his minority and could not rule. To then be overthrown by revolution and made insignificant in the life of China. His life during the war was clearly a mistake but I guess it’s hard to turn down the chance to be emperor when that’s what your life was all about. To then after the war, become a simple citizen who gardens is sad but also shows an acceptance of his place in the larger scheme of things. The most magical part for me is his later visit to his old home in the forbidden city as if he was a simple tourist.

It is one of the best world films i have ever seen (the novel is a good read too!!), so in my hurry to purchase a no-longer available dvd from UK high street retailers like hmv - i inadvertently purchased a german-speaking only version of the film. I would have kept the dvd if it had english-subtitles, so sadly i had to return the product to the seller amazon/momox - who made it quite easy with online instructions and my £4.81 was refunded. If there is anyone out there with an english speaking or foreign-language with english subtitles version for sale - i would be interested....

I'll start my review by saying that I only saw this film for the first time last year. It was free with one of the newspapers. Needless to say I loved it and promptly decided to buy the blu-rayAfter a bit of research I decided to go with our own UK release. Why? Because all 'official' reviews state that it's the best of what's available. Some people mention the region-locked US Criterion version - well apparently it's the same transfer as the UK release.So, onto the blu-ray disc.Picture - I thought the picture was brilliant most of the time; but there are a few shots where the natural grain is more distracting. Never could this be considered a poor transfer though. As for the aspect ratio: I'm aware that this film was originally shot in 2.35:1 ratio and that the Director of Photography has since changed his mind and it's now 2.00:1. Personally, this was not a problem for me. Also, I'm quite happy to not complain about the decisions of the film makers. It's their film after all.Sound/Subtitles - one of the few disappointments with this disc. Originally in a simple 2.0 Stereo; the blu-ray upgrades to a PCM 2.0 track (which apparently sound almost identical to the Criterion DTS HD-Master 2.0 track). The PCM track does its job adequately; I'm just so used to a minimum of 5.1 that I noticed the difference. I use a Yamaha soundbar for viewing and I can hear the difference. Especially on a film with such a masterpiece of a score. There are no subtitles at all. None.Extras - Commentary. Featurettes. Trailer. AND....the Director's Cut of the film!!! This is both the DC and the 'Italian TV Version' of the film and runs for an extra 45 minutes. This version is exclusive to the UK blu-ray to my knowledge. I was incredibly pleased to see this included...until I started to watch it. The picture quality is awful. It hasn't been restored and is very grainy and damaged. Anyone with any doubts about the picture quality of the theatrical release on this disc should compare the DC to the TC.Personally, I think this is a beautiful film and a very good blu-ray release. The ONLY things that could have improved it would have been a 5.1 DTS HD-Master audio track and the Director's Cut to have been remastered.