Review of The Last Emperor (1987) by Chris W — 29 Sep 2011

A sweeping historical epic like no other. I sometimes forget how amazing films like this are, especially when they are made in the pre-digital era when you couldn't fake stuff, so you had no choice but to hire 19,000 extras and that sort of thing.

Okay, that little diversion aside, this is a tremendous and wonderful film chronicling the life of Pu Yi, the last emporor of China before the tumultuous events that led to experiments with being a republic then a communist state. Covering the years of 1908-1967, this film, despite being a bio pic, is really a great glimpse at the history of a country during some very turbulent but fascinating times. In a way it's like a serious Forrest Gump sort of thing, though I don't mean to trivialize this by making that comparison.

I've watched both the original and extended "director's cut" (though Bertolucci maintains that the theatrical cut is his prefered version and that the extended cut was just something he assembled for Italian TV) and I think they are both brilliant films. I think I might like the original more though. The extended cut is an hour longer, making the film clock in at 3 hours, 38 minutes, but some of the added material, like extended backstory are pretty good. The bulk of the additions though, are more political machinations and stuff involving Pu Yi in pre-WWII Manchuria. If you are into socio-political issues during this time and place, then the extended cut will probably please you. If not, then you might just want to stick with the original cut.

Regardless of the version, this is a gorgeous film filled with excellent cinematography, beautiful costumes wonderful music (the main title theme will forever be stick in my head), and just great artistry. This is an art film that is both mindblowing because of the technique and storytelling, and the story itself. Pu Yi's life was rather tragic, and not just because of the Shakespearean way his empire crumbled around him. At no time did he ever truly have any real power, and it wasn't until most of his life was over that he was finally living without being told what to do. The scenes of his "re-education" are more painful because for him, it wasn't "re" but just regular education. Yet, from a symbolic standpoint, and for the first few years of his life (before the Chinese Revolution), yeah, he was something special.

I know that the Chinese government has a certain reputation about them when it comes to portrayals of the country and its history, so it made me happy to know that when Bertolucci approached them with two projects he wanted to shoot in China, this was the one they chose. It's like they knew that telling this story was important, especially because all parts of a country's history deserve to be known to the masses. Plus, this film made history by getting unprecedented access to film all over the Forbidden City, and the results are just great.

Well, I've gushed a lot, but I don't thnk this film is perfect. It is long, and sometimes boring, but I found myself so intrigued and moved that I can't really hold any ill will towards it. It was nominated for like 9 Oscars and won them all, and they were definitely deserved. You should definitely give this one a watch. It's quite something.