The Last Emperor (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
In early 1988, 'The Last Emperor' (directed by Bernardo Bertolucci) won a staggering 9 Academy Awards, including Best Picture of 1987. Having now seen it, I can certainly see why. Bertolucci directs a wondrous epic on the last Manchu emperor of China, Pu Yi (1906-1967), who ascends to the throne at age 3, by will of the dying Empress Dowager. Later, in 1911, the prince regent (Pu Yi's father) is forced to abdicate his authority to republican forces, while Pu Yi is kept on as a token symbol of ancient China - living as a prisoner in his Forbidden City. There, he's catered to by thousands of servants & attended by over 1,500 eunuchs in an opulent palace; a palace with 9,999 rooms. Pu Yi can have anything he wants ... except to leave the grounds.
In 1919, Pu Yi is assigned a Scottish tutor & imperial adviser, Mr. R.J. Johnston (the always regal, Peter O'Toole), who remains loyal to him & opens his eyes to the world he's cut-off from. In the early 1920's, Pu Yi (now 15, & played by John Lone as an adult from age 18-62), along with his beautiful empress, Wan Jung (a wonderful Joan Chen), & his '2nd wife', are kicked out of the austere, forbidden palace by a war lord, & they relocate to the port city of Tianjin. For the next few yrs. they live a modern, too-decadent life, as Wan Jung becomes a hopeless opium addict; & Pu Yi, takes to wearing tuxedos, singing in clubs, & enjoying mistresses on the side. In the 1930's, the Japanese invade Manchuria & seduce Pu Yi into being their puppet ruler (which he only ever was, really) in Japanese-controlled Manchukuo. They even get Pu Yi to sign documents legitimizing their occupation.
The last section of this film includes Pu Yi's eventual capture by the Russians at the end of WWII, his long imprisonment, & his release for a 10 yr. 're-education' program into Mao's People's Republic of Communist China regime. The film concludes in 1957 with Pu Yi's new life as a gardener in the Botanical Gardens of Beijing during the Cultural Revolution. Throughout his life, Pu Yi held an empty 'power' position. Now a gardener, he could finally live a simple life; one where he could come & go as he please, & not be anyone's puppet. He wouldn't answer to the Japanese, or be used as propaganda by the Maoist communists. He lost his wife, he lost the opulence, but a welcomed lowly existence is what he would have 'til his dying day.
This film is a stunning cinematic achievement: epic in length & scope, visionary (reimagining a lost, exotic world), & gorgeous (with Vittorio Storaro's sumptuous cinematography, the period sets, stunning costumes, & sweeping music - all of which won Oscar gold). There are many stand-out scenes. i.e., little Pu Yi running through a massive gold drape, only to see thousands of wailing eunuchs in the forbidden courtyard; Wan Jung kissing Pu Yi all over his face on their wedding night; a halted tennis match; Wan Jung defiantly eating white flowers to embarrass her neglectful husband; and an oddly sexual toe-sucking scene. Simply put, this is one of 1980's most magnificent movies to just 'watch'. Never before had such an unprecedented filming process transpired; where Bertolucci & his Italian crew created an English language epic in China's never-before-seen-from-the-inside Forbidden City.
As both a visual feast & historical artifact, this movie is a once in a lifetime thing to witness. The film's structure leaps back & forth btwn. a 'coming of age' tale & the time in which Pu Yi is in prison; forced into the Chinese re-education program. This narrative device doesn't make for the smoothest movie, but it makes sense with respect to Pu Yi's personal story. Pu Yi is a somewhat tragic character, in that, he went from being on a God-like mantle (however powerless that position really was) to being just an ordinary citizen; expected to clean toilets & tend to plants. Bertolucci films Pu Yi ambivalently; which I kinda liked. Pu Yi was a victim of the Japanese/Modern Chinese regime, but he was also a spoiled, domineering person who expected an extremely high standard of living.
John Lone gives a wonderfully subtle, yet lasting performance as the mediocre & melancholy emperor. His face may appear plaintive, but you can tell there's a wealth of sadness & resignation below the surface. He knows he's a fallen entity. Also impressive is Joan Chen as the emperor's lovely, but fragile, & tragic wife. If I have any complaints of the movie, they would be: a) the pacing in the 1st half of the film is a tad languorous. And b) Pu Yi's political collaboration with the Japanese (in the 2nd half) feels a tad obscure. Still, this film is expertly directed. While there's emotion in the story, it isn't sentimental or manipulative. And there's flair (Pu Yi croons Am I Blue? in a night club). 'The Last Emperor' is an enormous and enormously impressive film about one anti-hero & the country that changed around him. And the metaphorical final scene is perfect; as lovely as it is sobering.
In 1919, Pu Yi is assigned a Scottish tutor & imperial adviser, Mr. R.J. Johnston (the always regal, Peter O'Toole), who remains loyal to him & opens his eyes to the world he's cut-off from. In the early 1920's, Pu Yi (now 15, & played by John Lone as an adult from age 18-62), along with his beautiful empress, Wan Jung (a wonderful Joan Chen), & his '2nd wife', are kicked out of the austere, forbidden palace by a war lord, & they relocate to the port city of Tianjin. For the next few yrs. they live a modern, too-decadent life, as Wan Jung becomes a hopeless opium addict; & Pu Yi, takes to wearing tuxedos, singing in clubs, & enjoying mistresses on the side. In the 1930's, the Japanese invade Manchuria & seduce Pu Yi into being their puppet ruler (which he only ever was, really) in Japanese-controlled Manchukuo. They even get Pu Yi to sign documents legitimizing their occupation.
The last section of this film includes Pu Yi's eventual capture by the Russians at the end of WWII, his long imprisonment, & his release for a 10 yr. 're-education' program into Mao's People's Republic of Communist China regime. The film concludes in 1957 with Pu Yi's new life as a gardener in the Botanical Gardens of Beijing during the Cultural Revolution. Throughout his life, Pu Yi held an empty 'power' position. Now a gardener, he could finally live a simple life; one where he could come & go as he please, & not be anyone's puppet. He wouldn't answer to the Japanese, or be used as propaganda by the Maoist communists. He lost his wife, he lost the opulence, but a welcomed lowly existence is what he would have 'til his dying day.
This film is a stunning cinematic achievement: epic in length & scope, visionary (reimagining a lost, exotic world), & gorgeous (with Vittorio Storaro's sumptuous cinematography, the period sets, stunning costumes, & sweeping music - all of which won Oscar gold). There are many stand-out scenes. i.e., little Pu Yi running through a massive gold drape, only to see thousands of wailing eunuchs in the forbidden courtyard; Wan Jung kissing Pu Yi all over his face on their wedding night; a halted tennis match; Wan Jung defiantly eating white flowers to embarrass her neglectful husband; and an oddly sexual toe-sucking scene. Simply put, this is one of 1980's most magnificent movies to just 'watch'. Never before had such an unprecedented filming process transpired; where Bertolucci & his Italian crew created an English language epic in China's never-before-seen-from-the-inside Forbidden City.
As both a visual feast & historical artifact, this movie is a once in a lifetime thing to witness. The film's structure leaps back & forth btwn. a 'coming of age' tale & the time in which Pu Yi is in prison; forced into the Chinese re-education program. This narrative device doesn't make for the smoothest movie, but it makes sense with respect to Pu Yi's personal story. Pu Yi is a somewhat tragic character, in that, he went from being on a God-like mantle (however powerless that position really was) to being just an ordinary citizen; expected to clean toilets & tend to plants. Bertolucci films Pu Yi ambivalently; which I kinda liked. Pu Yi was a victim of the Japanese/Modern Chinese regime, but he was also a spoiled, domineering person who expected an extremely high standard of living.
John Lone gives a wonderfully subtle, yet lasting performance as the mediocre & melancholy emperor. His face may appear plaintive, but you can tell there's a wealth of sadness & resignation below the surface. He knows he's a fallen entity. Also impressive is Joan Chen as the emperor's lovely, but fragile, & tragic wife. If I have any complaints of the movie, they would be: a) the pacing in the 1st half of the film is a tad languorous. And b) Pu Yi's political collaboration with the Japanese (in the 2nd half) feels a tad obscure. Still, this film is expertly directed. While there's emotion in the story, it isn't sentimental or manipulative. And there's flair (Pu Yi croons Am I Blue? in a night club). 'The Last Emperor' is an enormous and enormously impressive film about one anti-hero & the country that changed around him. And the metaphorical final scene is perfect; as lovely as it is sobering.