An epic tale of the colorful life of Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi who, at the age of 3, sat on China’s Dragon Throne in the Forbidden City, but four years later was deposed when China became a republic. He was returned to the throne as a Japanese puppet in 1931, and eventually ended up in a re-education camp in Mao’s People’s Republic, finally dying a humble gardener. The stunning sequences shot in the Forbidden City by Vittorio Storaro are alone worth the price of admission. — Peter Biskind
“The visual magnificence of Bertolucci’s film is so great that he has removed the project almost beyond criticism.” — Hilary Mantel, The Spectator
“The expanse of time is saturated with an expanse of visual beauty that feels absolutely right for the story.” — Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
“As pure spectacle, The Last Emperor is a spellbinding peek behind the gate of a lost world.” — Kathleen Carroll, New York Daily News
directed by
Bernardo Bertolucci
Bernardo Bertolucci
written by
Mark Peploe (screenplay), Bernardo Bertolucci (screenplay), Enzo Ungari (initial screenplay collaboration)
Mark Peploe (screenplay), Bernardo Bertolucci (screenplay), Enzo Ungari (initial screenplay collaboration)
with
John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Ruocheng Ying
John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Ruocheng Ying
language
English, Mandarin, Japanese
English, Mandarin, Japanese
country
UK, Italy, China, France
UK, Italy, China, France
production company
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures