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The Last Emperor (1987)

PG-13  |   |  Biography, Drama, History  |  15 April 1988 (USA)
7.8
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Ratings: 7.8/10 from 65,237 users   Metascore: 76/100
Reviews: 131 user | 74 critic | 15 from Metacritic.com

The story of the final Emperor of China.

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(screenplay), (screenplay), 2 more credits »
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Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
Ruocheng Ying ...
The Governor (as Ying Ruocheng)
...
Dennis Dun ...
...
Maggie Han ...
...
...
Wen Hsiu (as Wu Jun Mei)
...
Chang (as Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa)
Jade Go ...
Fumihiko Ikeda ...
Richard Vuu ...
Tsou Tijger ...
Pu Yi - 8 Years (as Tijger Tsou)
Edit

Storyline

A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic. Written by Martin H. Booda <booda@datasync.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

He was the Lord of Ten Thousand Years, the absolute monarch of China. He was born to rule a world of ancient tradition. Nothing prepared him for our world of change.


Certificate:

PG-13 | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

| | |

Language:

| | |

Release Date:

15 April 1988 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

El último emperador  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$21,105 (USA) (27 November 1998)

Gross:

$43,984,230 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (television)

Sound Mix:

(35 mm prints)| (70 mm prints)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The Buddhist lamas who appear in the film could not be touched by women, so extra male wardrobe helpers were hired to dress them. See more »

Goofs

The tour guide at the end of the film says that Pu Yi was 3 years old at his coronation. Henry Pu-yi was born Feb. 7, 1906 and invested Nov. 14, 1908, aged 2 years 10 months. However, the guide was likely using the Chinese age system, in which a person is automatically aged "1" when born. See more »

Quotes

Pu Yi, at 15: Is it true, Mr. Johnston, that many people out there have had their heads cut off?
Reginald Fleming 'R.J.' Johnston: It is true, your majesty. Many heads have been chopped off. It does stop them thinking.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Videoclub (2013) See more »

Soundtracks

Am I Blue
(1929)
Music by Harry Akst
Lyrics Grant Clarke
Sung by Pu Yi
Published by Feldman Music
c/o EMI Music Publishing Ltd.
See more »

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User Reviews

 
Impressive
26 December 2003 | by (The Hague, Netherlands) – See all my reviews

'The Last Emperor' tells the story of Pu Yi, as an adult played by John Lone, the last emperor of China. He was three years old when he first sat down on the Dragon Throne. He didn't know anything. The movie tells his story from that moment in flashbacks. We also get to see Pu Yi when the Chinese Communists have the power and he is imprisoned. Because people have taken care of him the rest of his life, from three years old to the moments inside the prison, it still feels he knows nothing.

To tell you about the life of Pu Yi would be a mistake. You have to see this movie to learn more about it. The strange thing is that Pu Yi can not do and decide much for himself. He is a hero of a movie where he is controlled by rules and other people. That is one of the reasons not many real things happen. We see the emperor grow up, we see him take an empress and a concubine, and then he has to leave the Forbidden City because the enemy is at the gate.

The impressive thing here are the locations and the costumes. Everything looks fabulous and it is not a surprise to find out that the movie was shot on location. With all the extras in those beautiful costumes there are a lot of very impressive scenes. May be the movie is a bit too long for some, it didn't really bother me. Director Bernardo Bertolucci has made a terrific movie.


55 of 69 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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