The Last Emperor(Italian:L'ultimo imperatore) is a 1987epicbiographical dramafilm about the life ofPuyi,the finalEmperor of China.It is directed byBernardo Bertoluccifrom a screenplay he co-wrote withMark Peploe,which was adapted from Puyi's1964 autobiography,and independently produced byJeremy Thomas.[5]
| The Last Emperor | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Bernardo Bertolucci |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | From Emperor to Citizen: The Autobiography of Aisin-Gioro Puyi 1960 autobiography byPuyi |
| Produced by | Jeremy Thomas |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Vittorio Storaro |
| Edited by | Gabriella Cristiani |
| Music by |
|
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 163 minutes[1] |
| Countries |
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| Languages |
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| Budget | $23.8 million[3] |
| Box office | $44 million[4] |
The film depicts Puyi's life from his ascent to the throne as a small boy to his imprisonment andpolitical rehabilitationby theChinese Communist Party.It starsJohn Lonein the eponymous role, withPeter O'Toole,Joan Chen,Ruocheng Ying,Victor Wong,Dennis Dun,Vivian Wu,Lisa Lu,andRyuichi Sakamoto(who also composed the film score withDavid ByrneandCong Su). It was the first Western feature film authorised by the People's Republic of China to film in theForbidden Cityin Beijing.[3]
The Last Emperorpremiered at the 1987Tokyo International Film Festival,and was released in the United States byColumbia Pictureson November 18. It earned widespread positive reviews from critics and was also a commercial success. At the60th Academy Awards,it won all nineOscarsit was nominated for, includingBest Picture,Best Director,andBest Adapted Screenplay.It also won several other accolades, including threeBAFTA Awards,fourGolden Globe Awards,nineDavid di Donatello Awards,and aGrammy Awardfor its musical score. The film was converted into3Dand shown in the Cannes Classics section at the2013 Cannes Film Festival.[6]
Plot
editBy 1950, the 44-year oldPuyi,former Emperor of China, has been in custody for five years since his capture by theRed Armyduring theSoviet invasion of Manchuria.In the recently establishedPeople's Republic of China,Puyi arrives as apolitical prisonerandwar criminalat theFushun Prison.Soon after his arrival, Puyi attempts suicide, but is quickly rescued and told he must stand trial.
42 years earlier, in 1908, a toddler Puyi is summoned to theForbidden Cityby the dyingEmpress Dowager Cixi.After telling him that theprevious emperorhad died earlier that day, Cixi tells Puyi that he is to be the next emperor. After his coronation, Puyi, frightened by his new surroundings, repeatedly expresses his wish to go home, but is denied. Despite having scores of palaceeunuchsand maids to wait on him, his only real friend is hiswet nurse,Ar Mo.
As he grows up, his upbringing is confined entirely to the imperial palace and he is prohibited from leaving. One day, he is visited by his younger brother,Pujie,who tells him he is no longer Emperor and that China has become arepublic;that same day, Ar Mo is forced to leave. In 1919,Reginald Johnstonis appointed as Puyi's tutor and gives him aWestern-style education,and Puyi becomes increasingly desirous to leave the Forbidden City. Johnston, wary of thecourtiers' expensive lifestyle, convinces Puyi that the best way of achieving this is through marriage; Puyi subsequently wedsWanrong,withWenxiuas a secondary consort.
Puyi then sets about reforming the Forbidden City, including expelling the palace eunuchs. However, in 1924, he himself is expelled from the palace and exiled toTientsinfollowing theBeijing Coup.He leads a decadent life as aplayboyandAnglophile,and sides withJapanafter theMukden Incident.During this time, Wenxiu divorces him, but Wanrong remains and eventually succumbs toopium addiction.In 1934, the Japanese crown him "Emperor" of theirpuppet stateofManchukuo,though his supposed political supremacy is undermined at every turn. Wanrong gives birth to a child, but the baby ismurdered at birthby the Japanese and proclaimedstillborn.He remains the nominal ruler of the region until his capture by the SovietRed Army.
Under the Communist re-education program for political prisoners, Puyi is coerced by his interrogators to formally renounce his forcedcollaborationwith the Japanese invaders during theSecond Sino-Japanese War.After heated discussions with Jin Yuan, the warden of the Fushun Prison, and watching a film detailing thewartime atrocities committed by the Japanese,Puyi eventually recants and is considered rehabilitated by the government; he is subsequently released in 1959.
Several years later in 1967, Puyi has become a simple gardener who lives a peasantproletarianexistence following the rise ofMao Zedong's cult of personalityand theCultural Revolution.On his way home from work, he happens upon aRed Guardparade, celebrating the rejection oflandlordismby the communists. He sees Jin Yuan, now one of the political prisoners punished as an anti-revolutionary in the parade, forced to wear adunce capand asandwich boardbearing punitive slogans.
Puyi later visits the Forbidden City where he meets an assertive young boy wearing the red scarf of thePioneer Movement.The boy orders Puyi to step away from the throne, but Puyi proves that he was indeed theSon of Heavenbefore approaching the throne. Behind it, Puyi finds a 60-year-old petcricketthat he was given by palace officialChen Baochenon his coronation day and gives it to the child. Amazed by the gift, the boy turns to talk to Puyi, but finds that he has disappeared.
In 1987, a tour guide leads a group through the palace. Stopping in front of the throne, the guide sums up Puyi's life in a few, brief sentences, before concluding that he died in 1967.
Cast
edit- John LoneasPuyi(adult)
- Richard Vuu as Puyi (3 years old)
- Tijger Tsou as Puyi (8 years old)[1]
- Wu Tao as Puyi (15 years old)
- Joan ChenasWanrong
- Peter O'TooleasReginald Johnston
- Ying Ruochengas Jin Yuan, the Detention Camp Governor
- Victor WongasChen Baochen
- Dennis Dunas Big Li
- Ryuichi SakamotoasMasahiko Amakasu
- Maggie Hanas Eastern Jewel (Yoshiko Kawashima)
- Ric Youngas the Camp Interrogator
- Vivian WuasWenxiu
- Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawaas Chang
- Jade Go asAr Mo
- Fumihiko Ikeda as Colonel Yoshioka
- Fan Guang asPujie(adult), Puyi's younger brother
- Henry Kyi as Pujie (7 years old)
- Alvin Riley III as Pujie (14 years old)
- Lisa LuasEmpress Dowager Cixi
- Basil PaoasPrince Chun,Puyi's father.
- Dong Liang asLady Consort Chun,Puyi's mother.
- Henry Oas theLord Chamberlain
Other cast members includeChen Kaigeas the Captain of theImperial Guard,Hideo Takamatsuas GeneralTakashi Hishikari,Hajime Tachibana as the General's translator, Zhang Liangbin as theeunuchBig Foot, Huang Wenjie as the eunuch Hunchback, Chen Shu asZhang Jinghui,Cheng Shuyan asHiro Saga,Li Fusheng asXie Jieshi,andConstantine Gregoryas the Emperor'soculist.
Production
editDevelopment
editBernardo Bertolucciproposed the film to theChinese governmentas one of two possible projects – the other was an adaptation ofLa Condition humaine(Man's Fate) byAndré Malraux.The Chinese preferredThe Last Emperor.ProducerJeremy Thomasmanaged to raise the $25 million budget for his ambitious independent production single-handedly.[7]At one stage, he scoured the phone book for potential financiers.[8]Bertolucci was given complete freedom by the authorities to shoot in The Forbidden City, which had never before been opened up for use in a Western film. For the first ninety minutes of the film, Bertolucci and Storaro made full use of its visual splendour.[7]
Filming
edit19,000extraswere needed over the course of the film. ThePeople's Liberation Army(PLA) was drafted in to accommodate.[9]
In a 2010 interview withBilge EbiriforVulture,Bertolucci recounted the shooting of the Cultural Revolution scene:
Before shooting the parade scene, I put together four or five young directors whom I had met, [including] Chen Kaige — who also plays a part in the film, he’s the captain of the guard — andZhang Yimou.I asked them about theCultural Revolution.And suddenly it was like I was watching a psychodrama: They started to act out and cry, it was extraordinary. I think there is a relationship between these scenes inThe Last Emperorand in1900.But many things changed between those two films, for me and for the world.[10]
Historical accuracy
editBritish historianAlex von Tunzelmannwrote that the movie considerably downplays and misrepresents the Emperor's cruelty, especially during his youth.[11]As stated by Tunzelmann and Behr (author of the 1987 bookThe Last Emperor), Puyi engaged in sadistic abuse of palace servants and subordinates during his initial reign well in excess of what Bertolucci's movie portrays, frequently having eunuchs beaten for mild transgressions or no reason at all; in a demonstrative example, the young Emperor once conspired to force a eunuch to eat a cake full of iron filings simply to see the eunuch's reaction, which he was talked out of by his beloved wet nurse with some difficulty.[12][11]Tunzelmann states that most people worldwide who have heard of Puyi are likely to have an incorrect understanding of this aspect of the Emperor's reign, as the movie is much more popular globally than more accurate biographies.[11]
The film contains several other historical inaccuracies: in real life, Puyi left the Forbidden City when his mother died; as he recounts in his memoirs, he did not have sex with his wives; Puyi actually stopped the Japanese from killing the Empress's lover rather than let him be murdered; although the film mentions theBeijing Coup,it erroneously claims that the president fled the capital instead of being put under house arrest; the testimonies that Puyi gives to his Chinese interrogators were in fact given at theTokyo Trials.[13][14][15]
Jeremy Thomas recalled the approval process for the screenplay with the Chinese government: "It was less difficult than working with the studio system. They made script notes and made references to change some of the names, then the stamp went on and the door opened and we came."[9]
Soundtrack
editWhile not included on the album soundtrack, the following music was played in the film: "Am I Blue?"(1929)," Auld Lang Syne "(uncredited), and"China Boy"(1922) (uncredited). TheNortheastern Cradle Songwas sung by Ar Mo twice in the film.
Release
editHemdale Film Corporationacquired allNorth Americandistribution rights to the film on behalf of producer Thomas,[16]who raised a large sum of the budget himself. Hemdale, in turn, licensed theatrical rights toColumbia Pictures,who were initially reluctant to release it, and only after shooting was completed did the head of Columbia agree to distributeThe Last Emperorin North America.[3]
The Last Emperoropened in 19 theatres in Italy and grossed $265,000 in its first weekend. It expanded to 65 theatres in its second weekend and 93 in its third, increasing its weekend gross to $763,000 and grossing $2 million in its first 16 days. Six days after its Italian opening, it opened in Germany and grossed $473,000 in its first weekend from 50 theatres and $1.1 million in its first 10 days.[17]The film had an unusual run in US theatres. It did not enter the weekend box office top 10 until its twelfth week in which the film reached number 7 after increasing its gross by 168% from the previous week and more than tripling its theatre count (this was the weekend before it was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Picture). Following that week, the film lingered around the top 10 for 8 weeks before peaking at number 4 in its 22nd week (the weekend after winning the Oscar) (increasing its weekend gross by 306% and nearly doubling its theatre count from 460 to 877) and spending 6 more weeks in the weekend box office top 10.[18]Were it not for this late push,The Last Emperorwould have joinedThe English Patient,Amadeus,andThe Hurt Lockeras the only Best Picture winners to not enter the weekend box office top 5 since these numbers were first recorded in 1982.
The film was converted into3Dand shown in the Cannes Classics section at the2013 Cannes Film Festival.[6]
Critical response
editOnRotten Tomatoes,the film has an approval rating of 86% based on 124 reviews, with an average rating of 8.10/10. The site's critics consensus states: "While Bernardo Bertolucci's decadent epic never quite identifies the dramatic pulse of its protagonist, stupendous visuals and John Lone's ability to make passivity riveting giveThe Last Emperora rarified grandeur. "[19]Metacriticassigned the film a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20]Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.[21]
Roger Ebertwas notably enthusiastic in his praise of the film, awarding it four out of four:
"Bertolucci is able to make Pu Yi's imprisonment seem all the more ironic because this entire film was shot on location inside the People's Republic of China, and he was even given permission to film inside the Forbidden City — a vast, medieval complex covering some 250 acres (100 ha) and containing 9,999 rooms (only heaven, the Chinese believed, had 10,000 rooms). It probably is unforgivablybourgeoisto admire a film because of its locations, but in the case ofThe Last Emperorthe narrative cannot be separated from the awesome presence of the Forbidden City, and from Bertolucci's astonishing use of locations, authentic costumes, and thousands of extras to create the everyday reality of this strange little boy. "[22]
Jonathan RosenbaumcomparedThe Last Emperorfavorably toSteven Spielberg'sEmpire of the Sun:
"At best, apart from a few snapshots,Empire of the Sunteaches us something about the inside of one director's brain.The Last Emperorincidentally and secondarily does that too; but it also teaches us something about the lives of a billion people with whom we share this planet—and better yet, makes us want to learn still more about them. "[23]
Editing out of Rape of Nanking scene for Japan
editTheShochiku Fuji Companyedited out a thirty-second sequence depicting theRape of Nanjingbefore distributing it to Japanese theatres. Bertolucci had not given his consent for the cut, and was furious at the interference with his film, which he called "revolting". The company quickly restored the scene, blaming "confusion and misunderstanding" for the edit while opining that the Rape sequence was "too sensational" for Japanese moviegoers.[24]
Home media
editHemdale licensed its video rights toNelson Entertainment,which released the film onVHSandLaserdisc.[16]The film also received a Laserdisc release inAustraliain 1992, through Columbia Tri-Star Video. Years later,Artisan Entertainmentacquired the rights to the film and released both the theatrical and extended versions on home video. In February 2008The Criterion Collection(under license from now-rights-holder Thomas) released a four disc Director-Approved edition, again containing both theatrical and extended versions.[25]Criterion released aBlu-rayversion on 6 January 2009.[25]
Accolades
editAlternative versions
editThe film's theatrical release ran 163 minutes. Deemed too long to show in a single three-hour block on television but too short to spread out over two nights, an extended version was created which runs 218 minutes. Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro and director Bernardo Bertolucci have confirmed that this extended version was indeed created as atelevision miniseriesand does not represent a true "director's cut".[43]
Home video
editThe Criterion Collection2008 version of four DVDs adds commentary byIan Buruma,composer David Byrne, and the Director's interview withJeremy Isaacs(ISBN978-1-60465-014-3). It includes a booklet featuring an essay byDavid Thomson,interviews with production designer Ferdinando Scarfiotti and actor Ying Ruocheng, a reminiscence by Bertolucci, and an essay and production-diary extracts from Fabien S. Gerard.
The film was for quite some time unavailable on DVD or Blu-Ray in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, as cinematographerVittorio Storarohad insisted on a cropped 2:1 version that retroactively conforms the film to hisUnivisiumstandard. Copies of the film in its original ratio were then rare and sought after by fans of the film.
The film has since been restored in 4K and in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and has been released on Blu-ray and UHD in 2023 in several countries using this 4K restoration.[44]
See also
edit
- Big Shot's Funeral,a film with a plot that involves a fictional remake ofThe Last Emperor
- List of historical drama films set in Asia
References
edit- ^ab"THE LAST EMPEROR(15) ".British Board of Film Classification.16 November 1987.Retrieved29 March2023.
- ^"The Last Emperor (1987)".BFI.British Film Institute.Retrieved8 May2024.
- ^abcLove And Respect, Hollywood-Style,an April 1988 article byRichard CorlissinTime
- ^"The Last Emperor".Box Office Mojo.Retrieved29 September2016.
- ^Varietyfilm review; 7 October 1987.
- ^ab"Cannes Classics 2013 line-up unveiled".Screen Daily.Retrieved30 April2013.
- ^abMcCarthy, Todd (11 May 2009)."'The Last Emperor' - Variety Review ".Variety.Retrieved6 February2013.
- ^Jafaar, Ali (11 May 2009)."Producers team on 'Assassins' Redo".Variety.Retrieved7 April2010.
- ^abLieberson, Sandy (11 April 2006)."Jeremy Thomas - And I'm still a fan".Berlinale Talent Campus.Archived fromthe originalon 24 May 2010.Retrieved7 April2010.
- ^Ebiri, Bilge."Bernardo Bertolucci Dissects Ten of His Classic Scenes".Vulture.Retrieved22 September2018.
- ^abcTunzelmann, Alex (16 April 2009)."The Last Emperor: Life is stranger, and nastier, than fiction".The Guardian.Retrieved29 November2015.
- ^Behr, Edward (1987).The Last Emperor.Toronto: Futura.
- ^Bernstein, Richard (8 May 1988)."Is 'The Last Emperor' Truth or Propaganda?".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved9 January2023.
- ^"A HISTORIAN CRITIQUES 'EMPEROR'".Chicago Tribune.7 January 1988.Retrieved9 January2023.
- ^"The Last Emperor: life is stranger, and nastier, than fiction".the Guardian.16 April 2009.Retrieved9 January2023.
- ^ab"FindLaw's California Court of Appeal case and opinions".Findlaw.Retrieved23 January2018.
- ^"The Last Emperor (advertisement)".Screen International.14 November 1987. pp. 10–11.
- ^The Last Emperor(1987) - Weekend Box Office ResultsBox Office Mojo
- ^"The Last Emperor".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.Retrieved3 May2024.
- ^"The Last Emperor reviews".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.Retrieved28 March2016.
- ^"Home".CinemaScore.Retrieved4 May2024.
- ^Ebert, Roger (9 December 1987)."The Last Emperor Movie Review (1987)".The Chicago Sun-Times.Retrieved22 September2018.
- ^Rosenbaum, Jonathan (17 December 1987)."The China Syndrome".Chicago Reader.Retrieved22 September2018.
- ^Chang, Iris (1997).The Rape of Nanking (book).Basic Books. p. 210.ISBN0-465-06835-9.
- ^abThe Last Emperor(1987)The Criterion Collect
- ^"The 60th Academy Awards (1988) Nominees and Winners".Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Retrieved31 July2011.
- ^"The ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography".American Society of Cinematographers.Archived fromthe originalon 2 August 2011.
- ^"1988 Artios Awards".Casting Society of America.Retrieved7 February2019.
- ^"BSFC Winners: 1980s".Boston Society of Film Critics.27 July 2018.Retrieved5 July2021.
- ^"BAFTA Awards: Film in 1989".British Academy Film Awards.Retrieved16 September2016.
- ^"Best Cinematography in Feature Film"(PDF).British Society of Cinematographers.Retrieved3 June2021.
- ^"The 1988 Caesars Ceremony".César Awards.Retrieved5 July2021.
- ^"Cronologia Dei Premi David Di Donatello".David di Donatello.Retrieved27 June2017.
- ^"40th DGA Awards".Directors Guild of America Awards.Retrieved5 July2021.
- ^"The Last Emperor".Golden Globe Awards.Retrieved5 July2021.
- ^"31st Annual GRAMMY Awards".Grammy Awards.Retrieved1 May2011.
- ^"The 13th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards".Los Angeles Film Critics Association.Retrieved5 July2021.
- ^"1987 Award Winners".National Board of Review.Retrieved5 July2021.
- ^"1998 Award Winners".National Board of Review.Retrieved5 July2021.
- ^"Past Awards".National Society of Film Critics.19 December 2009.Retrieved5 July2021.
- ^"1987 New York Film Critics Circle Awards".New York Film Critics Circle.Retrieved5 July2021.
- ^"Awards Winners".Writers Guild of America Awards.Archived fromthe originalon 5 December 2012.Retrieved6 June2010.
- ^Kim Hendrickson (3 January 2008)."Final Cut".The Criterion Collection.Retrieved19 December2009.
- ^"Review of The Last Emperor 2023 UK Blu-ray".Blu-ray.
External links
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