This sweeping account of the life of Pu Yi (John Lone), the last emperor of China, follows the leader's tumultuous reign. After being captured by the Red Army as a war criminal in 1950, Pu Yi recalls his childhood from prison. He remembers his lavish youth in the Forbidden City, where he was afforded every luxury but unfortunately sheltered from the outside world and complex political situation surrounding him. As revolution sweeps through China, the world Pu Yi knew is dramatically upended.This is a by-the-numbers movie when comes to making a film that will most likely get you the major awards. If you like this film then check out the even longer version!If you want a Big Movie event to see then Watch "Lawerence of Arabia". There is several elements from that film that the director stole from.If you you cant find anything else to watch on TV read a book! Call a friend! Clean your closet! Plan your future! Dust! Do laundry! Clean the cat box! Clean your trash cans! Scrub the toilet! Check your smoke alarms! Call your mother. Washing out the garbage cans is more entertaining! Avoid! Avoid! Avoid!

This film tells the life of the last Chinese emperor, Pu Yi. Crowned as a baby, he lived a life of limitless luxury but was eventually expelled from his throne by the revolution of 1911. Imprisoned in his palace like a bird in a golden cage, he saw the decay of his country and the dramatic changes of Republican China from the inside of the Forbidden City. Expelled by the Communists years later, he spent a good part of his life trying to regain his throne, and the rest of it imprisoned in Chinese reeducation camps that transformed him into an ordinary man. There is undoubtedly a poetic beauty in the transformation of the main character, and the film can make us feel the changes in his personality, as well as the changes of his former empire. The film suggests several things about him and the imperial family that I do not know if they are truth, like the apparent lesbianism of one of the emperor's wives and their use of drugs. Bernardo Bertolucci is a director that I normally do not appreciate, but I recognize in this film many qualities. The actors did a very regular and interesting performance. John Lone was perfect in the role of the emperor, but even brighter was Peter O'Toole, in a role that, otherwise, with another actor, could be overly subdued. The film's set-ups are glamorous and go a long way toward creating a Hollywood-era epic movie feel. Nevertheless, the comparison of this film as "Seven Years in Tibet", by context, time and closeness, is more pertinent than with any other film.

out of definition. because it has the virtue to be more a trip than a film. because it reminds old jewelries. and because it presents a slice of history, memorable scenes and psychology of a world looking for the best way to survive. it is Bertolucci vision about the life of Pu Yi. but the emperor is only a symbol . because the film becomes in its second half a parable about the illusion, purpose of life, the other, need of certitude. a film who seduce for details and delicate beauty. a film of ink and cricket. and the presence of Peter O Toole. it seems be a revelation . about yourself. about the challenges of history. about the meaning of decisions. about the fight of a victim.

Bernardo Bertolucci's sweeping epic "The Last Emperor" is mostly a look at the life of Puyi, whose reign witnessed massive political changes in China. Like Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun", released around the same time, the movie helps one understand why modern China is like it is. The story gets told as a flashback, with the imprisoned Puyi remembering the different stages of his life. The Communists charge him with collaborating with the Japanese occupation of Manchuria, but this new government has become just as bad. There has been no change in China's politics from the imperial era to the republican era to the communist era. As emperor, Puyi was confined to the Forbidden City, and now he suffers a new kind of confinement.Bertolucci makes use of colors the same way that Stanley Kubrick did, adding up to a most impressive movie. It won nine well deserved Academy Awards including Best Picture. John Lone puts all his effort into the role of Puyi, and has fine support from Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Victor Wong and others. It's over two and a half hours, but it's worth the effort so that you can understand how the world's most populous country ended up like it is today. Watch this one and Spielberg's movie.