Film Review

Rating: 10/10 (19 May 2014)

The film The Last Emperor is a very well-known film in the world. It was directed by Bernardo Bertolucci who is an Italian director. It is also a China, Italy and United Kingdom jointly produced movie. The Last Emperor also is the first story movie which viewed in the Forbidden City. The film won nine award of the Academy Award in 1987. The Last Emperor shows a whole life about AIXINJUELUO Puyi, the last emperor of China. The story has two time lie, the reality one happened in a train station in Manchuria in 1950. Puyi was facing trial and detained as a prisoner so he thought of attempted suicide in the station lounge. The other one showed the earlier life about Puyi via his memory. When Puyi began to reign he was only 3 years old. He had no idea about how to be an emperor and governance of a country which is in edge of collapse. When ministers had to bow down to him, Puyi was only interested a grasshopper. He was told that he was the most powerful man in the China. However when he was older, he only found that he could use his power just in the Forbidden City. While with the passage of time, Puyi even find his power was limited in the Forbidden City. He can not retain his wet nurse. In 1919, the famous Fleming Johnston became Puyi's new tutor and he gave Puyi much information about foreign countries. Puyi began to be changed by Western culture. As this situation, he had done something not meet the progenitor system like wearing glasses and riding bicycle. But when he was heard his mother was dead he still can not leave the Forbidden City by himself. He was so tired to this kind of life but have no idea to change it. His marriage was chosen, but not by him. In fact, the audience could easily find that most things in Puyi's life were not chosen by him. He was forced to leave the Forbidden City, and was lured to be the emperor of Manchukuo. However this so-called country was just under controlled by Japanese. Puyi still have no his own power. In 1945, with the surrender of Japan, Manchukuo also did not alive. All above just happened in the memory of Puyi's memory, this is one of time line in the movie. While in the reality time line, the movie shows how Puyi abandoned his idea about emperor and became a common people in the prison. When first came to the prison, Puyi can not do anything except reading the book. One of his roommate was his flunker and have to do everything for him. The warden realized it and forced him to become the person have self-care ability via asking Puyi to change the room. Puyi also began to abandon his emperor thing through trial again and again. The warden made Puyi to know how a common people live in the world. Finally, Puyi was released and become a botanist in Peking. There are several shots with very deep information in the movie. In a very common talking from Puyi and warden, when warden told Puyi that he should not sign the paper about the Japanese biological warfare experiments in Harbin. Puyi even have no possible to know it. Puyi said that he should be responsible for everything, and the warden told him that he only need to responsible for what he do. The warden point out his mind which is just because he used to be the best one in his life and now he think he is the worst of all. In fact it is still a kind of emperor idea. The movie did not show the end of the talking but people do believe that Puyi had thought this things after that. It is also the last time to show his idea of emperor in the movie. Another shot is in the last of the movie, when Puyi got off work and find the praising of Chairman Mao by Red Guards. It was so like in his memory about praising of emperor. Audience could not find what Puyi was thinking at that time, but it is really a kind of cycle. The old emperor had already been changed to a common, what about the new "emperor". If someone could link to the Cultural Revolution in China, this shot could be has much more information.