Best movie of the 80's, no competition

Rating: 10/10 (3 October 2005)

As a keen follower of Chinese history, watching this movie when I was twenty probably engaged my enthusiasm. It is undoubtedly the best movie of the 1980s and number 3 on my top 50 movie list, it is one of the best movies ever in my opinion. It carries with it great emotion, reaching a brilliant climax right at the end when Pu Yi goes back to the Forbidden City to die in the place he was crowned.
The story follows the last emperor of China, Pu Yi, from when he was crowned in 1909 to when he died in 1967. As is best for most movies, he is not an interesting character, but interesting things are always happening around him. He began his life as emperor of China at only three years of age before being overthrown by the nationalists two years later. After being forced to hide away in the Forbidden City for thirteen years, he and his two wives flee from the warlords to Tianjin (Tientsin) and he ends up working for the Japanese. His ancestors came from Manchuria, so when the Japanese offered for him to become puppet emperor of the state when they occupied it, he accepted. However, he did not like the Japanese policies and they immediately began to torment him, first by taking his wife away and tampering with her brain and then by locking him in his small palace. In the end, he is caught by the Russians and taken back to the PRC, where he spends nine years in prison.
The entire movie is well done - flashbacks are used effectively throughout the whole movie, and the use of the Forbidden City and the Puppet Emperor's Palace as sets was greatly effective also. For a non-fiction biography, it is surprisingly well structured and amazing dramatics are used. Final ratings - Acting, 8/10. Cinematography, 10/10. Soundtrack, 9/10. Costumes, 10/10 (very realistic).