Imperfect yet impressive

Rating: 7/10 (2 February 2020)

"The Last Emperor" is based largely off the autobiography of Pu Yi, the last ruler of the Chinese Ching Dynasty. The film covers the years 1908 to 1967 where we follow Pu Yi's journey from Emperor, to prisoner, to political puppet, to his transformation through the "re-education" under the Mao Communist Party. It is an incredible piece of film making and an intriguing look at China's modern history.
Bertolucci's historical-epic, biopic is not a character study, it is a fascinating glimpse at the tumultuous modern history of China told through an incredibly unique perspective. While the titular "Last Emperor" is the protagonist and audience P.O.V character, the film maintains a cool distance creating a sense of objectivity that lends greater credibility in the eyes of the viewer to the film's depiction of Pu Yi. We can at times sympathise with his dramatic displacement and disillusionment and then feel disgusted by his lust to regain power and his inhumane indifference to others. It is however important to recognise there is a difference between the film language conveying a sense of objectivity and true objectivity, the script was after all based largely off the Emperor's autobiography and it would be near impossible for the book or the film to truly capture his character wholly and without judgement.
The scale and ambition of this film is undeniable. The real locations, perfectly reconstructed sets, amazing costuming and multitude of extras feel authentic and convey the immense power and opulence of The Forbidden City. The image of a baby Emperor standing atop high stairs overlooking thousands of subjects is such a striking image that it stays with the audience all throughout the film. That impression is evoked within the mind of the viewer repeatedly during the film as the long wide-angle shots are mirrored, juxtaposing the changed Forbidden City as it rapidly declines in its grandeur. It is both beautiful to look at and a great example of visual storytelling, the Forbidden City becomes barren and seeing the Emperor small and alone we feel his isolation.
The attention to detail and meticulous craft of this only recently lost world has a strong feeling of authenticity. This is unfortunately undercut by one of the films strangest creative decisions, that being the choice to have all the characters speak English. The otherwise quality performances are diminished by the actors delivering understandably stilted dialogue in what is clearly not their first language. This awkward delivery robs the film of much of its' intended emotion. To cover such a large story and span of time, covering complex issues the film is forced to gloss over some of the finer details leading to a potential misrepresentation of some historical events. Whether this was intentional or not the film glosses over the civil unrest within China during the reign and fall of the dynasty, the horrific acts that followed the Japanese occupation of Manchuria, and the conditions within the "re-education" camps which were used for brainwashing and forced labour were accounted to be far more brutal with many prisoners suffering from starvation and few prisoners ever being released.
Despite the clunky dialogue, historical inaccuracies and very long run time, the film remains an incredible achievement. Telling an enthralling epic about a lesser known side of modern history put to screen with beautiful design and purposeful cinematography. Imperfect yet impressive.