An elegant and thoughtful film

Rating: 8/10 (12 May 2004)

The Last Emperor is one of the best films of the 1980's It is one of those rare examples in which every element comes together to create a film that is well- rounded in its excellence.
Winner of 9 Academy Awards, the Last Emperor is without a doubt the greatest
of Bernardo Bertolucci's career. The film traces the life of the last emperor of China. He ruled from early 20th century through to the Chinese Revolution in
the 1940's. Rich in historical moments, and culture, The Last Emperor is a
visual masterpiece that accurately depicts the costume, architecture, and
traditions of Imperial China. It is these elements, the costume/design, Art Direction, etc. that help make The Last Emperor what is was and undoubtedly
will remain.
However, the film is not perfect and, in fact, has several flaws. First, and absolutely foremost, the acting is nothing great. Peter O'Toole and John Lone do decent work in the film but nothing great. This is certainly not one of Peter O'Toole's better roles. Arguably the practically emotion-less characterization of many of the characters in many of the scenes is part of the screenplay and
represents the dignity of the Chinese soul. However other films have done this well without having its characters seem tired and empty [Such as Raise the
Red Lanterns]
The story is well written but it is VERY slow [and VERY long] I do not see any reason to blame the scriptwriter but instead believe that Bertolucci needed to address the tempo of the film. Granted the tempo is what he wanted and I think that is the film's greatest weakness. In areas, the film is downright boring. This is, as I stated, no fault of the writing but instead of the director's intention to have this pace for the film. And, arguably, that is a cultural artifact of the Imperial Chinese culture. The methodical, ritualistic feel is authentic but too baneful for a film.
7.5/10
WARNING: If you are not up to a nearly 4 hour epic that is slow and methodical I strongly urge you make sure you are watching the Theatrical Release it is
under 3 hours. The DVD is the DIRECTOR'S CUT and is over an hour longer
than the theatrical release.