Beautiful, but Detached

Rating: 6/10 (31 January 2008)

The best term to describe The Last Emperor is beautiful. The cinematography is stunning. The director's use of color is both meaningful and striking. The symbolism is rich. But the plot is lacking.
Perhaps because of the sheer amount of material the movie tries to compress into two hours and 40 minutes no particular scene of the movie stands out. In fact, it seems as if as the movie gets longer the drama and energy are stretched thin. As Vincent Canby said in his review in The New York Times, "It contains just enough information to send one looking for 'From Emperor to Citizen,' Pu Yi's autobiography" It seems like this film lacks the emotional attachment to hold one's attention for the full run time. Yes, Pu Yi's life as a puppet emperor is interesting, but somehow the movie shows like a documentary. It has the sort of appeal that an interesting documentary does as well. The characters seem more like simple historical figures than people with whom one can connect. Note that Mr. Canby said it contained enough "information" to pique one's interest in this time period. He did not say it held enough appeal to make one fascinated with Pu Yi's struggle. And it doesn't.
That being said, The Last Emperor as a documentary would outshine every one ever created. It is the perhaps the most visually spectacular movie in history. The way director Bernardo Bertolucci uses color delights the eye. The present, in a Communist Chinese "reeducation" camp, is in dull, muted colors, while the past is shown in vibrant reds and yellows. The scenery is outstanding, particularly the shots of the Forbidden City. And one can appreciate the impact this movie had, both on cinematography and history. But what The Last Emperor amounts to is a beautiful piece of art that is as detached from its subjects as Pu Yi is from his. This is not an awful movie. It is simply too average.