Fabulous, but misunderstood.

Rating: Null/10 (13 September 2003)

SPOILERS!!!
This is a great film, and the addition of some 54 extra minutes for the DVD is probably not neccessary, but still enthralling. Even at 218 minutes, the film doesn't drag, except maybe during the re-education scenes (and they dragged even in the short version). This longer version also makes it clearer exactly what was going on between China and Japan in World War II. Those who find the film uninvolving are missing the point. The movie is supposed to be cold, and you're not supposed to feel anything for Pu Yi, even though he is used and abused throughout. (In the longer version, he is less sympathetic.)And for the guy who was creeped out by the breast-feeding scene: it's SUPPOSED to be disturbing. Bertolucci's fondness for kinkiness is all throughout this movie, while still keeping a PG-13 rating. And yes, there are flaws. The four actors playing Pu Yi at different ages don't resemble each other. The kid playing him at 12 has an American accent; the one playing him at 16 has a thicker "Chinese" accent than John Lone. One additional comment about the DVD: the movie is in horrible shape! It is only 16 years old, yet it is full of blotches and age spots. Compare this to the recent release of CASABLANCA, which is 61 years old, yet has undergone a stunning restoration. You'd think that whoever was editing the directors' cut of LAST EMPEROR would have cleaned up the print as well. Also the sound is only digital 2.0. They couldn't have remixed it for 5.1?