'The Americans believe everyone is born good. You must be judged.'

Rating: 10/10 (2 September 2018)

Bernardo Bertolucci's 1987 extravaganza THE LAST EMPEROR is rich in spectacle, costumes, cinematography, massive crowd scenes, and history, and yet for all its grandeur some of the most touching moments are form the language of eyes, simple words of a child, and especially worlds form the teacher RJ Johnston - 'The Emperor has been a prisoner in his own palace since the day that he was crowned, and has remained a prisoner since he abdicated. But now he's growing up, he may wonder why he's the only person in China who may not walk out of his own front door. I think the Emperor is the loneliest boy on Earth.' And 'Words are important. Pu Yi, at 15: Why are words important? RJ Johnson "If you cannot say what you mean, your majesty, you will never mean what you say and a gentleman should always mean what he says.'
Re-visiting THE LAST EMPEROR 30 years after the film was made is a refreshing experience. Yes, the costumes are grand, the mass scenes are impressive, the music (the Chinese music - not the indulgent American music of the period) is special, the cast is solid, but the impressive aspect of the film is the opportunity to re-visit history in this manner. Especially, today when we are constantly reminded of China's influence in global affairs, it is interesting to recap how that country went from being ruled by a child emperor to the influx of Japan and the wars and the destruction of many of the most beautiful antiquities of China, and became the Republic of China.
John Lone is especially well suited as Pu-Yi as an adult as is Peter O'Toole as his teacher RJ Johnson. As one observer noted, 'This sweeping account of the life of Pu-Yi, the last emperor of China, follows the leader's tumultuous reign. After being captured by the Red Army as a war criminal in 1950, Pu-Yi recalls his childhood from prison. He remembers his lavish youth in the Forbidden City, where he was afforded every luxury but unfortunately sheltered from the outside world and complex political situation surrounding him. As revolution sweeps through China, the world Pu-Yi knew is dramatically upended.'
This is a film to visit again and again - for so many reasons.