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The Last Emperor

PG-13, Released Nov 18, 1987, 2h 42m, Biography/ History/ Drama List
86% Tomatometer 124 Reviews 88% Audience Score 25,000+ Ratings This sweeping account of the life of Pu Yi (John Lone), 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. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

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The Last Emperor

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The Last Emperor

What to Know

Critics Consensus

While Bernardo Bertolucci's decadent epic never quite identifies the dramatic pulse of its protagonist, stupendous visuals and John Lone's ability to make passivity riveting give The Last Emperor a rarified grandeur.

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Critics Reviews

View All (124) Critics Reviews
Pauline Kael New Yorker Bertolucci makes pretty pictorial music, but two hours and forty-six minutes is a long time for a movie to dance. Maybe it wouldn't be if his sense of rhythm hadn't become erratic. Sep 15, 2023 Full Review Kevin Maher Times (UK) Yet there’s also a great sadness in the film, as it tracks Puyi, the emperor of the title (played by four actors at different ages), through a state of permanent lifelong imprisonment, from gilded cage to Red Army capture. Rated: 4/5 •  Feb 17, 2023 Full Review Peter Rainer Los Angeles Herald Examiner When this film really sings, it's as if Bertolucci had tapped the wellspring of cinema and, ecstatic, discovered the eroticism at its essence. Aug 8, 2022 Full Review Mark Johnson Awards Daily The Last Emperor is a gorgeously shot, decade-spanning biopic with an international cast and an incredible propensity to recreate the Qing Dynasty China era. It’s one of those films I admire more each time I view it. Jun 14, 2023 Full Review Brian Susbielles InSession Film A beautiful portrait of a young man who is burdened from the beginning from a country he knows nothing of as radical change sweeps up around him. Mar 8, 2023 Full Review Joe Muldoon Battle Royale With Cheese An absolute odyssey of a film, it is as intriguing visually as it is storywise. Feb 26, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews
Sabrina The directors version has more details to build up the deep emotion. Especially after the Emperor claimed the throne of Manchu Guo. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/21/23 Full Review Craig B Very slow, very boring, sorry critics, you got this one wrong. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 06/11/24 Full Review Sem M Absolutely loved it! One of my favourite movies, I strongly reccomend it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/14/24 Full Review George L The best movie I have ever seen. It was recommended to us by 2 different tour guides of Chinese heritage during our visit to China. The amazing story it tells is the true history of 20th century China from Qing dynasty through communism. Much of it was filmed in The Forbidden City of Beijing before westerners had access and before it became the tourist mecca it is today. It's a spectacularly beautiful film. Many of the professional film critics' reviews criticize the "plot", not recognizing that the movie is a historical narrative of the vastly changing culture of more than a billion people. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/14/24 Full Review Blob 9 The loneliest boy in the world, forever a prisoner. The story flows to and fro in poignant fashion, aided by arresting visuals that appear bleak in the present and vivid in the past; and culminates as not just an epic tale of Chinese history, but a sad depiction of a man who never lived the life he wanted. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/23/24 Full Review Alec B The perspective and narrative are obviously very Western in execution but Bertolucci was making this for American and European audiences. It is accessible history that is still fairly honest. I do wish the final section was a lot longer as I think that's where the film's most compelling stretch falls. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/09/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Last Emperor

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis This sweeping account of the life of Pu Yi (John Lone), 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.
Director
Bernardo Bertolucci
Producer
Jeremy Thomas
Screenwriter
Mark Peploe, Bernardo Bertolucci, Henry Pu-yi
Distributor
Columbia Pictures, Artisan Entertainment
Production Co
Recorded Picture Company (RPC), Hemdale Studios
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Biography, History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 18, 1987, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 15, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$43.0M
Runtime
2h 42m
Sound Mix
Surround