DramaHistory

The Last Emperor

- 1500 slaves. 353,260,000 royal subjects. Warlords. Concubines. And 2 wives. He was the loneliest boy in the world.

A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.

Release Date : 1987-10-04

Language :MandarinChichewa; NyanjaJapaneseEnglish

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : SoprofilmsTAO FilmYancoRecorded Picture Company

Production Country : ItalyChinaUnited KingdomFrance

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Pu Yi (Adult)

Original Name : John Lone

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wan Jung

Original Name : Joan Chen

Gender : Female

Character Name : Reginald Johnston (R.J.)

Original Name : Peter O'Toole

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Governor

Original Name : Ruocheng Ying

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chen Pao Shen

Original Name : Victor Wong

Gender : Male

Character Name : Big Li

Original Name : Dennis Dun

Gender : Male

Character Name : Amakasu

Original Name : 坂本龍一

Gender : Male

Character Name : Eastern Jewel

Original Name : Maggie Han

Gender : Female

Character Name : Interrogator

Original Name : Ric Young

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wen Hsiu

Original Name : 邬君梅

Gender : Female

Character Name : Chang

Original Name : Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ar Mo

Original Name : Jade Go

Gender : Female

Character Name : Yoshioka

Original Name : Fumihiko Ikeda

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pu Yi (3 years)

Original Name : Richard Vuu

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pu Yi (8 years)

Original Name : Tsou Tijger

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pu Yi (15 years)

Original Name : Tao Wu

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pu Chieh (Adult)

Original Name : Guang Fan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pu Chieh (7 years)

Original Name : Henry Kyi

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pu Chieh (14 years)

Original Name : Alvin Riley III

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tzu Hsui

Original Name : Lisa Lu

Gender : Female

Character Name : General Ishikari

Original Name : 高松英郎

Gender : Male

Character Name : Japanese Translator

Original Name : Hajime Tachibana

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prince Chun

Original Name : Basil Pao

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lord Chamberlain

Original Name : Henry O

Gender : Male

Character Name : Captain of Imperial Guard

Original Name : 陈凯歌

Gender : Male

Character Name : Big Foot

Original Name : Liangbin Zhang

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hunchback

Original Name : Wenjie Huang

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lady Aisin-Gioro

Original Name : Dong Liang

Gender : Male

Character Name : Old Doctor

Original Name : Zhendong Dong

Gender : Male

Character Name : Doctor

Original Name : Jiechen Dong

Gender : Male

Character Name : Oculist

Original Name : Constantine Gregory

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lung Yu

Original Name : Huaikuei Soong

Gender : Male

Character Name : First High Consort

Original Name : Ruzhen Shao

Gender : Male

Character Name : Second High Consort

Original Name : Yu Li

Gender : Female

Character Name : Third High Consort

Original Name : Guangli Li

Gender : Male

Character Name : Grey Eyes

Original Name : Chunqing Xu

Gender : Male

Character Name : Old Tutor

Original Name : Zhang Tianmin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sleeping Old Tutor

Original Name : Hongnian Luo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hsiao Hsiu

Original Name : Shihong Yu

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wen Hsiu (12 years)

Original Name : Jun Wu

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lady of the Book

Original Name : Lucia Hwong

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lady of the Pen

Original Name : Jingping Cui

Gender : Male

Character Name : Republican Officer

Original Name : Shi Liang

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tang

Original Name : Junguo Gu

Gender : Male

Character Name : Captain of Feng's Army

Original Name : Xu Tongrui

Gender : Male

Character Name : Minister of Trade

Original Name : Fusheng Li

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chang Chinghui

Original Name : Chen Shu

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lady Hiro Saga

Original Name : Shuyan Cheng

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tough Warder

Original Name : Daxing Zhang

Gender : Male

Character Name : Second Warder

Original Name : Ruigang Zu

Gender : Male

Character Name : Party Boss

Original Name : Yuan Jin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Japanese Doctor

Original Name : Akira Ikuta

Gender : Male

Character Name : American

Original Name : Michael Vermaaten

Gender : Male

Character Name : Englishman

Original Name : Matthew Spender

Gender : Male

Character Name : Scarface (uncredited)

Original Name : Cai Hongxiang

Gender : Male

Character Name : Captain (uncredited)

Original Name : Glen Murphy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prisoner (uncredited)

Original Name : Biao Wang

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2023-07-17

This is a glorious film to watch on a big screen. It depicts the end of empire and the birth of new ones - and it does it in a spectacularly colourful and stylish fashion. The death of the Empress Dowager sees the toddler Pu Yi ascend the Dragon Throne of China, and live amidst concubines and eunuchs in the Forbidden City. He grows up believing his is a divine right to rule, and it is only upon the arrival of his tutor RJ (Peter O'Toole) and his procurement of spectacles that his eyes begin to be opened to the reality that his kingdom is entirely enclosed within a wall of golden yellow tiles. When this idyll is disrupted by warring events outside, the Emperor (now John Lone) sone finds himself a playboy, married to an opium addict (Joan Chen) and a useful puppet of the manipulative Japanese who have invaded much of his erstwhile realm. WWII arrives, power struggles ensue and the story of his eventual - and rather brutal - reintegration into the newly established Chinese communist society is depicted sensitively and without recourse to too much melodrama or sentiment. The score adds a wonderful richness to what is undoubtedly the star of this - the cinematography. Set inside the splendour of the actual Imperial Palace complex in Peking, we get a wonderful sense of the grandeur, isolation and luxury of life inside this sumptuously decorated collection of marble and brightly painted villas whilst outside, poverty and mysticism reigned more surely than did the occupant of the throne. The costume design is also remarkable - a perfect eye for the detail of the period from the start to the middle of the 20th Century. To be honest, the acting - aside from an engaging performance from the inquisitive and mischievous three year old (Richard Vuu) is all pretty routine. O'Toole features sparingly and doesn't quite fit the bill as the learned and worldly scholar. Lone and Chen are competent but they really only shine a light on the rather stilted dialogue. This isn't really a film about words - it's a film about visuals. It's about history, politics, corruption, betrayal - and even a little bit of love - all encased in a shell of creative elegance. It's wasted on the television - but is certainly one of the best examples of "epic" cinema yet made and Bertolucci has clearly invested a great deal of himself in this beautiful piece of drama. A must see, I'd say.