The story of the final Emperor of China.The story of the final Emperor of China.The story of the final Emperor of China.
- Director
- Writers
- Enzo Ungari(initial screenplay collaboration)
- Mark Peploe(screenplay)
- Bernardo Bertolucci(screenplay)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- Enzo Ungari(initial screenplay collaboration)
- Mark Peploe(screenplay)
- Bernardo Bertolucci(screenplay)
- Stars
- Won 9 Oscars
- 60 wins & 22 nominations total
Videos3
Ryuichi Sakamoto
- Amakasuas Amakasu
- (as Ryûichi Sakamoto)
Vivian Wu
- Wen Hsiuas Wen Hsiu
- (as Wu Jun Mei)
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
- Changas Chang
- (as Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa)
Tsou Tijger
- Pu Yi (8 years)as Pu Yi (8 years)
- (as Tijger Tsou)
Tao Wu
- Pu Yi (15 years)as Pu Yi (15 years)
- (as Wu Tao)
Guang Fan
- Pu Chieh (Adult)as Pu Chieh (Adult)
- (as Fan Guang)
- Director
- Writers
- Enzo Ungari(initial screenplay collaboration)
- Mark Peploe(screenplay)
- Bernardo Bertolucci(screenplay)
- All cast & crew
- See more cast details at IMDbPro
Storyline
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. —Jwelch5742
- Taglines
- 1500 slaves. 353,260,000 royal subjects. Warlords. Concubines. And 2 wives. He was the loneliest boy in the world.
- Genres
- Certificate
- PG-13
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaThis was the first Western film made in and about the country to be produced with full Chinese government cooperation since 1949.
- GoofsWhen Johnston is about to board a ship to England in 1931, a ticket office window is seen in the background with opening and closing times given in simplified Chinese characters. China only switched to simplified characters after the Communists came to power in 1949, with a drive to improve literacy. At the time this scene takes place, traditional full-form characters would have been used.
- Quotes
Reginald Fleming 'R.J.' Johnston: Words are important.
Pu Yi, at 15: Why are words important?
Reginald Fleming 'R.J.' Johnston: 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.
- Alternate versionsThe theatrical version runs 163 minutes. A 218 minute version was released in the US in 1998 under the mistaken title of the "Director's Cut". It was known by this erroneous title until the 2008 Criterion DVD and Blu-ray Disc came out. Bertolucci and DP Vittorio Storaro made it clear while working on the DVD and BD that the shorter theatrical version is without doubt the director's cut. The 218 minute version was an early cut meant only to be aired as a four-part television mini-series by the Italian television network that funded the film.
- SoundtracksKaiser Walzer (Emperor Waltz) op. 437
(1889)
Written by Johann Strauss (as Johann Strauss)
Performed by Berliner Philharmoniker (as The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra)
Conducted by Herbert von Karajan
with kind permission of Polydor International GmbH
Top review
And the moral of the story is .......
This to me was a very powerful movie, I loved the story, and the final outcome was how it should be. Somehow we believe that Kings, Queens, Emperors etc are entitled to their power, that somehow they deserve it. This is how this emperor saw himself, he believed he was better, and above the average person, his sense of entitlement and view of reality was so perverted, that he did everything possible to retain and regain his position in life. However from the day he entered the palace he was a pawn, powerless to act, yet he never sees this. Maybe we don't all understand his re-education, but this is what makes the ending so great. There is a fantastic moral to this story. A beautiful story, sad, moving, and somehow, strangely uplifting. Highly recommended. 9/10
helpful•7620
- al_gd
- Sep 4, 2002
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Der letzte Kaiser
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- £23,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $43,984,230
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $149,460
- Nov 22, 1987
- Gross worldwide
- $43,993,869
- Runtime2 hours 43 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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