by Chris Marshall:
If nothing else, Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor is one of the finest looking Best Picture winners
to date, even during the darker periods covered by the film. It spans the life
of the last emperor of China, Pu Yi, who was unseated from power after the rise
of Chiang Kai-Shek. Unlike many stories about great leaders, Pu Yi did not rise
from nothing to a place of great power. Instead, he began with everything and
ended with nothing except his pride and his memories.
Because Pu Yi became emperor at the age of 3, he is played
by a number of different actors, but we spend the most time in his adulthood,
where he was portrayed by John Lone. There is very little star power in this
film, with Peter O’Toole being the only widely recognizable star. But it is
well-acted, despite the lack of known names.
Becoming an emperor when you are three years old presents an
interesting set of benefits and challenges. Most of the benefits belong to Pu
Yi himself, who is spoiled on a level that is unimaginable in modern days. If
he misbehaved, what could be done? He ruled China absolutely, and absolute
fealty was required among his subjects, even when he was a toddler.
When his brother demands proof that Pu Yi is emperor, he
thinks about it for a moment and has one of his handlers drink the ink he is
using to write with. Because he really is
the emperor, the man does as he is told. This satisfies the brother.
Eventually, although Pu Yi is unaware of it, his empire
crumbles around him, to the point that he is really only emperor within the
walls of the Forbidden Palace. Meanwhile, a British tutor (O’Toole) is brought
in to educate him, and they become close friends. Soon, though, the reality of
the outside world can no longer be ignored.
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| Pu Yi during his Manchurian reign |
Around this time, an interesting, and I would argue
symbolic, event occurs. Before leaving the Forbidden Palace, it is discovered
that Pu Yi needs glasses; if his vision is not corrected soon, he might lose it
completely. Immediately after getting his glasses, he begins understanding the
truth that he will not be emperor forever. He can see clearly now, and not just
in a literal sense.
I don’t want to get too bogged down in the details of the
plot; it’s a very long movie, after all. But I do want to mention how well I
thought the film’s cinematography matched the overall situation that Pu Yi
found himself in. At the beginning of the movie, when everything is perfect and
his rule is total, the screen is filled with opulence and splendor. By the end,
when he is a mere “gardener,” as he refers to himself, there is little to be
seen but dark, drab colors. The visuals matched the mood perfectly.
I suppose I ended up liking The Last Emperor much more than I expected to. I knew extremely
little about it at the outset, other than the most basic plot. For some reason,
I pictured it as taking place centuries ago, which I guess is a testament to
how little I actually know about Chinese history. It is actually set in the
early 20th century, and a major portion of it takes place during
World War II, when Pu Yi is the puppet governor of the Japanese colony in
Manchuria.
That being said, much like Out of Africa, it’s a movie I can’t really imagine myself
revisiting. Its impressiveness is tempered by its length, and there’s only so
much time I’m willing to spend with the last emperor of China.
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