The Last Emperor. 1987. China/Italy/Great Britain/France. Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. With John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole. In English, Mandarin, Japanese; English subtitles. 35mm. 163 min.
It has been suggested that The Last Emperor made Bernardo Bertolucci the new Marco Polo, as his film contributed to a renewed cultural interest in China in the late 1980s. Through a series of flashforwards and flashbacks, Bertolucci relates the intriguing life of Pu Yi, China’s last emperor, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City through his abdication, decline, and exploitation by the Japanese during World War II, and finally to his obscure existence as a mere peasant worker in the People’s Republic. Cinematographic transitions from opulent color to drab and dreary tones add metaphorical weight to the film’s exploration of Pu Yi’s decline, while Ryuichi Sakamoto’s serene score (with contributions by David Byrne and Cong Su) lends added pathos. The film won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Production Design.