The Last Emperor

John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole

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 ...( read more  read more... )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.

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87% liked it

Critics

91% liked it

PG-13, 3 hrs. 39 min.

Directed by: Bernardo Bertolucci

Released: November 18, 1987

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DVD Released: March 20, 2001

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Top Flixster Reviews


  • December 10, 2008
    ''All your life you thought you were better than everyone else. Now you think you're the worst of all!''

    He was the Lord of Ten Thousand Years, the absolute monarch of China. He was born to rule a world of ancient tradition. Nothing prepared him for our world of change. ...

    ...( read more )
  • August 7, 2008
    Well there are two good things I can say about The Last Emperor, it a visually stunning film. The sets, costumes and camera work is nothing short of brilliant and I have to respect how close they paid attention to the details of Pu-Yi life. Now here is where the problems come, di... ...( read more )
  • June 27, 2008
    It certainly looks good, but I defy you to stay awake during this 218 minute snoozefest. Perhaps the editor fell asleep too.
  • June 1, 2008
    There are more than enough reasons to like this movie. One of them is the very expressive John Lone (as Pu Yi), who somehow manages to play the same character over 30 or 40 years effectively.

    It has it's arty aspects (of the beneficial sort), but there aren't too many ro... ...( read more )
  • May 3, 2008
    wonderfully made
  • June 17, 2009
    Documentary, history and monumental epic rolled into one.

    The film takes us into the life of Pu YI, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty. As a three-year-old he ascends the throne as "Emperor for 10,000," eventhough his empire is unstable and crumbling beyond the palace walls.... ...( read more )

Critic Reviews


View more The Last E... reviews at RottenTomatoes.com
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Everything involving the life of Pu Yi was a waste. Everything except one thing: the notion that a single human life could have infinite value. full review

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