The Last Emperor won the Best Picture Oscar in 1988. I’m so glad I can cross this one off my unseen list. It is a fantastic film. Given the grandeur of the camera's eye as it moves around China’s Forbidden City, I really wish I had seen this one on the big screen. It was breathtaking.
This is the true story of Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi, the last emperor of the Ching dynasty. The story is not presented in a linear timeline, but rather through a series of connected vignettes that span back and forth through various points in time over a sixty-year period.
Pu Yi had the role of Emperor forced on him at the age of 3, lost it, worked to get it back, and along the way found his place among those who he was raised to look down upon and rule.
Both John Lone and Peter O’Toole are more than worthy of positive recognition in their roles, but personally, I was most moved by Joan Chen’s haunting performance as the opium-addicted Empress Wan Jung.
This one was informative as well as entertaining and visually stunning. A great film that I’m glad to have taken a few hours out to watch.
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