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The Last Emperor
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The Last Emperor (1987) More at IMDbPro »

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The Last Emperor (1987) -- China's final Emperor is chronicled in this Oscar winning film
The Last Emperor (1987) -- The story of the final Emperor of China.
The Last Emperor (1987) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   22,010 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Enzo Ungari (initial screenplay collaboration)
Mark Peploe (screenplay) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Last Emperor on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
18 December 1987 (USA) more
Genre:
Biography | Drama | History more
Tagline:
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.
Plot:
The story of the final Emperor of China. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 9 Oscars. Another 39 wins & 12 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(27 articles)
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User Comments:
The Last Epic more (93 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)
John Lone ... Pu Yi - Adult

Joan Chen ... Wan Jung

Peter O'Toole ... Reginald 'R. J.' Johnston
Ruocheng Ying ... The Governor (as Ying Ruocheng)
Victor Wong ... Chen Pao Shen
Dennis Dun ... Big Li
Ryûichi Sakamoto ... Amakasu
Maggie Han ... Eastern Jewel

Ric Young ... Interrogator

Vivian Wu ... Wen Hsiu (as Wu Jun Mei)

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa ... Chang (as Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa)
Jade Go ... Ar Mo
Fumihiko Ikeda ... Yoshioka
Richard Vuu ... Pu Yi - 3 Years
Tsou Tijger ... Pu Yi - 8 Years (as Tijger Tsou)
Tao Wu ... Pu Yi - 15 Years (as Wu Tao)
Guang Fan ... Pu Chieh - Adult (as Fan Guang)
Henry Kyi ... Pu Chieh - 7 Years
Alvin Riley III ... Pu Chieh - 14 Years
Lisa Lu ... Tzu Hsui
Hideo Takamatsu ... General Ishikari
Hajime Tachibana ... Japanese Translator
Basil Pao ... Prince Chun
Henry O ... Lord Chamberlain (as Jiang Xi Ren)
Kaige Chen ... Captain of Imperial Guard (as Chen Kai Ge)
Liangbin Zhang ... Big Foot (as Zhang Liangbin)
Wenjie Huang ... Hunchback (as Huang Wenjie)
Dong Liang ... Lady Aisin-Gioro (as Liang Dong)
Zhendong Dong ... Old Doctor (as Dong Zhendong)
Jiechen Dong ... Doctor (as Dong Jiechen)

Constantine Gregory ... Oculist
Huaikuei Soong ... Lung Yu (as Soong Huaikuei)
Ruzhen Shao ... First High Consort (as Shao Ruzhen)
Li Yu ... Second High Consort
Guangli Li ... Third High Consort (as Li Guangli)
Chunqing Xu ... Grey Eyes
Tianmin Zhang ... Old Tutor (as Zhang Tianmin)
Hongnian Luo ... Sleeping Old Tutor (as Luo Hongnian)
Shihong Yu ... Hsiao Hsiu (as Yu Shihong)
Jun Wu ... Wen Hsiu - 12 Years (as Wu Jun)
Lucia Hwong ... Lady of the Book
Jingping Cui ... Lady of the Pen (as Cui Jingping)

Shi Liang ... Republican Officer (as Wu Hai)
Junguo Gu ... Tang (as Gu Junguo)
Xu Tongrui ... Captain of Feng's Army
Fusheng Li ... Minister of Trade (as Li Fusheng)
Shu Chen ... Chang Chinghui (as Chen Shu)
Shuyan Cheng ... Lady Hiro Saga (as Cheng Shuyan)

Daxing Zhang ... Tough Warder (as Zhang Daxing)
Ruigang Zu ... Second Warder (as Zu Ruigang)
Yuan Jin ... Party Boss (as Jin Yuan)
Akira Ikuta ... Japanese Doctor
Michael Vermaaten ... American
Matthew Spender ... Englishman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hongxiang Cai ... Scarface (uncredited)
Xinmin Cui ... Japanese Bodyguard (uncredited)
Zhenduo Li ... Dignitary (uncredited)
Shigang Luo ... Chang Chinghui's Secretary (uncredited)
Guang Ma ... Japanese Bodyguard (uncredited)
Biao Wang ... Prisoner (uncredited)
Baozong Yang ... General Yuan Shikai (uncredited)
Hongchang Yang ... Scribe (uncredited)
Lingmu Zhang ... Emperor Hirohito (uncredited)
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Directed by
Bernardo Bertolucci 
 
Writing credits
Enzo Ungari (initial screenplay collaboration)

Mark Peploe  screenplay &
Bernardo Bertolucci  with

Henry Pu-yi  autobiography "From Emperor to Citizen, The Autobiography of Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi" (uncredited)

Produced by
John Daly .... executive producer
Franco Giovale .... associate producer
Joyce Herlihy .... associate producer: UK
Jeremy Thomas .... produced by
 
Original Music by
David Byrne (music by)
Ryûichi Sakamoto (music by)
Cong Su (music by)
 
Cinematography by
Vittorio Storaro (photography by)
 
Film Editing by
Gabriella Cristiani 
Anthony Sloman (uncredited)
 
Casting by
Joanna Merlin 
 
Production Design by
Ferdinando Scarfiotti 
 
Art Direction by
Maria-Teresa Barbasso  (as Maria Teresa Barbasso)
Gianni Giovagnoni 
Gianni Silvestri 
 
Set Decoration by
Chunpu Wang  (as Wang Chunpu)
 
Costume Design by
James Acheson 
 
Makeup Department
Ennio Cascioli .... assistant hair stylist
Iole Cecchini .... hair designer
Elisabetta De Leonardis .... assistant hair stylist
Giancarlo De Leonardis .... hair designer
Franco Giannini .... make up assistant
Feng Guixiang .... make up
Antonio Maltempo .... make up assistant
Fabrizio Sforza .... make up artist
Gino Zamprioli .... make up assistant
Wanxiang Zhang .... make up
Giancarlo De Leonardis .... hair stylist (uncredited)
 
Production Management
Stefano Bolzoni .... production manager
Mario Cotone .... production supervisor
Richard Lloyd .... post-production supervisor (tv version)
Lamberto Palmieri .... production manager
Alberto Passone .... production manager
Pietro Sassaroli .... production manager
Michael Saxton .... post-production supervisor
Attilio Viti .... production manager
Liansheng Wang .... associate production manager (as Wang Liansheng)
Kebing Yang .... associate production manager (as Yang Kebing)
Yumin Zhang .... associate production manager (as Zhang Yuming)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Franco Angeli .... third assistant director
Serena Canevari .... second assistant director
Fabian Gerard .... third assistant director
Lou Hangmin .... assistant director
Li Hongsheng .... assistant director
Giulio Levi .... third assistant director
Ying Ning .... third assistant director (as Ning Ying)
Basil Pao .... third assistant director
Nicoletta Peyran .... third assistant director
Gabriele Polverosi .... first assistant director
Biao Wang .... assistant director (as Wang Biao)
 
Art Department
Sante Barelli .... special set paintings
Bruno Cesari .... set dresser
Osvaldo Desideri .... set dresser
Galliano Donati .... sculptor
Roberto Magagnini .... props
Carlo Maggi .... head plasterer
Dario Micheli .... set dresser
Zhu Jin Ming .... property (as Zhu Ming)
Barnaba Pagliarini .... drapery
Cynthia Sleiter .... draughtswoman
Boriana Soong .... art department assistant
Fernando Valento .... construction manager
Jixian Wang .... art designer (as Wang Jixian)
Zhang Xianchun .... property
Xu Xianqing .... property
Andy Friend .... illustrator (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Don Banks .... boom operator
Alan Bell .... dialogue editor
Geoff R. Brown .... dialogue assistant (as Geoff Brown)
Terry Busby .... footsteps editor
Mike Hopkins .... dialogue editor
David Motta .... sound engineer
William Parnell .... sound assistant (as Bill Parnell)
Bill Rowe .... sound mixer
Ivan Sharrock .... sound mixer
Les Wiggins .... sound editor
Colin Wood .... boom operator
 
Special Effects by
Gino De Rossi .... special effects
Fabrizio Martinelli .... special effects
Jinguo Yang .... special effects (as Yang Jingguo)
Mario Cassar .... special effects technician (uncredited)
Claudio Quaglietti .... special effects technician (uncredited)
 
Visual Effects by
Shulamit Levin .... digital restoration (2007 restored version)
Craig Chandler .... optical effects (uncredited)
Alan Church .... optical effects (uncredited)
Tony Willis .... effects cameraman (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Giuseppe Alberti .... focus puller
Luigi Bernardini .... focus puller
Filippo Cafolla .... head gaffer
Sean Herlihy .... camera assistant
Alfredo Marchetti .... head grip (as Alredo Marchetti)
Mauro Marchetti .... camera operator: "b" camera
Angelo Novi .... still photographer
Nicola Pecorini .... steadicam operator
Enrico Umetelli .... camera operator: "a" camera
Riccardo Umetelli .... loader
Zhenhua Wang .... lighting (as Wang Zhenghua)
Fabio Zamarion .... loader
Ni Zhongze .... lighting
Keith Hamshere .... special photographer (uncredited)
Stefano Marino .... electrician (uncredited)
Rob McEwan .... still photographer (uncredited)
Mauro Pezzotti .... grip (uncredited)
 
Casting Department
Brendan Donnison .... adr casting (as Brendon Donnison)
Alice Jankowiak .... casting assistant
Ulrike Koch .... casting: China
Patricia Pao .... casting: Hong Kong
Nina Axelrod .... casting assistant (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Martin Adams .... costume prop maker
Franco Antonelli .... wardrobe coordinator
Vincenzo Cancellara .... wardrobe assistant
Thomas Casterline .... assistant costume designer
Damiana Celletti .... wardrobe assistant
Silvana Cocuccione .... wardrobe assistant (as Silvana Cocuccioni)
Shirley Cooper .... costume prop maker
Millina Deodato .... assistant military costume designer
Anna Foresi .... wardrobe assistant
Magot Forster .... costume applique work
Frank Gardiner .... assistant costume designer
Annie Hadley .... cutter
Gilly Hebden .... assistant costume designer
Michael Jones .... milliner
Colette Koo .... assistant costume designer (as Collette Koo)
Teresa Micocci .... cutter
Day Murch .... costume applique work
Paola Pedricca .... wardrobe assistant (as Paola Petricca)
Ugo Pericoli .... military costumer
Gregorio Simili .... dyer
Huanxiang Sun .... costumer (as Sun Huanxiang)
David Whiteing .... wardrobe assistant
Gong Zhangjing .... costumer
 
Editorial Department
Martin Crane .... first assistant editor
Fiorella Giovanelli .... second assistant editor
Mike Griffiths .... telecine colorist (television version)
Catherine Hodgson .... second assistant editor
Carlo La Bella .... color supervisor
Aldo Manni .... negative cutter
Nadia Mazzoni .... second assistant editor
Elvio Sordoni .... first assistant editor
 
Music Department
Haydn Bendall .... engineer: London (as Hayden Bendall)
Aki Ikuta .... music producer: London
Aki Ikuta .... musical associate: Tokyo
Mike Jarratt .... engineer: London
Clive Martin .... engineer: David Byrne's sessions
Michio Nakagoshi .... engineer: Tokyo
Yuji Nomi .... additional arrangements: Tokyo
Ian Silvester .... engineer: Audio FX, London
Shigeru Takise .... engineer: Tokyo
Koji Ueno .... additional arrangements: Tokyo
Ray Williams .... music supervisor
Gavin Wright .... conductor: London
Hans Zimmer .... music producer: London (as Hans F. Zimmer)
Hans Zimmer .... musical associate: London (as Hans F. Zimmer)
Gemma Dempsey .... assistant music supervisor (uncredited)
Greg Fulginiti .... music engineer (uncredited)
Paul Kegg .... musician: cello (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Verena Baldeo .... production assistant
Cicely Berry .... dialogue coach
Maurice Binder .... title designer: main title
Lizzie Bryant .... secretary to producer
Rubin Cai .... organizer: Beijing Film Studio (as Cai Rubin)
Andrew Calvert .... computer operator
Riccardo Caneva .... accountant
Concetta Caporale .... production secretary
Anita Capozzi .... interpreter
Fausto Capozzi .... accountant
Marco Carosi .... video
Hazel Crombie .... production accountant
Sheala Daniell .... assistant production accountant
Michael Day .... interpreter
Sevilla Delofski .... assistant to producer
Gianna Di Michele .... accountant (as Gianna De Micheli)
Suzanne Durrenberger .... continuity
Susanna Ferrari .... interpreter
Sergio Forcina .... armourer
Giovanna Fulvi .... interpreter
Juliet Garland .... computer operator
Vanessa Goddard .... publicity coordinator
Marina Grappelli .... accountant
Maurizio Graziosi .... accountant
Constantine Gregory .... dialogue coach
Massimo Iacobis .... production assistant (as Massimo Jacobis)
Aisin Gioro Pu Jie .... advisor
Sara Keene .... director of publicity
Mary Lance .... documentary film researcher
Memo Mancino .... armourer
Carlo Pasini .... production secretary
Cloe Peploe .... historical research
Manuela Pineskj .... production coordinator (as Manuela Pineskj Berger)
Guoburou Run Qi .... advisor
Ann Roddy .... interpreter
Daniel Shallon .... assistant continuity
Shirley Sun .... production consultant
Betty Swinburne .... accounts secretary
Ron Swinburne .... financial controller
Cinzia Taffani .... production secretary
Luciano Tartaglia .... accountant
Ann Tasker .... unit publicist
Riccardo Umetelli .... screenings operator
Li Wenda .... advisor
Aisin Gioro Wen Xin .... advisor
Chunqing Xu .... representative: China Film Co-Production Corporation (as Xu Chunquing)
Federica Zappalà .... accountant (as Federica Zappala)
Aisin Gioro Yu Zhan .... advisor
Liangbin Zhang .... representative: China Film Co-Production Corporation (as Zhang Lianbin)
Monica Zucchetti .... interpreter
Pauline Hume .... graphic artist: titles (uncredited)
Lee Katz .... production consultant (uncredited)
 
Thanks
Gemma Dempsey .... many thanks
Jean Pasqualini .... special thanks: author of 'Prisoner of Mao'
Hiroaki Sugawara .... many thanks
 
Crew believed to be complete


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Additional Details

Also Known As:
L'ultimo imperatore (Italy)
Le dernier empereur (France)
Modai huangi (China: Cantonese title)
more
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
163 min | 219 min (television version)
Country:
China | Italy | UK | France
Language:
English | Mandarin | Japanese
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.00 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)
Certification:
Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1999) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Germany:12 (director's cut) | Germany:12 | UK:15 (director's cut) | Iceland:12 | Brazil:Livre | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | Italy:T | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-11 (re-rating) | Finland:K-14 (original rating) | France:U | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:12 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Netherlands:12 (director's cut)
Filming Locations:
Beijing Studios, Beijing, China more
Company:
Hemdale Film more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Ying Ruocheng, playing the Governor in the film, was at that time, the vice president of Department of Culture in the People's Republic of China. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: Mr. Johnston enters the emperor's service during the 1919 May Fourth student movement. Thus, Pu Yi is 13 years of age, not 15. more
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.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Saving Face (2004) more
Soundtrack:
Am I Blue more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
13 out of 19 people found the following comment useful.
The Last Epic, 28 May 2001
10/10
Author: shardik from Mid-World and a thousand miles from Gilead

The Last Emperor, like Once Upon a Time in America, is an epic saga that delves, among various aspects, into the realm of Time and the ensuing effects it has on a human being and his culture as it passes through his lifetime. The Last Emperor of the Qing dynasty, Pu-Yi, was coronated in 1909 at the age of three and due to his youth ended up being a puppet to his adminstration. Bertolucci successfully shows us a young man who while understandably spoilt by many luxuries of monarchy, is in actuality a tender hearted, independent thinker (not doer) who is passionate about his homeland (Manchuria) and has a ravenous desire for experiencing life in the outside world. His caged lifestyle in the Forbidden City (Beijing) is definitely a major contributor to this mindset. From his infancy the director takes us through a chain of historical events that ultimately lead to Pu-Yi being an ordinary man (we know this from the beginning, however flashbacks explain his situation at the start). However, it is not the desired lifestyle that he sought as an Emperor in his youth.

The Last Emperor is breathtaking in its cinematography and Bertolucci's direction is impeccable. A lot of criticism was directed at his film '1900' (1976) due to its sheer length. The Last Emperor clocks in at 215 minutes (director's cut) and barring 10 minutes of a marriage related scene, it never lets up. Bertolucci seamlessly interweaves the flashbacks with Pu-Yi's situation in post-WWII China by providing us with a real life tragedy that epitomizes human weaknesses, vices, love and loyalty. Here is a film that is a true story but goes beyond mere narration or simple depiction - it is a three and a half hour, non-stop attention grasping journey through the spectrum of humanity that defines our lifetime through the eyes of an unfortunate soul who was a victim of circumstances like many are. Any questions that the viewer will have concerning an event in the plot will be immediately answered through the rich tapestry that Bertolucci shows when depicting Pu-Yi's imperial life.

On a technical note, the acting in this film is brilliant. John Lone deserved atleast an Oscar nomination for best actor due to his seamless portrayal of Pu-Yi. He makes his portrayal of a 21 - 60 year old Pu-Yi seem like an effortless act. Through his performance the audience feels an even greater compassion for the last emperor as we come across a man who despite all the hardships he endured was very compassionate and soft centered. The sheer down to earth nature of his character as a 55-60 year old who walks with a tired smile, forever accompanied by his loving brother, is a testament to Lone's ability to portray any age and move the audience.

Once again, it takes a Hailey's comet like event for the Academy to nominate someone from the eastern world (or non-British, non-American when it comes to best actor). The rest of the cast is also brilliant barring Ryuichi Sakamoto (who portrays the one-armed Masahiko Amakasu) who, for the most part, presents us with a classic display of Japanese overacting. Although I wouldn't call it overacting in a Kurasawa-esque/Japanese film environment, it becomes quite hilarious in a production such as this.

This apart, the film is brilliant. It is the last great epic (yes, Gladiator is very good, but is far from an epic in my mind) and somehow I hope it is rediscovered and re-appreciated as it once was back in the late eighties.

While the Oscars have always contrived to ignore the true best picture for most of the last two decades, here is an example of a best picture winner which beat the competition by miles.

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Whats the point with the toe-sucking? jajceboy
Pu Yi's sunglasses? p_h_a_r_o_a_h_e
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i say it is child porn in the breast feed scene ngedwin
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