The Last Emperor (1987)
89%RT Audience Score: 88%
Awards & Nominations: Won 9 Oscars
60 wins & 22 nominations total
While decidedly imperfect, Bernardo Bertolucci’s epic is still a feast for the eyes
The Last Emperor is like a fancy dinner party where the host keeps insisting that we all need to eat cold porridge for our health. But hey, at least the food is visually stunning! The movie takes us on a journey through China’s history, but it’s not exactly a thrilling ride. It’s more like a slow and steady stroll through a museum exhibit. Still, the film manages to find intimacy in the grandeur, and John Lone’s performance as Pu Yi is captivating. Overall, it’s worth a watch if you’re in the mood for something beautiful and educational, but don’t expect to be on the edge of your seat.
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., Lakeshore Entertainment, Malpaso Productions,
Distributor
Artisan Entertainment, Columbia Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Forbidden City, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China
MPAA / Certificate
PG-13
Year of Release
1988
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 42m
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Language(s):English, Mandarin, Japanese
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Country of origin:United States, Italy, United Kingdom
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 18, 1987 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 8, 2008
Genre(s)
Biography
Keyword(s)
starring John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O’Toole, Ying Ruocheng, Victor Wong, Dennis Dun, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, written by Mark Peploe, Bernardo Bertolucci, Henry Pu-yi, biography, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Nigel Andrews, David Wilson, Michael Blowen, Kathleen Carroll, Dave Kehr, Desmond Ryan, Rene Jordan, James Wegg, Ángel Luis Inurria, Lawrence O’Toole, PG-13, Artisan Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, produced by Jeremy Thomas, Emperor (Henry) Pu Yi, Empress (Elizabeth) Wan Jung, Reginald Fleming ‘R.J.’ Johnston, Chen Pao Shen, Big Li, valet, Forbidden City, Red Army, China, political situation, revolution, childhood, prison, life, leader, tumultuous reign, lavish youth, luxury, sheltered, outside world, complex, dramatically upended, original language, streaming, sound mix, surround
Worldwide gross: $43,993,869
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $112,643,719
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 962
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 12,283,939
US/Canada gross: $43,984,230
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $112,619,039
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 667
US/Canada opening weekend: $149,460
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $382,684
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,469
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): £23,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Joan Chen – Empress (Elizabeth) Wan Jung
Peter O’Toole – Reginald Fleming ‘R.J.’ Johnston
Ying Ruocheng – The Governor
Victor Wong – Chen Pao Shen
Dennis Dun – Big Li, valet
Director(s)
Bernardo Bertolucci
Writer(s)
Mark Peploe, Bernardo Bertolucci, Henry Pu-yi
Producer(s)
Jeremy Thomas
Film Festivals
Cannes
Awards & Nominations
Won 9 Oscars
60 wins & 22 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Art Direction Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Cinematography Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Directing Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Editing Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Sound Mixing Winners, Oscar Best Picture Winners, Oscar Best Writing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Original Score Winners, Oscar Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (74) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (66) | Rotten (8)
Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor is like a lavishly prepared six-course meal during which the host keeps telling us we would all be happier and healthier with a place of cold porridge.
February 3, 2020
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
Not for the first time in Bertolucci’s work, the parts do not quite build into a whole, even when that whole is built on shifting perspectives. But they are magnificent.
January 27, 2020
David Wilson
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
The most startling achievement of The Last Emperor is that it accomplishes what seems to have eluded Bertolucci for some time. He has found the small in the large and, in many ways, he has created what many thought impossible — an intimate epic.
April 26, 2018
Michael Blowen
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
As pure spectacle, “The Last Emperor” is a spellbinding peek behind the gate of a lost world.
February 17, 2015
Kathleen Carroll
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
It is a hesitant, conservative approach that yields great elegance and a rhythm that carries the viewer along. Yet the film is haunted by a sense of opportunities not taken, of an artist deliberately reining in his artistry.
January 7, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
Dave Kehr
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
If there is such a thing as voluptuous detachment, Bertolucci and John Lone have found it. Lone’s achievement in his absorbing account of Pu Yi is to place him at a distance and yet make his plight totally involving.
January 7, 2014 | Rating: 4/4
Desmond Ryan
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
A precious film… enters through the eyes, and only by chance does it reach the heart. [Full review in Spanish]
July 8, 2022
Rene Jordan
El Nuevo Herald (Miami)
Asia belongs to us!
May 8, 2022 | Rating: 4.5/5
James Wegg
JWR
As with many epics that span nearly three hours, this one contains a number of pacing issues.
September 6, 2020 | Rating: 5/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Brilliant and intimate. [Full Review in Spanish]
June 17, 2020
Ángel Luis Inurria
El Pais (Spain)
Set against the richly textured fabric of China, The Last Emperor is both a compelling human drama and a superb history lesson.
January 27, 2020
Lawrence O’Toole
Maclean’s Magazine
As a resplendently gorgeous historical pageant of China in the 20th century, The Last Emperor is, visually at least, the most beautiful movie in years. But as an involving human drama about Pu Yi… it doggedly refuses to come to much dramatic life.
November 15, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Richard Freedman
Newhouse News Service…
Plot
This sweeping account of the life of Pu-Yi, the last emperor of China, follows the leader’s tumultuous reign. After being captured by the Red Army as a war criminal in 1950, Pu-Yi recalls his childhood from prison. He remembers his lavish youth in the Forbidden City, where he was afforded every luxury but unfortunately sheltered from the outside world and complex political situation surrounding him. As revolution sweeps through China, the world Pu-Yi knew is dramatically upended.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Peter O’Toole’s character, Reginald Fleming ‘R.J.’ Johnston, is a hallmark of the first half of the film, but is never fully paid off.
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