Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor (1987) is an epic biographical drama about the life of Puyi, China’s final emperor. The film unfolds across decades, moving between Puyi’s rise to the throne as a child and his later years under Communist rule. Below is a comprehensive, SEO-friendly deep dive into the film, including its story, cast, music, filming trivia, inspirations, and more.
Detailed Summary
The Boy Emperor on the Dragon Throne
The film begins in 1950 with Puyi arriving as a prisoner at the Fushun War Criminals Management Centre in China. The narrative then jumps back to 1908, where three-year-old Puyi is suddenly named emperor. He enters the Forbidden City, unaware that he is already a symbolic ruler with no actual political power.
The early sections highlight the isolated, surreal, and almost dreamlike environment Puyi grows up in. His only real companion is his Scottish tutor, Reginald Johnston, who tries to modernize the boy’s worldview.
The Illusion of Power
As Puyi grows older, he learns that the Forbidden City is less a palace and more a beautiful cage. Though addressed as “Lord of Ten Thousand Years,” he can’t even leave the walls. Bertolucci uses these scenes to illustrate the tragic contradiction of Puyi’s existence: he is an emperor with no empire.
Later, Puyi is forced out of the Forbidden City by republican forces. His world collapses as he discovers how little control he truly had.
Becoming a Puppet
Puyi eventually accepts Japan’s offer to rule Manchukuo, a Japanese-controlled puppet state in Manchuria. Believing this to be his path back to legitimacy, he embraces the role enthusiastically, only to realize too late that he is nothing more than a figurehead manipulated for propaganda.
His personal life spirals downward: his wife Wanrong struggles with addiction and loneliness, and their relationship disintegrates. This period marks the peak of Puyi’s tragic self-deception.
Imprisonment and Reflection
When Japan collapses after WWII, Puyi is captured by Soviet forces and later extradited to China, where he is imprisoned as a war criminal. The prison sequences are some of the film’s most impactful moments, showing Puyi forced to confront the lies, delusions, and harm he contributed to.
Through years of re-education, Puyi begins to shed his royal identity and understand his own humanity. These scenes provide essential emotional weight to the film’s ending.
Movie Ending
The film’s final act is both melancholy and profound.
After years in the re-education camp, Puyi is finally released in 1959. Instead of resuming even a sliver of former nobility, he becomes a simple gardener in Beijing. This transformation from emperor to common citizen is the film’s central emotional resolution.
In the final scenes, Puyi visits the Forbidden City as an ordinary tourist. A young guide dismissively explains who the emperor was, clearly unaware of her visitor’s identity. Puyi then reveals himself by showing the guide a hidden cricket he once cherished as a child emperor—one of the few genuine memories of innocence he still possesses. This moment is nostalgic, symbolic, and emotionally striking, representing Puyi reclaiming a piece of his own story.
The film closes with a final text epilogue explaining Puyi’s quiet death in 1967, ending the story of a man who lived through one of the most turbulent transformations in Chinese history.
Are There Post-Credits Scenes?
No. The Last Emperor does not include any post-credits or mid-credits scenes.
Type of Movie
The film is an epic biographical historical drama that blends personal tragedy with sweeping political change, delivered through Bertolucci’s intimate yet grand visual storytelling.
Cast
- John Lone – Puyi
- Joan Chen – Empress Wanrong
- Peter O’Toole – Reginald Johnston
- Ying Ruocheng – Governor of the prison
- Victor Wong – Chen Puyi
- Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa – Chang
- Ric Young – Interrogator
Film Music and Composer
The score was created by Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne, and Cong Su. Their work combines traditional Chinese instrumentation with modern ambient elements, producing a sound that is both cinematic and culturally evocative, and it won the Academy Award for Best Original Score.
Filming Locations
Notably, The Last Emperor is the first Western film ever granted permission to film inside the Forbidden City. This location is crucial:
- It emphasizes the authenticity of Puyi’s childhood world.
- It visually reinforces the theme of isolation—a vast palace that feels like a prison.
Other filming took place in:
- Tiananmen Square
- Changchun (for Manchukuo sequences)
- Italy’s Cinecittà Studios (various interior reconstructions)
Awards and Nominations
The film won 9 Academy Awards, sweeping every category it was nominated for, including:
- Best Picture
- Best Director (Bernardo Bertolucci)
- Best Cinematography
- Best Art Direction
- Best Original Score
- Best Costume Design
- Best Adapted Screenplay
It remains one of the most decorated films of the 1980s.
Behind the Scenes Insights
- Bertolucci negotiated for years to film in the Forbidden City.
- Over 19,000 extras were used—one of the largest ever for a film.
- Peter O’Toole took the Johnston role partly because he admired Bertolucci’s earlier work.
- Many costumes were handcrafted to match Qing dynasty garments with near-museum accuracy.
- John Lone spent months learning Puyi’s unique mannerisms, gestures, and speech patterns.
Inspirations and References
The film is adapted from Puyi’s autobiography, From Emperor to Citizen.
It also draws from:
- Chinese historical documents
- Memoirs of palace servants and Manchukuo officials
- British diplomatic writings from Reginald Johnston
Alternate Endings and Deleted Scenes
There are no known alternate endings, but the original theatrical version and the director’s cut differ:
- The director’s cut adds more depth to Wanrong’s storyline.
- Additional prison scenes further explore Puyi’s psychological transformation.
- Several political sequences in Manchukuo were extended for context.
Book Adaptations and Differences
Based on From Emperor to Citizen, the film generally follows Puyi’s life accurately but:
- The movie condenses political complexities for narrative flow.
- Johnston’s role is slightly larger in the film to serve as a humanizing anchor.
- The opium addiction subplot is softened compared to the book.
Memorable Scenes and Quotes
Key Scenes
- The child Puyi chasing a cricket through the Forbidden City.
- The enthronement ceremony with thousands bowing before a confused toddler.
- Johnston introducing Western education to a sheltered emperor.
- Wanrong’s heartbreaking emotional decline.
- Puyi’s failed attempt to flee during the Japanese surrender.
- The haunting final return to the Forbidden City as an anonymous citizen.
Iconic Quotes
- “I am the Emperor of China?”
- “You think you’re the first prisoner who’s tried to kill himself for attention?”
- “All I’ve ever wanted is to be a modern man.”
- “I was the Son of Heaven. But Heaven no longer wanted me.”
Easter Eggs and Hidden Details
- The cricket symbolizes Puyi’s lost innocence, appearing in both the beginning and end.
- Puyi’s glasses in later scenes mirror historical photographs almost exactly.
- Costumes in Manchukuo follow Japanese propaganda colors—red, white, and black.
- The film subtly includes actual imperial artifacts (strictly supervised by the Chinese government).
Trivia
- First Western film shot inside the Forbidden City.
- John Lone was widely praised for performing three distinct eras of Puyi’s life.
- Some extras in the palace scenes were actual palace guards.
- Dramatic scenes of Wanrong’s addiction were toned down to comply with Chinese regulations.
Why Watch?
Because it is one of cinema’s most visually stunning, emotionally complex, and historically rich epics. It offers a rare fusion of intimate character study and sweeping political narrative. If you enjoy films that combine history, tragedy, and extraordinary cinematography, this is essential viewing.
Director’s Other Movies
- The Conformist (1970)
- Last Tango in Paris (1972)
- 1900 (1976)
- The Sheltering Sky (1990)
- Little Buddha (1993)
- Stealing Beauty (1996)
Recommended Films for Fans
- Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
- Gandhi (1982)
- A Passage to India (1984)
- Farewell My Concubine (1993)
- The Last Samurai (2003)
- Empire of the Sun (1987)
