Review of The Last Emperor (1987) by Richard C — 07 Jul 2012

Bernando Bertolucci's 9-time Oscar winner The Last Emperor is a fascinating biopic chronicling the life of the so-called last emperor of the Chinese Chang Dynasty, Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi from the beginnning of his reign as a 3-year old to his last days as an ordinary civilian in 1967.

While it suffers from a lack of memorable sequences that essentially denote the film's stance as an epic as well as not showing enough focus of Pu Yi as a youngster which is when the film is at its best, it still provides us with enough interest and enjoyment thanks to Bertolucci's well-crafted direction, gorgeous scenery and the performances of John Lone as Yi and Peter O'Toole as the young Yi's educational mentor.