The Last Emperor
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The Emperor has been a prisoner in his own palace since the day that he was crowned, and has remained a prisoner since he abdicated. But now he's growing up, he may wonder why he's the only person in China who may not walk out of his own front door. I think the Emperor is the loneliest boy on Earth.
—Reginald Johnston
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A 1987 film directed and co-written by Bernardo Bertolucci, The Last Emperor is the biopic of Pu-yi, The Last Emperor of China. Its story, based on his autobiography, tells how Pu-yi ascended to the throne at the age of three. In his brief reign, he was confined to the Forbidden City, not knowing of the world of his people. When he is forced to abdicate at nine, the rest of Pu-yi's life is one of desolation and impoverishment. After serving as the ruler of a Japanese puppet government of China during World War II, he becomes a political prisoner of the Soviets and then of the Communist Chinese. When finally released in the 1960's, Pu-yi dies in obscurity...
This proved very successful at the Oscars, winning all nine of its nominations, including Best Picture, tying the record set by Gigi nearly thirty years earlier.
- Artistic License: Biology: There is no way in hell a cricket could live that long, especially in a closed container without food or water.
- As You Know: The governor helpfully tells Pu Yi, and the audience, that the Japanese put a puppet state in Manchuria called Manchukuo and even tells the date, even though Pu Yi knew all that because he was there at the time.
- Break the Cutie
- Biopic
- A Child Shall Lead Them: Not for long.
- Convenient Miscarriage: The Japanese officials' explanation for the death of Wan Rong's love child. They poison the baby girl to death as soon as she's born.
- Driven to Suicide: Pu Yi's mother. And much later, the Japanese officer that pushed Pu Yu around.
- Eunuchs Are Evil
- Hot Consort: Two of them, Empress Wang Rong and First Concubine Wen Xiu. It doesn't go well, in the end.
- How We Got Here: The film starts as Pu-yi returns to China as a prisoner and it works its way backwards.
- Imperial Japan: pushes Pu Yi around.
- Kicked Upstairs: What the movie doesn't say is that, after getting deposed, Pu-yi is put on the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a multi-party "advisory body" to the Chinese Government.
- Limited Special Collectors' Ultimate Edition: The Criterion Collection.
- Lonely Rich Kid: Pu-yi.
- Oscar Bait
- Perfectly Arranged Marriage: Pu-Yi wanted a modern wife who could follow the new dances and was educated outside China. He found her in Wang Rong. But it didn't last.
- Pretty in Mink: A few furs, like those worn by the consorts.
- Puppet King: Pu-yi as the emperor of Manchukuo.
- Royal We: Pu Yi when emperor of Manchukuo.
- Scenery Porn: Loads of wonderful scenery filmed in the Forbidden City itself.
- Second Sino-Japanese War
- Take Over the World: The Japanese make clear their goal of conquering Korea, China, Indochina and India.
- Tenchi Solution: Pu Yi marries Wan Rong and has Wen Xiu as his First Concubine, and things don't go very well.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Trope Namer.
- Would Hurt a Child: Bad times for Wan Rong and her love child.
