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The Last Emperor

Oscar™ Best Picture - Winning Movies

The Last Emperor

1987

Bernardo Bertolucci

John Lone, Peter O'Toole, Joan Chen, Ruocheng Ying ...

7.2

50,528

Drama THE LAST EMPEROR is the true story of Pu Yi, the last monarch of a China that changed drastically during his lifetime. Though he comes to power at the age of three and is waited on hand and foot by an army of servants and consorts, Pu Yi is politically powerless. His life becomes a tortuous struggle with this reality, as he is used as a puppet by the Japanese and later reeducated by the communists. Bernardo Bertoluccis award-winning ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Todd McCarthy Variety	"A film of unique, quite unsurpassed visual splendor (...) A prodigious production in every respect."	POS
United States	Vincent Canby The New York Times	"'The Last Emperor' is like an elegant travel brochure. It piques the curiosity. One wants to go. Ultimately it's a let-down."	NEU
United States	Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"In the case of 'The Last Emperor' the narrative cannot be separated from the awesome presence of the Forbidden City, and from Bertolucci's astonishing use of locations (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Arthur Ryel-Lindsey Slant	"One of cinema's greatest cinematographic performances combines with a director's epic vision and superb craftsmanship to create a visual masterpiece (...) Rating; ★★★★½ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader	"[A] visually ravishing spectacle (...) [It] is a genuine rarity: a blockbuster that manages to be historically instructive and intensely personal at the same time."	POS
United Kingdom	Giala Murray Empire	"The small screen doesn't quite do justice to the rich visuals but with an incredible story and fine performances, it is still a compulsive and moving epic (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Alex von Tunzelmann The Guardian	"It's not bad on the political history of China, but Puyi's personal life was a lot nastier than 'The Last Emperor' lets on."	NEU
United States	Sheila Benson Los Angeles Times	"An intoxicating visual rush"	POS
United Kingdom	David Parkinson Radio Times	"It is one of the most visually arresting pictures (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Brian Case Time Out	"John Lone is superb (...) If spectacle finally triumphs over sympathy, it is not without a decent struggle."	POS

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