The Last Emperor
1987 · 2h 43m · Drama, History
Watch it tonight—this is Bernardo Bertolucci's visually stunning masterpiece that won nine Oscars, and it's the kind of sweeping historical epic that demands the big screen (or at least your full attention). It's a mesmerizing portrait of power, corruption, and redemption that will stick with you long after the credits roll.
Plot
A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Cast: John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Ruocheng Ying, Victor Wong