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04/10/1987 Drama, History 2h 43m
76
User score

1500 slaves. 353,260,000 royal subjects. Warlords. Concubines. And 2 wives. He was the loneliest boy in the world.

Overview

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.

  1. Bernardo Bertolucci

    Director

Top billed cast

  1. John Lone

    Pu Yi (Adult)

  2. Joan Chen

    Wan Jung

  3. Peter O'Toole

    Reginald Johnston (R.J.)

  4. Ruocheng Ying

    The Governor

  5. Victor Wong

    Chen Pao Shen

  6. Dennis Dun

    Big Li

  7. Ryuichi Sakamoto

    Amakasu

  8. Maggie Han

    Eastern Jewel

  9. Ric Young

    Interrogator

  10. View more

Full Cast & Crew

Reviews

A review by CinemaSerf
Written by CinemaSerf on 2023-07-17
This is a glorious film to watch on a big screen. It depicts the end of empire and the birth of new ones - and it does it in a spectacularly colourful and stylish fashion. The death of the Empress Dowager sees the toddler Pu Yi ascend the Dragon Throne of China, and live amidst concubines and eunuchs in the Forbidden City. He grows up believing his is a divine right to rule, and it is only upon the arrival of his tutor RJ (Peter O'Toole) and his procurement of spectacles that his eyes begin to be opened to the reality that his kingdom is entirely enclosed within a wall of golden yellow tiles. ...read the rest
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Status
Released

Original Language
English

Budget
$23,800,000.00

Revenue
$44,000,000.00

Keywords