The story of the final Emperor of China.The story of the final Emperor of China.The story of the final Emperor of China.
- Director
- Writers
- Enzo Ungari(initial screenplay collaboration)
- Mark Peploe(screenplay)
- Bernardo Bertolucci(screenplay)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- Enzo Ungari(initial screenplay collaboration)
- Mark Peploe(screenplay)
- Bernardo Bertolucci(screenplay)
- Stars
- Won 9 Oscars
- 60 wins & 22 nominations total
Videos3
Ruocheng Ying
- The Governoras The Governor
- (as Ying Ruocheng)
Ryuichi Sakamoto
- Amakasuas Amakasu
- (as Ryûichi Sakamoto)
Vivian Wu
- Wen Hsiuas Wen Hsiu
- (as Wu Jun Mei)
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
- Changas Chang
- (as Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa)
Tsou Tijger
- Pu Yi (8 years)as Pu Yi (8 years)
- (as Tijger Tsou)
Tao Wu
- Pu Yi (15 years)as Pu Yi (15 years)
- (as Wu Tao)
Guang Fan
- Pu Chieh (Adult)as Pu Chieh (Adult)
- (as Fan Guang)
- Director
- Writers
- Enzo Ungari(initial screenplay collaboration)
- Mark Peploe(screenplay)
- Bernardo Bertolucci(screenplay)
- All cast & crew
- See more cast details at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- GoofsWhen Johnston is about to board a ship to England in 1931, a ticket office window is seen in the background with opening and closing times given in simplified Chinese characters. China only switched to simplified characters after the Communists came to power in 1949, with a drive to improve literacy. At the time this scene takes place, traditional full-form characters would have been used.
- Quotes
Reginald Fleming 'R.J.' Johnston: Words are important.
Pu Yi, at 15: Why are words important?
Reginald Fleming 'R.J.' Johnston: If you cannot say what you mean, Your Majesty, you will never mean what you say and a gentleman should always mean what he says.
- Alternate versionsThe theatrical version runs 163 minutes. A 218 minute version was released in the US in 1998 under the mistaken title of the "Director's Cut". It was known by this erroneous title until the 2008 Criterion DVD and Blu-ray Disc came out. Bertolucci and DP Vittorio Storaro made it clear while working on the DVD and BD that the shorter theatrical version is without doubt the director's cut. The 218 minute version was an early cut meant only to be aired as a four-part television mini-series by the Italian television network that funded the film.
- SoundtracksKaiser Walzer (Emperor Waltz) op. 437
(1889)
Written by Johann Strauss (as Johann Strauss)
Performed by Berliner Philharmoniker (as The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra)
Conducted by Herbert von Karajan
with kind permission of Polydor International GmbH
Top review
An Example of Quantity and Quality Combining to Make an Unforgettable Film
"The Last Emperor" is a near perfect film. It was nominated for nine Oscars in 1987 and it won nine (including the Best Picture Oscar). The movie is about the life of Pu Yi (John Lone), China's last emperor. In spite of becoming emperor at the age of three, Yi's reign was more of a burden than anything else. Yi would ultimately end up living an unsavory life of imprisonment which is heartrending to the viewer. "The Last Emperor" is visually stunning. The minute details are amazing. However, the story stands up high as well. Historically accurate for the most part, "The Last Emperor" is easily one of the top 10 films of the 1980s and overall an exceptional achievement in every cinematic department known to man. 5 stars out of 5.
helpful•8114
- tfrizzell
- Sep 26, 2000
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Der letzte Kaiser
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- £23,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $43,984,230
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $149,460
- Nov 22, 1987
- Gross worldwide
- $43,993,869
- Runtime2 hours 43 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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