Message from clockwood

[Anonymous]

Synopsis
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 Bertolucci's award-winning film is epic, lavish, and poignant.

My review:
While this movie was released in 1999, I had it listed on my "to watch" list until recently. This movie is interesting, yet difficult to sit through (very long). It gets tiring and a bit confusing in the latter part. However, I believe it has segments that could be used in the classroom.

Because it attempts to be historically accurate (I will have to trust that it is), there are some beautiful sections that show what the Chinese emperor's life was like in the early part of the 20th century. Pu Yi comes to the Forbidden City as a child, and it is impressive to see the interior of the Forbidden City, how Emperors are treated, and the number of staff required to serve him.

Prior to seeing this movie, I had difficulty imagining what life was like for an Emperor, how isolated his life was from the Chinese people, how little interest he had in their affairs. This isolationism was probably a fact of life through much of Chinese history, and this movie could help to show why Chinese leaders had to use military strength to maintain their positions because they were so separate from the people they served.

The entire first 2/3 of the movie takes place in the Forbidden City -- a huge collection of buildings dedicated to the Emperor and those who take care of him. While the country's leadership changed periodically, Pu Yi was kept only as a figurehead, and the space over which he could move within the complex was reduced. There were conflicts among the staff and problems as his staff was reduced. Perhaps this section could be shown as a look at the daily life of an under-age, powerless leader who is pacified with daily actiivties (tennis, tutoring, etc.) while the country undergoes political strife all around his cocoon.

The latter third of the movie deals with Pu Yi's life after he is forced out of the Forbidden City. His ego, naivete and powerlessness result in his working with the Japanese, which causes the death of many of his countrymen. The Chinese then hate him, his wife hates him, and the Communisits put him in a re-education camp. This section is rather dark, the action is unclear, and I think it would be difficult to show in a classroom. It would, perhaps, be useful in showing a "re-education camp" situation, but I don't know how realistic that portrayal was. It seemed rather tame from what I imagined; the prisoners worked and were educated and tested for many years.

In all, this movie offers glimpses of imperial life and the Forbidden City during the 20th Century and insight into the life of a puppet emperor who seems happy to enjoy the life of luxury and has little interest in the people over which he is supposed to rule.