Menu
close
Anonymous.
Rob_Hugo@PortNWI rented The Last Emperor (Blockbuster does not have it) and watched it for the first time. I thought the beginning was a bit slow, as are many epic movies. My personal opinion is that The Emperor had a very sad and lonely life. Nothing went his way, starting with his sadness at losing his wet-nurse at the age of 12, and then being humiliated frequently for the remainder of his life. None of his male-female relationships were successful, but I am not surprised, as he was really raised alone and did not have any peers to interact with during his childhood. :~
SO, HOW COULD I USE THIS FILM WITH MY STUDENTS? NOT EASILY AT ALL.
First, I would show clips of it for certain concepts. Then, as always, we would discuss and then write.
Important concepts:
1. What was his childhood like? I am sure they will come with lonely. Next, what happens to lonely children when they reach adulthood? Are they able to have positive relationships with others? Why or why not? What happened to the Emperor that caused him such sadness in his marriages? This series of questions will lead us to discuss the importance of friends throughout our lives. I will emphasize that we do not choose our relatives, but we do choose our friends and who they are is important to us ane who we become. How did his childhood influence his happiness/unhappiness in adulthood? What can each of us do as teenagers to make sure that our lives are happy?
Goal: Students will make the connections between how they treat their friends and the relationships they have as teens with their peers, and the relationships they will have with others as adults. It is not a coincidence; we have some control (no, The Emperor did not, as he did not ask to grow up alone).
2. The issue of drugs in his life.
How did drugs hurt the Emperorer? Even though he did not use Opium, how did he get hurt? What can each of us do to make help ensures that we do not get hurt by drugs. Are we always in full control? Are we in charge of what others do? Does what others do sometimes affect us? How did this happen to The Emperor?
Goal: Students will realize that drugs are very dangerous and can cause great hardship and sadness in our lives, even though sometimes we are not the users.
3. Rituals:
What rituals do each of you (students) have in your family? What traditions do you have? How do you feel about the rituals and traditions that your family has? Do they make you happy, sad, or both?
In the Emperor's life, what role did traditions play for him? What traditions did he have to observe? Are they similar to yours, even though he was from a different country and in a differnt time-era? We will discuss the rituals of obedience, dress, hair (what happened when The Emperor cut off his braid?), marriage, mores and the taboo of divorce and concubines. Where there rewards for obeying traditions? What were they? Where there consequences for not obeying traditions? What were they?
Goal: Students will realize that some traditions are the same throughout different countries and the ages, and that some differ from East to West and change with time and place. Despite the changes and differences, each country and culture must have traditions in order to survive as a society.
4. There was a very impactful line in the movie that I think comes up frequently in all of our lives that I would like to discuss with my students. It is: "Even though I hate this place, and I want to leave, I am afraid".
When did The Emperor say this? Why did he say this? What do you think he meant? How many of you have felt that way? When and when did you feel that way?
Goal: Students will realize that change is scary because it is the Unknown, but that it is important to "bite the bullet" and make changes at times. This includes changes with our jobs, our homes and place of living, as well in our relatiionships. Change is a necessary evil that will enhance our lives if we use good and logical judgment.
AnonymousThis Bernardo Bertolucci film was beautiful to behold, in my opinion. Such great staging and exquisite cinema is a joy to behold. A masterpiece in many ways, it won numerous awards as well. I think your breakdown of the story and the feelings of the lonely boy are interesting and insightful. Bertolucci began as a poet and his films often are grounded in the beauty of poetry as one views them. Your insightful analysis of this film added to my understanding of the film and for this I thank you. Very nice review!
clay dubeHi Folks,
I'm delighted to see The Last Emperor discussed. Please remember, however, to discuss films in the "Film Festival" thread:
http://uschinaforum.usc.edu/showpost.aspx?PostID=389
By the way, here's a trailer for the film on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54o9ew4-AOo&feature=related
AnonymousI watched 'The Last Emperor about a week ago and thought it was the most intricate film I have ever watched. It was filled with fine details and included in all the cultural aspects that make an excellent film good! I wonder if it won any movie awards for the great story telling.
The young emperor led such a lonely and controlled life from a very young age. He never had any say in the decisisons made regarding his own life! When he tried to have a say, it was ignored...So where then was his power?-as his brother aptly pointed out to him...Seems to give us a moral here - those of us who crave for riches fame and power - it comes with a price!
The movie is ideal for my social skills class because there are so many behavioral and social aspects that I could explore with my students. We would look at the way decisions were made for the emporor despite his royalty. We would explore etiquette. We would explore relationships.
I loved the movie so much that I will show it to my students over an extended period and we will compare the life of this young emperor with theirs.[Edit by="lizatieno1 on Nov 7, 11:07:12 AM"][/Edit]
AnonymousFYI "The Last Emperor" just came out today with a Blue-ray release today that's got all these extra goodies about the flim. I saw this review of it in case anyone was interested
http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/blu-ray-review-the-last-emperor-the-criterion-collection [Edit by="mburr on Jan 6, 5:21:34 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousI remember my parents forcing my brother and me to go see this movie when I was a kid and I thought I was going to DIE!! I'll have to try it again as an adult and see if I like it better. Thanks for your review and reminding me about it. It makes me want to see it.