The Last Emperor: A Gorgeous, Though Somewhat Shallow Biopic (Criterion 4K/Blu-ray)

The Film:

The 1980s were a rather odd time for Best Picture winners. There weren't exactly a lot of great choices made, though we did end up with one of the best films ever made in "Amadeus" (with other great selections being "Ordinary People" and "Driving Miss Daisy"). One that seems to have been almost entirely forgotten about is Bernardo Bertolucci's epic biopic "The Last Emperor," which, for one reason or another, was insanely popular at that season's Oscar ceremony, sweeping all nine of its categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. This week, the prestigious Criterion Collection is celebrating the film by giving it a 4K upgrade, making it the perfect time to go back and see where that immense popularity sprang from and how it managed to beat several other prominent films of the year.

The film tells the story of the last emperor of China, Puyi (played primarily by John Lone as an adult), who was crowned at the age of three in 1908. He grows up within the walls of the Forbidden City, from which he is ironically forbidden to leave. At one point, he is visited by his younger brother, who informs him that he is no longer the emperor of China and that the country has become a republic, though his followers insist that he "will always be the emperor." In 1919, Reginald Johnston (Peter O'Toole) is appointed as his tutor, giving the young man a Western education, with his desire to escape the city increasing all the while. Puyi eventually marries and attempts to reform the city, but is soon faced with quickly shifting circumstances as the country continues to change.

As mentioned, "The Last Emperor" is one of those Best Picture winners that many seem to have forgotten about or simply don't talk about much anymore, despite having been extremely popular at the Oscars that awards season. Rewatching it this week for the first time in years (my third viewing overall), it became a little easier to determine why that might be. Perhaps the best way to illustrate it is by referring to the summary above, which makes the film sound a little dry in its efforts to tell the story of this young man who had power thrust upon him and then had to deal with rapidly changing conditions as power shifted hands in his homeland.

The thing is, it would be rather fair to say that the film is indeed a little dry in these efforts, taking a somewhat shallow look at these events through Puyi's eyes, while not delving very far into the man himself or the politics surrounding decisions that he would come to make later, decisions that would ultimately land him in prison under the accusation of collaboration. This is another portion of the story that the film continually cuts back to, where his captors attempt to ascertain his part in the Japanese occupation of Manchuria, but it doesn't really end up showing us anything particularly important to the story, despite quite a lot of time being spent on it.

It's certainly not a bad telling of the events, but it is more of a "here's what basically happened" approach that shows us the events without telling us much about them. That said, it certainly looks extremely gorgeous as it proceeds through the story, utilizing beautiful sets (including incredible unprecedented access to the Forbidden City), costumes, and cinematography, elements for which it won three of its Oscars. While the story itself may not be particularly attention grabbing, the visuals on display throughout this epic most definitely are, and are certainly a strong reason as to why it received a good deal of consideration back then (even Roger Ebert admitted that he admired the film because of its locations).

Looking back on it for the third time, that does indeed seem like the most likely of explanations. That is, that voters likely got caught up in the epic scope of the film and its bewitching visuals. Again, that's not to say that it's a bad story, but rather that there was probably a better approach to the material that could've taken a deeper look at the subject and the complicated events surrounding him. There's a fascinating story to be told about Puyi and what he went through during this turbulent period of China's history, but in the end, even with all of its flourishes, "The Last Emperor" isn't quite able to get to the heart of it.

Video/Audio:

4K digital restoration, presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack

Special Features:

• Audio commentary featuring director Bernardo Bertolucci, producer Jeremy Thomas, screenwriter Mark Peploe, and composer-actor Ryuichi Sakamoto

• 218-minute television version

• The Italian Traveler, Bernardo Bertolucci, a film by Fernand Moszkowicz tracing the director’s geographic influences, from Parma to China

• Footage taken by Bertolucci while on preproduction in China

• Two documentaries about the making of the film

• Program featuring cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, editor Gabriella Cristiani, costume designer James Acheson, and art director Gianni Silvestri

• Archival interview with Bertolucci

• Interviews with composer David Byrne and cultural historian Ian Buruma

Conclusion:

Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Last Emperor" is impeccably made, utilizing gorgeous production design, costumes, cinematography, music, and skillful direction. However, in its attempt to tell the story of Puyi and the complex events surrounding his life, the film comes off as a little dry, giving us a somewhat shallow telling of the tale, and ultimately leaving us with a beautiful, but not particularly memorable biopic.

Score: 3/5

Now available on Criterion 4K/Blu-ray.

Follow me on Twitter @BeckFilmCritic.