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The Last Emperor

Rated PG-13, 160 min. Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. Starring Peter O’Toole, Joan Chen, John Lone.

REVIEWED By Marjorie Baumgarten, Wed., July 5, 2000

This historical drama is inspired by the life story of Pu Yi, the last emperor of China, whose rule was governed by the vagaries of history. Crowned at the age of three and brought up within the Forbidden City, he later becomes a puppet of the Japanese invaders and then is dethroned by the Communists. Stunning opulence dazzles the eye, and the film won nine Academy Awards. This is not the 220-minute director’s cut of the movie that is currently playing on cable, however it is a grand 70mm print whose screen size is a fitting monument to the film’s innate grandeur.
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