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The Last Emperor

Year:

1988

Duration:

163 min | 219 min (television version)

Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

IMDB rate:

7.8

Director:

Bernardo Bertolucci

Awards:

Won 9 Oscars. Another 45 wins & 13 nominations

Details

Country: China

Release Date: 1988-04-15

Filming Locations: Beijing Studios, Beijing, China

Earnings

Budget: $23,000,000

Opening Weekend: $3,398,662 (USA) (15 April 1988)

Gross: $43,984,230 (USA) (1 July 2014)

Cast

Actor

Character

Dennis Dun

The Last Emperor

John Lone

The Last Emperor

Joan Chen

Wan Jung

Peter O'Toole

Reginald 'R. J.' Johnston

Ruocheng Ying

The Governor

Victor Wong

Chen Pao Shen

Ryûichi Sakamoto

Amakasu

Maggie Han

Eastern Jewel

Ric Young

Interrogator

Vivian Wu

Wen Hsiu

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

Chang (as Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa)

Jade Go

Ar Mo

Fumihiko Ikeda

Yoshioka

Richard Vuu

Pu Yi - 3 Years

Tsou Tijger

Pu Yi - 8 Years

Tao Wu

Pu Yi - 15 Years

Guang Fan

Pu Chieh - Adult (as Fan Guang)

Henry Kyi

Pu Chieh - 7 Years

Alvin Riley III

Pu Chieh - 14 Years

Lisa Lu

Tzu Hsui

Hideo Takamatsu

General Ishikari

Hajime Tachibana

Japanese Translator

Basil Pao

Prince Chun

Henry O

Lord Chamberlain (as Jiang Xi Ren)

Kaige Chen

Captain of Imperial Guard (as Chen Kai Ge)

Liangbin Zhang

Big Foot

Wenjie Huang

Hunchback (as Huang Wenjie)

Dong Liang

Lady Aisin-Gioro

Zhendong Dong

Old Doctor (as Dong Zhendong)

Jiechen Dong

Doctor (as Dong Jiechen)

Constantine Gregory

Oculist

Huaikuei Soong

Lung Yu

Ruzhen Shao

First High Consort (as Shao Ruzhen)

Li Yu

Second High Consort

Guangli Li

Third High Consort (as Li Guangli)

Chunqing Xu

Grey Eyes

Tianmin Zhang

Old Tutor (as Zhang Tianmin)

Hongnian Luo

Sleeping Old Tutor (as Luo Hongnian)

Shihong Yu

Hsiao Hsiu

Jun Wu

Wen Hsiu - 12 Years

Lucia Hwong

Lady of the Book

Jingping Cui

Lady of the Pen (as Cui Jingping)

Shi Liang

Republican Officer (as Wu Hai)

Junguo Gu

Tang (as Gu Junguo)

Xu Tongrui

Captain of Feng's Army

Fusheng Li

Minister of Trade (as Li Fusheng)

Shu Chen

Chang Chinghui

Shuyan Cheng

Lady Hiro Saga

Daxing Zhang

Tough Warder (as Zhang Daxing)

Ruigang Zu

Second Warder (as Zu Ruigang)

Yuan Jin

Party Boss (as Jin Yuan)

Akira Ikuta

Japanese Doctor

Michael Vermaaten

American

Matthew Spender

Englishman

Hongxiang Cai

Scarface (uncredited)

Xinmin Cui

Japanese Bodyguard (uncredited)

Zhenduo Li

Dignitary (uncredited)

Shigang Luo

Chang Chinghui's Secretary (uncredited)

Guang Ma

Japanese Bodyguard (uncredited)

Glen Murphy

Captain (uncredited)

Biao Wang

Prisoner (uncredited)

Baozong Yang

General Yuan Shikai

Hongchang Yang

Scribe (uncredited)

Lingmu Zhang

Emperor Hirohito

Did you know?

Trivia

The first feature film granted permission by the Chinese government to be filmed in the Forbidden City. A documentary produced and directed by Lucy Jarvis for NBC Films Ltd. in 1973 named "The Forbidden City" was the first western film permitted to film within the Forbidden City.

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An Italian chef was brought in to cook for the international cast. He brought with him 22,000 bottles of Italian mineral water, 450 pounds of Italian coffee, 250 gallons of olive oil and 4,500 pounds of pasta.

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The China Film Co-Production Corporation provided their studios and unlimited extras in exchange for domestic distribution rights.

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Goofs

Mr. Johnston enters the Emperor's service during the 4 May 1919 student movement. Thus, Henry Pu-yi is 13 years of age, not 15.

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When 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.

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When Johnston and Henry Pu-yi say "farewell" to each other and as the musicians appear and follow Johnston, reflections are visible in such a way that indicate that the scene was actually shot through the glass of a pre-existing structure. The reflections are not consistent with anything else in the shot.

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Quotes

Pu Yi, at 15: Where are your ancestors buried?

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Emperor Pu Yi: This isn't a school; it's a prison. A real prison.

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Pu Yi, at 15: Is it true, Mr. Johnston, that many people out there have had their heads cut off?

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