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The Last Emperor

This is a movie I remember my family renting when I was in high school, and it was a delight to watch it again. It’s about the last Emperor of China, who ascended the throne at the tender age of three. As history would have it, China was in the midst of undergoing great political change.

In the midst of it was this poor little last Emperor of China who, it seems, never really had control of his own life. The movie follows his life story from his crowning at three, to his spoiled upbringing inside the walls of the Forbidden City, to his forced abdication, to his role in Manchuria with the Japanese during the Second World War, to finally his existence as an average Chinese citizen.

This is a movie for adults, although with the exception of a sex scene it isn’t too family unfriendly. The content, however, is historical and would probably be of little interest to younger viewers.

I give it four and a half out of five spoons.
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Comments

Sandy said…
I thought The Last Emperor was a beautiful movie, but what drove me nuts was that the characters spoke English! I know film-makers went through a spell in the 80s where they didn't believe Americans would go to a foreign language film, but come on! The characters wrote and chanted in Chinese and spoke English??? That drove me nuts.
8:48 PM
Heather Kirkwood said…
I guess that didn't bother me so much. I can't easily read sub-titles. I've discovered foreign films are a little easier to watch on the computer because I can get really close and my head isn't in anyone else's way.
12:52 AM
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