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In this video production of ‘The Last emperor’, the audience is immersed deep back into the 1950s where Puyi, who was previously under the custody of the Russians, attempts to take his own life in Fushun prison while under the custody of the Chinese government for his role in a number or war crimes.
Fortunately for him, Puyi’s attempts at taking his own life are unsuccessful and he is only rendered unconscious. It is at this point that the creators of this movie; Jeremy Thomas and movie director Bernardo Bertolucci, take the viewers back to 1902 when Empress Dowager Cixi announces that Puyi will succeed her as the new emperor of China. Puyi’s rise to power earns him the title “The Son of Heaven”.
The Last Emperor movie is one of the most amazing anti-heroes of contemporary times; an oriental Peter Pan perched like a stopper on the rivulet of history. His life embraces the entire century from the end of the Qing Empire to the first democracy of Sun Yat Sen; from the Japanese incursion to the State of Manchukuo, where Pu Yi becomes a marionette emperor controlled by the Japanese.
The movie see’s china through very crucial stages of its development in the Second World War and more importantly its development into a republic. The movie provides a clear and detailed transition of power of china from an empire to a republic.
Historically, it is unlikely for a former leader to be subjected to such hostile conditions as seen in the beginning of the movie. Having been imprisoned by the Russian authorities for five years and now by the Chinese officials, Puyi attempts suicide shortly after arrival at the Fushun Prison. Unfortunately for him, his suicide mission fails, and it only rendered him unconscious.
It is here that we are acknowledged about Puyi’s encounter with Empress Dowager Cixi; Lisa Lu, back in 1902 at the Forbidden City, Beijing. On her deathbed, Cixi publicizes that Puyi will be the new emperor of China. Puyi rises to power as a young emperor after being placed on the Dragon Throne and being crowned “The Son of Heaven”. Four years later, Puyi’s father is enforced to renounce all majestic authority to republicans.
A few years later, the Second World War begins and forces nations to adopt some very unusual tactics in order to stay afloat. International political warfare became a common occurrence, and this marked the beginning of the end of Puyi’s political career. Immediately after the Second World War, Puyi is captured and consequently spends 5 years in a Russian Prison.
This was mostly due to his role as the ‘Japanese Puppet Emperor’ of Manchuko, during the Second World War. Puyi testified against his former Japanese associates during the Tokyo crime trials. Later on in the movie Puyi is repatriated to China, where he is intimidated by interrogators to officially relinquish his obligatory cooperation, with the majestic Japanese invaders for war crimes during their tenure in China during the Second World War.
Shortly after a row ensues between Puyi and the camp commanding officer, and after having watched a misinformed film about the war crimes committed by the Japanese, Puyi renounced his previous confessions and was consequently rehabilitated and re-educated by the Chinese government after renouncing his previous political allies. The movie ends on a sad note with the death of Puyi in 1967 in a flash-forward which takes us to mid 1960 during the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.
In addition to the theme of ‘a fall from power’, the movie producer has also brought out the theme of Political Unrest quite well. At the beginning of the film, the producer has been able to introduce a very serine political environment at the time during which power is passed on to Puyi by the Empress.
However, after a short while, the political setup takes a turn for the worst after China is made a republic. At this point, Puyi is made to step down from his position as emperor; an event that encourages him to migrate to Tianjin with his family. The sudden change of power is brought about by the political unrest that was being experienced in the country at the time.
The Second World War takes place at the same time, an event which many people credit to be as a result of the political turbulence that prevailed in not only that country, but in other countries as well. Additionally, the apparent parallels between the regulation and constitution of the majestic court, and the regulation and constitution of Maoist China, make a subtle but outstanding point of the different schools of thought and mindset of political leaders during this era.
The other theme that clearly comes out in the movie is that of ‘family’, and the producers of the film have been keen on developing it throughout the course of the storyline. This is clearly brought out in the movie, especially at the point where Puyi is in his adulthood, and we are brought to the reality of the emperor’s polygamous life (where he is portrayed to have had two wives).
This only makes life harder for Puyi, especially after they get driven out of the Forbidden City, and things do not go too smoothly for the sovereigns. Later on in the movie, we find out that Puyi is not only a polygamist, but also a ‘playboy’ as his various escapades with other women (not his wives) are revealed.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that although different themes have been developed throughout the storyline of the movie, the theme of ‘fall from power’ was the strongest one, since the producers dedicated a lot of screen-time to show Puyi’s rise to power, his imprisonment for his participation in war crimes, and his death as a simple gardener working for the state.
While in prison, the movie’s producers show that Puyi had to fend for himself for the first time; this was meant to emphasize the theme of ‘fall from power’. This theme was an important part of the film as it aided in outlining the political unrest that was experienced during this period, which was a catalyst to the Second World War.
‘Family’ as a theme, however, was the weakest theme in the film and it was only incorporated into the movie to help develop Puyi’s character as a selfish leader who seeks self gratification at whatever cost, including causing emotional pain to his loyal wife. This trait was emphasized by Puyi’s playboy behavior and his marriage to another woman. Through this, we are able to understand the motivation behind Puyi’s liaison with the enemy during the war.
The movie ends on a sad note with the death of Puyi in 1967 in a flash-forward which takes us to the mid 1960’s, an era that marked the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in China.
This is the most memorable aspect of the film because Puyi’s death was symbolic of the birth of modernization and the death of traditionalism. Most people today are fascinated with Chinese culture, their contribution to technological advancement, and their booming economy, but they are not aware of the cultural transformation that the nation has gone through over the years.
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