






A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.
Cinematography
Vittorio Storaro's amber-gold decay is genuinely unmatched.
Production
First Western film shot in the actual Forbidden City.
Acting
John Lone's thousand-yard stare through three decades.

Director
Bernardo Bertolucci
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes