Imagine being raised to believe you were a god. You could have anything you wanted. When you were naughty someone else was punished. The only laws you couldn't break were the ones laid down by tradition. The only barrier you couldn't cross was the exit to your own personal city. This was the life of Pu Yi, the last emperor of China.
This movie is told as a series of flashbacks. The 'present' is a communist reeducation camp in 1950. Yi and the other prisoners have been asked to write their life stories. Through this we get to see his upbringing and adulthood. We also see his relationship with English tutor, Reginald Johnston. The tutor helps to westernize Yi. To make him a gentle-man.
Things collapse as one of the provisional governments evicts Yi from the Forbidden City. He flees to Manchuria and finds himself under Japan's thumb. His childhood has ill served him to detect double-dealing. He finds himself bound in place and the end of WWII places him under communist control.
This is a beautifully shot film. It was the first western film that the Chi-Com's allowed to be filmed inside of the Forbidden City. The history is interesting. The musical score very nice. A great film.
2 comments:
It's funny, but I think I AM living with someone who believes he's a god...
Give me a hint as to which one it is...is he gaining hair or losing it?
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