The Last Emperor
1500 slaves. 353,260,000 royal subjects. Warlords. Concubines. And 2 wives. He was the loneliest boy in the world.
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.
- Director
- Bernardo Bertolucci
- Signature
- Drama · Craft · Tension
- Worldwide
- $44M
Who's in it
Cast
The billed ensemble, with character names. Open any performer for their Nutevio filmography.
The Nutevio profile
Movie DNA
How The Last Emperor actually feels to watch, measured on the twelve traits our editors track across every Nutevio title.
Perfect if you enjoyed
Story overview
What It's About
Spoiler-free. Read the analysis below for the full argument.
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.
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
Checking regional listings…
The record
Awards
13 wins · 10 nominations
Academy Awards
9 wins · 9 nominations
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Cinematography
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Costume Design
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Director
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Film Editing
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Original Score
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Picture
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Production Design
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Sound
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
César Award for Best Foreign Film
1 win
- WinnerCésar Award for Best Foreign Film
David di Donatello for Best Film
1 win
- WinnerDavid di Donatello for Best Film
European Film Academy Special Jury Award
1 win
- WinnerEuropean Film Academy Special Jury Award
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
1 win
- WinnerNational Board of Review: Top Ten Films
David di Donatello for Best Director
No wins yet · 1 nomination
- WinnerDavid di Donatello for Best Director
The numbers
Box Office & Release
The Last Emperor returned 1.8× its budget worldwide.
- Budget
- $24M
- Opening weekend
- —
- Domestic gross
- —
- International gross
- —
- Worldwide gross
- $44M
- Release date
- Oct 4, 1987
- Runtime
- 2h 43m
- MPAA rating
- —
- Language
- English, Japanese
- Country
- China, France
Figures from the verified production record. Fields we cannot source are left blank rather than estimated.
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