Lavish historical epic charting China’s revolutionary transition
Year: 1987
Certificate: 15
Bernardo Bertolucci’s Oscar-winning epic (at around three and a half hours, it deserves the description) is manna for the senses, bridging the divide between pre- and post-revolutionary China in the story of ‘last emperor’ Pu Yi (John Lone).
Pu Yi takes the throne in 1908 as an adorable toddler before abdicating after the 1911 revolution when China was declared a republic. We follow Pu Yi through his childhood with Peter O’Toole as his tutor, before his life as an adult is more speculatively portrayed as that of a playboy and powerless political pawn. The lush visuals mean you’ll want to watch it on as big a screen as possible. (163 minutes)
