The Last Emperor presents one life magnificently

Directed by Bernardo Burtolucci, the 1987 film The Last Emperor presents the life story of Puyi, the last emperor of China. Having won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and eight other categories, critics have unanimously praised the film for its detailed depiction of Puyi’s life, and its depiction of the changes that took place in China throughout the twentieth century. By way of outstanding cinematography, sets, and costume design, The Last Emperor paints a vivid picture of China’s history, from the end of the Qing dynasty in 1912 to the Cultural Revolution in 1966.

The film begins with young Puyi at nearly three years of age becoming Emperor of China by the order of Dowager Empress Cixi. The opening sequence presents the first of many beautiful architectural images. Lavished with thousands of extras dressed in carefully crafted costumes, the film captures young Puyi’s new home, the Forbidden City, with a warm, welcoming color scheme; a reflection of the wealth and decadence of China’s royalty. Viewers of the film cannot help but take pleasure in the young Puyi’s innocent curiosity of his new surroundings. It is important to note that Bertolucci was one of the first filmmakers to be authorized by the Chinese government to film in the Forbidden City in Beijing.  Thus, the scenes that take place during Puyi’s reign are both breathtaking and authentic. By presenting China’s Qing period in this manner, the film establishes a stark parallel to its depiction of China’s future. Even in early parts of the film, Puyi is warned of changes that will come to China. The young Puyi gets a glimpse of the up and coming “new Emperor” Yuan Shikai, whose presence threatens Puyi. He repeatedly questions his advisors about whether or not he is still the Emperor of China. Appropriately, the film presents its story in a style that emphasizes the historical changes that take place during Puyi’s life.

The Last Emperor’s plot functions in a back and forth manner, cutting between a young Puyi growing up in the Forbidden City and an older Puyi imprisoned as a war criminal. In order to portray China in its struggling future, the film changes from using the appealing, warm colors that are present in the Forbidden City, to a colder, bleaker color palette; one that emphasizes the struggles that are present during the age of Mao’s rise to power. We are presented this contrast in order to see how much China has changed since the fall of the Qing dynasty. Viewers are flashed forward to China in the 1950’s, and with that comes the first change in lighting and color. Obviously, circumstances are quite different from the time of Puyi’s reign in the Forbidden City. During the 1950’s, China underwent a socialist transformation under Mao Zedong. The film only hints at Mao’s status in China during the last sequence, which depicts the effects of the Cultural Revolution in 1966 from Puyi’s point of view. In his old age, the parades of the young Red Guards amaze the former Emperor. China’s transformation unfolds before his very eyes. The mid-section of the film deals with Puyi’s supposed return to power during Japan’s occupation in China.

In 1948, Puyi was finally forced to leave the Forbidden City. As stated earlier, the film flashes forward to Puyi in containment, and uses the story he relays to the prison guards to narrate what takes place in Manchukuo, Puyi’s post-royalty home. After spending the next few years enjoying a playboy lifestyle in Tianjin, Puyi once again becomes Emperor; a position, it seems, that Puyi is bent on holding. Only this time, he is the Emperor of Japan’s puppet state in Manchuria, called Manchukuo. Using Puyi’s new role, the film establishes a meaningful parallel. Just as Puyi was never allowed to leave the Forbidden City during his leadership in the Qing dynasty, he is also not allowed to leave his palace in Manchuria. Thus, Puyi returns once again to entrapment: a major theme in the film. It seems that Puyi never really experiences what he is looking for. As he repeats over and over in the film, all he really wants is “to lead China.” But in reality he never effectively accomplishes this. Puyi’s emotional response to these situations is made even more genuine thanks to John Lone’s superb acting.

American actor John Lone plays Puyi in his later years. Although he holds American citizenship, Lone was born in China, and retains the proper appearance and accent to play Puyi effectively. Especially in his dialogue, Lone expresses Puyi’s ambition to lead China with effective tone of voice and with diction that comes across as dedicated. The only issue that plagues the film is its prominent use of the English language. Although one could argue that in order to reach mass Western audiences the film had to to employ English, The Last Emperor seems to be missing the perfect Chinese historical experience, which would have come about with a presence of the country’s unique language in the film. Fortunately, Lone is the most appropriate actor to speak English in an Asian setting. His accent fits well with how the film uses English to tell a Chinese story. Lone plays a large part in making The Last Emperor a film that genuinely depicts China throughout the last century, a film that grips its viewers with one man’s moving story.

Who should watch this film? Those looking for an engaging biopic (that is, a film that follows one man’s life) with beautiful imagery. Also, if you’re looking for an overview of Chinese history during the first half of the twentieth century, this is a good place to start. The Last Emperor is one of the few films that the talented John Lone appears in!

Watchmen film lacks subtlety

A recent viewing of Watchmen has led me to question the direction that contemporary Hollywood films have taken in showcasing violent and sexual content with the purpose of thrilling audiences. Zack Snyder’s film adaption of the 1987 comic series takes viewers on a visual ride that lacks subtlety. Snyder transforms the illustrated frames of the comic into an unabashed, slow motion spectacle of destruction and chaos. Certain viewers may suggest that the film condemns the violence it portrays, and to that I say: do you sincerely believe that this end is met when Rorschach’s threat to his fellow prison inmates cause us to anxiously anticipate how he will deal out the damage? While elements such as these are faithful to the book, the film adaptation seeks to excite the audience by reenacting those moments in the most shocking way possible. Perhaps Snyder is fearful of his own weakness as a director and feels he must compensate for it.

Aside from exploiting violence, the film attempts to rouse its audience through a display of explicit sexuality. When Zack Snyder was interviewed for his previous film 300, he told film-reviews website Rotten Tomatoes that he wanted an ample amount of “sexiness” in the film. It seems that he felt the same way about Watchmen. The film’s principal sex scene, awkwardly long and even more awkwardly set to the tune of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, displays a graphic encounter that nearly descends to the realm of pornographic. The scene is explicit, uninspired, and much longer than its comic-book counterpart. Again, by failing to incorporate any subtlety, Snyder leaves nothing to the viewers imagination.

Does this make Watchmen a bad film? Consider what film-editor Walter Murch (editor/sound mixer of notable films American Graffiti and Apocalypse Now) communicates in his book titled In The Blink Of An Eye, which reveals his formula for successful film making based on his own experiences. He writes, “suggestion is always more effective than exposition…the more effort you put into wealth of detail, the more you encourage the audience to become spectators rather than participants.” Unfortunately, many films today, including Watchmen, have become a mere spectacles that lack audience interaction with its content. Murch explains that a good film will engage the imagination of its audience. Watchmen fails to utilize this engagement.

Thus, the verdict stands: Watchmen begs for a return to subtlety in Hollywood action films. Before long, we will become so bored by violence and sex in movies, that the medium will run out of things to exhibit. An ailment such as this can only be remedied by film’s return to engagement with its audience, rather than existing as a mere spectacle for observation.

Who should watch this film? Fans of the comic book will delight in seeing their once-imagined pencil characters come to life on-screen. However, there’s little room for family viewings or film goers looking for a deeper engagement; this comic-to-movie adaption is sorely lacking compared to some of its counterparts (see Spiderman 2, The Dark Knight).

Raison d’etre

My purpose for being here:

Lately, I’ve been searching for a way to communicate my thoughts on culture, morality, life, and media. Often I think to myself: wouldn’t this idea be great to write about? I want to materialize those ideas before they disappear forever.

Thus, I present to you: Legendary / Good. My new outlet.