In 1908 three year old Pu Yi becomes Emperor of Imperial China. In the course of his life-time he will be treated as a God, become a playboy and traitor, and finally end up jailed by the communists. The end of his life is spent happily as a humble gardener. Bertolucci’s film is an astonishing visual treat, encompassing both the history of China in the twentieth century, and elegantly detailing the story of the country’s last imperial ruler. Stars John Lone, Peter O’Toole and Joan Chen. Winner of nine Academy Awards (including Best Picture). The music is by David Byrne and Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Content notification
Our collection comprises over 40,000 moving image works, acquired and catalogued between the 1940s and early 2000s. As a result, some items may reflect outdated, offensive and possibly harmful views and opinions. ACMI is working to identify and redress such usages.
Learn more about our collection and our collection policy here. If you come across harmful content on our website that you would like to report, let us know.
How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
302502
Language
English
Audience classification
MA
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)