Drama · History
Italian
1987 · Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci · 163 min
The life of Puyi, who became emperor of China at the age of three, told through the walls of the Forbidden City and the century that closed in around them. A lavish, patient epic about a person who is made into a symbol before he becomes a man.
Why it matters in cinema history
A late-century landmark of the international historical epic. It showed that a lavish, multilingual co-production about non-Western history could succeed with audiences and win major Hollywood honours.
Watch with intention
Watch how space is used: who may move through it, who is shut inside it, and how the frame itself acts like a set of walls.
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