Monday, September 12, 2011
The Last Emperor
I don't think that anyone can deny that The Last Emperor is a work of art. The opulence and gradual decay of the Forbidden City are magnificently displayed. The cinematic themes of red and gold illuminate scenes of both the decadence of his often wealthy life and the disaster of his ruby life in water of the sink. But is it a work of art that I want to look at for 3 hours? Probably not. For a movie that covers almost 50 turbulent and important years, I was left feeling like absolutely nothing was happening. Perhaps this is because Pu Yi really was doing nothing. He was a porcelain doll in his childhood and a puppet when he grew up. He yearned for power but displayed no characteristics of a good leader. He showed no proficiency in winning over others through his influence, or intelligence. Although his attitude seemed honest, his ongoing conceit and perceived self importance in the face of his utter insignificance did not encourage the viewer to see him as a leader. Although he continues to state that he wants change, he does not specify and he certainly didn't try to institute any of them during his pretend rule of Manchuquo. However, perhaps the idea of a very ordinary man in these extraordinary circumstances, expected to perform extraordinary feats is what manages to keep the story engaging, at least for some of the time.
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I didn't know exactly where to put this, so I hope that this is ok. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed watching the Last Emperor because I could understand the context and history behind the movie but now I got to see the events from a different and more personal point of view. It was especially interesting, because the revolution that ends the Qing dynasty was something that I thought of as an event that set the country up for what was to happen next, such as societal reforms and the introduction of the nationalist and communist parties. The movie forced me to think about the ending of the dynasty as an event in itself and to look at the changes that resulted. I thought that the conflict within the movie became more powerful because it was shown through the lens of one person. By focusing on the emperor's life and the effect of this conflict on his life, it became more apparent how the tension in society affected all people. Lastly, I found that seeing a young child in fancy clothes, needing assistance to take a bath, and expected to run a government made me think about the controversial setup of that political system. It was apparent how dedicated the people were to the emperor and his every decision and desire, but it seemed ridiculous because when he took power he was just a child. I think that watching the people give power to a child without question made me judge their political system as a whole. Overall, I think that the movie was valuable because it showed a different perspective that many people would never otherwise understand as well as give the viewer an "inside" view of the dynasty, from which they can further form their opinions.