Why "The Last Emperor", a feature film about China's last emperor Puyi, won Oscar favor

"The Last Emperor" can be said to be a very interesting movie. The interesting thing that Brother mentioned here does not mean the plot, but that although it is a work about Chinese history, its director is Bernardo Bertolucci from Italy.

I believe there will be many viewers who are curious about how a foreign director can make a Chinese historical film well? But facts have proven that he not only did a good job, but also achieved great results and reputation after the film was released. It’s simply not too high! Although the Chinese people are relatively familiar with their country's history, the Italian director told the life of China's last emperor "Pu Yi" from the most objective perspective.

"The Last Emperor" is the first feature film in Chinese film history to be shot in the Forbidden City with permission from the Chinese government. However, this is not its greatness. What is truly great is that one year after its release, the film simultaneously won the 60th Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor. Nine major awards including photography, best art, best costume design, best editing, best sound effects, and best original music.

In the past, we would always mention that a certain work was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, but in the end only one or two actually won the award. But "The Last Emperor" won all nine awards. It’s incredible to think about it! Looking carefully at the awards it has won, there are so many aspects related to film, director, script, photography, art, costumes, editing, and music. Almost everything that is involved in film creation is mentioned here. This means that this movie is almost perfect in every aspect.

In the story told by director Bernardo, there is no intrigue that appears in most Qing palace dramas. There is no beautiful face. His focus is used to describe the loneliness and sorrow of Emperor Puyi's life, as well as the majesty of the Forbidden City. You can really feel the "last generation" feeling that the director wants to express from the movie.

In fact, it is not difficult to see the director's care from every tiny detail of this movie. He has a sense of sadness in every frame of the film, the lighting, and even the background music. "The Last Emperor" was released in 1987, thirty years ago. Although the shooting conditions at the time were limited, the overall effect of the film can be called a masterpiece.

Director Bernardo used his unique master's perspective to view the desolation and end of a generation of dynasties, and also saw the fate of a generation of emperors who were involuntarily involved in the torrent of history. For the nine Oscars it has won, in Brother's eyes it is well-deserved.