--- title: "The Last Emperor: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-last-emperor/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-last-emperor" critics_score: 67 critics_reviews: 10 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Last Emperor (1987): what the critics said Critics' score 67 from 10 reviews: 8 positive, 0 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics admire The Last Emperor, and the praise gathers almost entirely in one place: the look of it. The Forbidden City sequences, Vittorio Storaro’s photography, the production design and the thousands of extras are singled out again and again, and several reviews treat the film as a useful, handsome introduction to twentieth-century Chinese history. The reviews written for its later re-releases, with an extra hour restored, are noticeably warmer than those from its first run. The reservations gather in one place too. Pu Yi is a passive figure, and many critics find the film cool and distant as a result, with spectacle standing in for sympathy. The spread is wide. The two dissenters are both from 1987: Pauline Kael in The New Yorker calls it a pageant without a protagonist, and Vincent Canby in The New York Times finds it arthritic and awkwardly built. Slant adds a further worry about an outsider’s gaze on China. ## Empire — Natasha Aitken Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Bertolucci's masterpiece receives a re-release with an extra hour of footage that deepens the story of Pu Yi. The film is praised as a remarkable cinematic achievement and eye-opening history lesson, with breathtaking colours, sets, costumes and extras in the Forbidden City. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/last-emperor-director-cut-review/) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Rating A-. 27 February 2008. The Criterion edition makes a strong case for The Last Emperor as a truly great epic that captures the political turmoil of 20th-century China through the story of an individual swept up in history. The passive nature of the protagonist makes for a difficult epic, though rich ironies abound. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-last-emperor-1798203829) ## Los Angeles Times — Sheila Benson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 1987. The review praises the film as a coolly lavish epic and intoxicating visual rush thanks to its director, production designer and cinematographer. Its core remains cool and distant in telling the story of a man ill-fitted for either end of history's lens. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-11-20-ca-15017-story.html) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 February 2008. The critic views the film as a visually magnificent but deeply flawed epic that foregrounds old-fashioned movie magic and marks a breakthrough for Chinese images in Western cinema. They single out the collaboration between Bertolucci, cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, and the production design team for lavish, awe-inspiring imagery while noting issues with characterization, perspective, and an outsider's gaze. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-criterion-collection-422-the-last-emperor/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 March 2004. Bertolucci's director's cut of the epic is a David Lean-esque spectacle with spectacular richness and heartfelt storytelling. It gives clearer emphasis to Pu Yi's time as a puppet emperor in Manchuria, though some elements now appear ersatz compared to newer Chinese cinema. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,1167186,00.html) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 17 February 2023. The sumptuous Bertolucci epic triumphs in production design and location shooting with its use of thousands of extras, though it also conveys great sadness in tracking Puyi's lifelong imprisonment from gilded cage to Red Army capture. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-last-emperor-1987-review-a-sumptuous-epic-kb8xhj2hq) ## Time Out — BC Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. Bertolucci's epic follows Pu Yi's journey from child emperor to gardener, striving to show his capacity for personal redemption amid historical upheaval. The Forbidden City sequences stand out for their sumptuous visual richness, though spectacle often overshadows deeper sympathy. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-last-emperor-1) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 7 October 1987. Festival review. The film is described as one of unique visual splendor that makes for a fascinating trip to another world but proves remote and untouchable like its subject. It is a prodigious production and exquisitely painted mural of 20th century Chinese history. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1987/film/reviews/the-last-emperor-1200427361/) ## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 23 November 1987. Bertolucci's film presents Pu Yi's life as a passive historical pageant without a true protagonist or dramatic drive, resulting in a visually graceful but ultimately dull and intellectually conceived spectacle. The critic singles out the film's many felicitous set pieces and rhyming images of helplessness for their poignant impact. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1987/11/30/the-manchurian-conformist) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 1987. The critic finds the film arthritic and a let-down overall, with an awkward structure that fails to capture the drama of its subject's life despite occasional spectacular visuals. It works best as an illustrated introduction to modern Chinese history. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/20/movies/film-last-emperor-an-epic.html) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-last-emperor.md