movie review: From Emperor to Persona Non Grata
The story of the last emperor of China, whose dynasty succumbed to the changing times, the threat of the Republic, warring warlords, and communism is an epic drama with grand sweeping cinemotography that captures the eye of the beholder.
Viewing this film was like visiting a faraway land, replete with ancient customs that embellished the ancient cultural scenes of the Forbidden City. Yet, interspersed into the overall narrative of the movie were depictions of the modern shifts in China that comprised the span of time from 1903 to 1967.
The last emperor of the Manchu Dynasty was three years old when he became emperor. He grew up in a court surrounded by eight-hundred eunuchs, maids in waiting, older women supervisors and his own personal advisors. Despite his being raised upon Chinese classics, the depths of truth and clarity according to the ancient ways did not take hold upon him.
The beauty and grandeur of the Forbidden city, demonstrative of imperial China, dynasties sweeping back to the beginning of Chinese history, 4,500 years ago is a rare sight, now only seen by those paying to enter the city domains, like a giant outside museum (as depicted at the end of the film).
Yet, this contrasts with the modern influences that take their toll upon the emperor, Pu Ying, after he is forced to leave the confines of his only home, because he is ousted by the new government. The bittersweet tears of nostalgia permeate the film, as he embraces a modern life, with the comforts available to him and the empress.
All of this reform, that began in the Forbidden city, after he cut off his royal ponytail, gives way to a bleak reality after his dream to become emperor again, by colluding with the Japanese in regard to Manchuria, fails. It is nothing short of tragic, when he is captured by the Russians, and after spending time in Siberia transferred over to the Maoist Chinese authorities.
He spends ten years in a re-education camp, where he is treated as a commoner, and brought down-to-size by the ruling system that replaced his empire. It is a testament to what preceded Mao’s Cultural Revolution – the ancient culture of China – that was crushed by the communist reshaping of society. Lost cities, wherein emperors dwelt, Buddhist monasteries, Confucian ideals, and Taoist classics all destroyed for the sake of the Party.
Breathing Room 