I just watched The Last Emperor again, and I really liked it.
I rented the director's cut, which was too long. I liked the theatrical release. Much of the work in the extended version is distracting, unnecessary, and drags the pacing of the movie.
I wanted to comment on the final Pu Yi scene, when he finds his former governor during his time in the Chinese (Marxist) re-education camp:
Puyi questions one of the younger guards stationed next to the former governor. He says that there must be some mistake. He could not have done anything wrong.
When he asks, "What crime has he committed?
They only tell him that he has been accused. Of what? A slurry of accusations comes from there other Red students, accusing him of supporting the Emperor, Zionist forces, or the right-wing.
Incredible stuff.
This is a sad and bitter irony, if there ever was one.
The governor brow-beat and bullied Puyi into submission, turning him into a dutiful soldier for the Maoist regime. Now, the same teacher is getting worse treatment, likely from the very young people he helped indoctrinate!
Despite being walled up, cloistered, and imprisoned for most of his life, Puyi is finally free as an everyday citizen in China.
The governor who had stolen away his freedom, dignity, and identity is now targeted with raging accusations, and he is forced to kowtow, even bowing to the Last Emperor.
The irony is too deep to ignore. Puyi committed no crimes, and yet he was persecuted.
Now the governor gets a taste of his own medicine, and yet for all of this, Puyi still thinks of that disgraced governor as a good man. Tragic, indeed.
No comments:
Post a Comment