Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1987 film The Last Emperor is regarded as a visual masterpiece. Nominated for nine Academy Awards, the film swept all categories including Best Picture and Best Director, Best Cinematography for Vittorio Straro, and Best Costume Design for James Acheson. The Last Emperor follows the true life story of Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi, the last ruler of the Chinese Ching Dynasty, from his takeover of power in 1908 at age three till his death in 1967. Told through a series of flashbacks, Pu Yi is shown in his childhood restricted to the Forbidden City, living a “westernized” lifestyle in Tientsin, Japan after being stripped of power, ruling the puppet state of Manchukuo with the support of the Japanese, imprisoned as a war criminal by the People’s Republic of China, and eventually in the last stage of his life as a gardener in a Maoist society. For Bertolucci, The Last Emperor came after six years spent in a self-imposed exile from filmmaking and represents one of his greatest artistic achievements.
Bertolucci on set with actor John Lone
After becoming the first production authorized by the Chinese government to film in the Forbidden City, Bertolucci allotted a $25 million budget to recreate the sets and costumes that would pay tribute to the history and culture. In conjunction with the cinematography, costuming within the Forbidden City is bold and bright, using reds, yellows, and oranges to accentuate the traditional dress and lavish lifestyle of the young emperor. Contrarily, the prison camp scenes of Pu Yi’s later life make use of blue tones and very simple, uniform clothing. However, the section of the film following Piyu’s expulsion from the Forbidden City interestingly combines these two techniques.
While living in Japan and embracing westernization, the characters are dressed in richly colored western styles of the 1920′s. However, the overall composition of the scenes are dull and shadowy, using the blue tones of the prison camp scenes to allude to the fact that Pu Yi is losing control. This combination is then flipped during Pu Yi’s reign of Manchukuo. While the cinematography again captures the brightness of the scenery, the 1920′s western costumes have become much darker and more subdued.
Though the cinema style of The Last Emperor may not easily translate to the here and now, the beauty of the film itself is a great inspiration. Due to a lack of available photos, The Rathaus was unable to include many pictures of the costuming during the time of Pu Yi’s 1920′s westernization. For a snapshot of these scenes please enjoy the following video.
Fun fact from Wikipedia: The Buddhist lamas who appear in the film could not be touched by women, so extra male wardrobe helpers were hired to dress them.
by: Tricia Rock
Tags: art, Bernardo Bertolucci, cinema, fashion, rathaus, style
