Forums
New posts
What's new
New posts
Latest activity
Awards
Log in
Register
What's new
New posts
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Poison your name this Hallowe'en
There's plenty of time to choose your spooky October username
Click here for more details
Forums
Entertainment
Movies
What was the last film you watched?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Werewillie Oleson" data-source="post: 429007" data-attributes="member: 8"><p>THE LAST EMPEROR (1987)</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]57070[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>I can easily binge-watch an X number of TV episodes or a complete mini-series, but when it comes to lengthy films (usually the so-called epics) then I always feel a bit intimidated. It's not the "oh, let's check this out" kind of film, you need to sit down and make the commitment.</p><p>Undoubtedly, this has been the main reason to safely dismiss it as a "probably not for me" film. See how I dodged that bullet, so smart and foreseeing.</p><p></p><p>However, this is 2025 and I'm going to say NO to the NO's because it <em>is</em> possible that I've missed out on something great.</p><p>I ordered the DVD and when I opened the package it turned out to be a 4-disc boxset edition. Dammit, intimidated all over again.</p><p>I was a little tempted to shelve it but then I remembered the promise I made when I promised myself to watch it.</p><p></p><p>The first part is all about big scenery and cultural showcase and it's all fantastic to look at but at the same time it looked like a history lesson without much character drama.</p><p>The addition of Peter O'Toole's character made it look more personal but despite the film's lenghty running time there were lots of unnatural cuts that looked like deliberate editing. I wouldn't be surprised if that's exactly what it was, to prevent the film from becoming a 5 hour saga.</p><p>Either way, I struggled to connect with the characters and it was only the wonderful cinematography and handsome cast that encouraged me to watch the film in one sitting.</p><p>The story really comes to life when Emperor Pu Yi goes into exile, the problems with his wives and of course the Japanese scheme. About that, it seems to me that the only reason they were successful is because the political climate in China was a shambles.</p><p>From this point on I actually felt the story was a little too <em>short</em> and I could have easily watched an additional hour of those goings-on.</p><p>The riches-to-rags story ends in a very elegant way and it's also here where the pomp and circumstance of the film's first part began to resonate.</p><p>Maybe you think it's cheesy but I really wanted <em>one</em> vocal flashback when gardener Pu Yi enters the castle of the Forbidden City. I would have liked to hear the voice of the grand dowager empress asking again "Are you afraid?".</p><p></p><p>Dialogue is all in English language and I guess that helped to make it more accessible (if only for the filmmaker himself) but also an eetsie-peetsie teeny-weeny lowbrow Hollywood.</p><p>I'm glad I've watched it and I enjoyed it more with each passing hour (ha) but it's not quite the masterpiece I thought it would be.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Werewillie Oleson, post: 429007, member: 8"] THE LAST EMPEROR (1987) [ATTACH type="full"]57070[/ATTACH] I can easily binge-watch an X number of TV episodes or a complete mini-series, but when it comes to lengthy films (usually the so-called epics) then I always feel a bit intimidated. It's not the "oh, let's check this out" kind of film, you need to sit down and make the commitment. Undoubtedly, this has been the main reason to safely dismiss it as a "probably not for me" film. See how I dodged that bullet, so smart and foreseeing. However, this is 2025 and I'm going to say NO to the NO's because it [I]is[/I] possible that I've missed out on something great. I ordered the DVD and when I opened the package it turned out to be a 4-disc boxset edition. Dammit, intimidated all over again. I was a little tempted to shelve it but then I remembered the promise I made when I promised myself to watch it. The first part is all about big scenery and cultural showcase and it's all fantastic to look at but at the same time it looked like a history lesson without much character drama. The addition of Peter O'Toole's character made it look more personal but despite the film's lenghty running time there were lots of unnatural cuts that looked like deliberate editing. I wouldn't be surprised if that's exactly what it was, to prevent the film from becoming a 5 hour saga. Either way, I struggled to connect with the characters and it was only the wonderful cinematography and handsome cast that encouraged me to watch the film in one sitting. The story really comes to life when Emperor Pu Yi goes into exile, the problems with his wives and of course the Japanese scheme. About that, it seems to me that the only reason they were successful is because the political climate in China was a shambles. From this point on I actually felt the story was a little too [I]short[/I] and I could have easily watched an additional hour of those goings-on. The riches-to-rags story ends in a very elegant way and it's also here where the pomp and circumstance of the film's first part began to resonate. Maybe you think it's cheesy but I really wanted [I]one[/I] vocal flashback when gardener Pu Yi enters the castle of the Forbidden City. I would have liked to hear the voice of the grand dowager empress asking again "Are you afraid?". Dialogue is all in English language and I guess that helped to make it more accessible (if only for the filmmaker himself) but also an eetsie-peetsie teeny-weeny lowbrow Hollywood. I'm glad I've watched it and I enjoyed it more with each passing hour (ha) but it's not quite the masterpiece I thought it would be. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Who played JR Ewing?
Post reply
Forums
Entertainment
Movies
What was the last film you watched?
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn more…
Top
