Voila! Finally, the The Last Emporer
script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the Bernardo Bertolucci
movie. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly
transcribed using the screenplay and/or viewings of The Last Emporer. I know, I know, I still need to get the cast names in there and I'll be eternally
tweaking it, so if you have any corrections, feel free to
drop me a line. You won't
hurt my feelings. Honest.
The war criminals will proceed
in orderly fashion...
to the main waiting room
and await instructions
Obey the guards
War criminals must proceed
to the main waiting room
Those caught talking
will be severely punished
The Emperor
Your Majesty...His Majesty
What do they think they are doing?
It is dangerous
Go back
They could kill us all
Open the door
Open the door!
"PEKING, "
By the command of Her lmperial Majesty
...also called the Compassionate
...and the Blessed...the
Respectful and the Long Living
The Empress Dowager commands...
Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi...Son of Prince Chun...
shall be transferred...immediately
...to the Forbidden City...
and will remain in the Great Within
awaiting Her Majesty's decision
Respect this
"Ar Mo, I am giving you my Son"
My son is your son
"Quick, quick"
I want to go home
Look. Look at the Forbidden City
Give him to me
Ar Mo
Pu Yi. Come here
Are you afraid of me?
Everyone is
I am the Grand Empress Dowager
"And I have lived here...
for a long, long time"
And they call me the Old Buddha
This is Peony
Do you like her?
"Men, you know...are not allowed
in the Forbidden City after dark"
Even little men like you
The only man who can live
here...is the Emperor
But the Emperor is on high
...ridding the dragon now
He died today
Longevity
These other men...they're not real men
They are all eunuchs
And now...they are all
waiting...for me to die
That is why...they are putting my
bed...in the middle of the room...
under the Black Pearl
Little Pu Yi
I have decided...that you will be
the new Lord of Ten Thousand Years
You will be the Son of Heaven
"Are we going home, Papa?"
It will soon be over
Look!
Cricket!
"Cricket, where's the cricket?"
"He is my friend, Your Majesty"
Safe and warm under my arm
Kept me company on the long journey here
He is kowtowing to Your Majesty
Now he can be the Emperor's cricket
"Your Majesty, this is the Forbidden City"
This little one is...Your Majesty's bedroom
This is where we are
Am I going home today?
Not today
"And here, look"
I'll give Your Majesty
the Gate of Marshovala
I don't like baths!
I don't like baths
More beancurd today. And no meat
Is it true I can do anything I want?
Of course Your Majesty. Anything you want
You are the Lord of Ten Thousand Years
I am the Son of Heaven!
I am the Son of Heaven!
"Ar Mo, I want to go home"
"I want to go home, I want to go home,
I want to go home, Ar Mo"
I want to go home
Once upon a time...there was a great tree
and a great wind
And when the tree fell...
the monkeys were scattered
His soup is getting cold
Where am I?
In the People's Republic of China...
Why did you stop me?
You are a criminal. You must be judged
I repeat...
Prisoners going to their cells
will walk with their heads bowed
Keep your eyes on the ground
No looking forward...or to the side
The Guard will give you directions...
and tell you when to turn
Pu Chieh
Your guest is waiting to
meet you...Your Majesty
Also your mother has arrived
"You have not seen your mother
for many years, Your Majesty"
He is so small
"He is young, Your Majesty"
Go
The Emperor's brother.
His Excellency Pu Chieh
Ar Mo
How is the health of His Majesty's mother?
"It is better, thank you"
How much His Majesty has grown
My mother has not seen me for seven years
Do you remember my face?
No
The night they came with the horses
...I knew it would be like this
My brother sees you every day
Pu Chieh is very excited to meet you
He often talks about you
We are all very proud of you
The kite
He chose this for you
Papa
They're turning away
Of course. Ordinary people are not
allowed to look at the Emperor
I'm too important
Is that true that you can
do whatever you want?
Of course I can
If I am naughty someone else is punished
One of them
Stop
The Emperor will walk
Are they all like you?
I've got three sisters and two friends
If you come to our house...
you can play with us
The Emperor never leaves the palace
We play games together
I know a game too
Run
The ones on the boat are the High Consorts
High Consorts?
The wives of the Emperor before me
They say they're my mother
But they're not
Why are you wearing that?
You are not allowed to wear yellow
But it is ordinary yellow
It is lmperial yellow
"No, it is not"
We say it is
Only the Emperor can wear that yellow
Take it off
No
Take it off
"No, and you're not the Emperor any more"
There is a new Emperor now
He has cut off his queue.
And instead of a camel...
he has got a car
What did you say?
You're not the Emperor
Liar
You're not the Emperor any more
You're not the Emperor
You're not the Emperor
How dare you!
You're not the Emperor!
How dare you
Am I the Emperor or not?
Your Majesty...will always be the Emperor
You see
Prove it
Big Foot
Drink it
Drink the green ink
I will show you
"See, that is a car"
He is the President of the Republic
"Why is this wall here, Lord Chamberlain?"
"It is just a wall, Your Majesty.
Nothing has changed here"
You are lying
High Tutor
Am I still the Emperor?
You will always be the Emperor...
inside the Forbidden City...
but not outside
I do not understand
Outside China is now a Republic...
with a President
Where is Ar Mo?
You are all liars
Let me say goodbye
Hurry
He's my child
I do not understand
I do not understand
Your Majesty is a big boy now
He cannot have a wet nurse any more
It is much better like this
Much healthier
But she is not my wet nurse
She is my butterfly
Ar Mo
Ar Mo
This is the detention centre...
of the Fushun Bureau of Public Security...
and I am the Governer
During the war...this was a Japanese prison
Many of you may remember it...
because you worked with the Japanese
You were responsible for building it...
and you filled it with innocent people
How could this happen?
Why did you betray your country?
What turned you into war criminals?
We believe...that men are born good
We believe...that the only way to change...
is to discover the truth
and look at it in the face
That is why you are here
You will begin by writing
the story of your lives...
and by confessing your crimes
Your salvation will lie entirely...
in the attitude you take
I advise you to be frank and sincere
Otherwise things can still
go very badly for you
TWILIGHTIN THE FORBIDDEN CITY
After a few years the Chinese Republic...
had become as corrupt as the old empire
It fell quickly into the hands of
ambitious generals and corrupt bureaucrats
The era of the warlords had begun
By May when I had
received my appointment...
China was in turmoil
May the new tutor present himself
Your lmperial Highness...the new tutor
Mr Reginald Fleming Johnston
"How do you do, Mr Johnston?"
"How do you do, Your Majesty"
Now we will go to school
Your Majesty...
in my country it would be usual to begin
...with some kind of an examination
The Emperor cannot be examined
Now that my have to change
But first your Majesty might
like to ask me some questions?
Where are your ancestors buried?
"In Scotland, Your Majesty"
But then where's your skirt?
"In your country men wear
short skirts, do they not?"
"No, Your Majesty, Scotsmen
do not wear skirts..."
they wear kilts
Kilts?
A matter of words
perhaps but words are important
Why are words important?
"If you cannot say what
you mean, Your Majesty..."
you will never mean what you say
And a gentleman should
always mean what he says
Ah yes! A gentleman
Are you a gentleman?
"I would like to be a gentleman, Your Majesty"
I try to be
I am not a gentleman
I'm not allowed to say what I mean
They are always telling me what to say
Your Majesty is still very young
I thought he might like to see
some English and American magazines
I have just received them
I know that you know...
that I know that you know...
that that is a dialogue between
Confucious...and Chuang-Tsu
"Concerning respect, Your Majesty"
Who is this George Washington?
"A famous American, Your Majesty"
"A revolutionary General,
the first American President"
"Ah, like Mr Lenin in Russia?"
Not quiet
Does he have a car?
"He lived a long time ago, Your Majesty"
I want a car
"I think your mouse is trying to escape,
Your Majesty"
Please do not tell anyone about my mouse
The lesson is finished
Our official taster is a brave man
"Many of my ancestors have
been poisoned, you know"
Does Your Majesty have lunch
like this every day?
"Oh, yes, every day. Like theatre"
I do not know why.
It has always been like that
How do they kill Emperor's in the West?
"The Austrian Emperor was shot, was he not?"
But this nephew was assassinated
before the Great War
But the Russian Emperor has been shot
He was called the Tsar
He took lots of our land in Manchuria
I'm a Manchurian
"Even after the Republic,
it's still my country"
"The, er...secret,
Your Majesty, is emerging again"
Something is happening
"What is happening, Mr Johnston?"
Nothing is Quiet
"On our way here, Your Majesty..."
we were held up by
students from a University
They were protesting against
the Republican Government...
because it has agreed to give
away Chinese territory...to Japan
"Is it true, Mr Johnston..."
that many people out there have
had their heads chopped off?
"It is true, Your Majesty..."
many heads have been chopped off
It does stop them thinking
It is time for the Emperor's rest
The students are right to be angry
I am angry
But I'm not allowed to
leave the Forbidden City
"I want to go out, Mr Johnston"
"My Lord, I want to see the city of sounds"
The Emperor awards you...with
the order of the Ruby Hat Button...
and with the right to be carried in
your own chair with four bearers
I hope the Emperor has not forgotten...
that this is the day for his maths class
For Your Majesty
My doctor said bicycles are bad for you
"Bad for you, nonsense"
How does it work?
Oh...it's simple
Head up and eyes forward as in life
"My Mother's dead, is she not?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I'm profoundly sorry"
I'm not
She killed herself
She swallowed a ball of opium
"I'm going to see her, and my brother"
Open the door
Open the door!
Open the door!
Look where you lead him
"And you are an old, cruel, ignorant man"
The boy's Mother is dead
and he's not even allowed to see her
I want to go out! I want to go out!
Stop it. Stay where you are
I want to go out
Stop it! Stay where you are
I want to go out!
Hunchback. Big Foot
"Give me your hand, sir"
"Give me your hand, sir"
"Look at my left ear please, sir"
And now my right
"Would you follow my finger please, sir"
"Well, it's perfectly simple Johnstone"
The Emperor needs spectacles
Like Harold Lloyd
Impossible
An Emperor does not wear spectacles
That cannot be allowed
"Times have changed, Your Highnesses"
"If His Majesty doesn't get
spectacles, Johnston..."
he could lose his sight
"If the Emperor does not get spectacles,
I will resign"
"Unfortunately, our decision is final..."
and unfortunately what I have to say...
will be published in every newspaper in China
"What do you have to say, Mr Johnston?"
The Emperor has been a
prisoner in his own palace...
since the day that he was crowned...
and has remained a prisoner
since he abdicated
"But, now he's growing up...he may wonder
why he's the only person in China"
who may not walk out of his own front door
I think the Emperor is the
loneliest boy on earth
It would be conveniently sad...
if he becomes blind
Blind...Mr Johnston?
"To the expense, Your Excellency"
To the cost of maintaining one
thousand two hundred Eunuchs...
three hundred and fifty ladies-in-waiting...
and one hundred and eighty-five cooks
To buying one hundred and
twenty sable furs a month...
and three thousand chickens a week
To the fact that eight hundred
and forty Guards and employees...
of the Household Department
plus one Lord Chamberlain...
care only about one thing...
filling their own rice bowls
"You are very good at accounts, Mr Johnston"
The Emperor may have abdicated...
but he is still a symbol of
great importance...to many people
If I did not agree with
that I would not be here
And some of us believe...that one
day soon he may be more than a symbol
The spectacles are a detail
"What do you really want, Mr Johnston?"
Just the spectacles
"Oh no...The Princess Wan Jung, Your Majesty"
Seventeen years old
"Princess Who Jen, fifteen years old"
"The Princess Li Li, Your Majesty"
And the Princess Fun Ying
Who is this?
"Princess Wen Hsiu, twelve years old"
She has got a funny face
Not just one wife
One Empress and one Secondary Consort
Two wives
"But, who did you choose to be the Empress?"
"They chose her, she's very old, Johnston"
She's seventeen
"That's not so old, Your Majesty"
What does she look like?
Old-fashioned
"I want a modern wife, Johnston"
Who speaks English and French
And who can dance the quickstep
Johnston
"I'm going to escape, Johnston"
I've got a suitcase and a ticket to English
I'm going to Oxford University
Your Majesty...if you get married...
you will become the master of your own house
A wedding might be a more
practical way to escape
"Why did you never get married, Johnston?"
The Secondary Consort welcomes the Empress
The Empress greets the Secondary Consort
You are doing everything every well
Thank you. I rehearsed many times
What is his Majesty thinking?
I was thinking if I was a real Emperor...
I would become the ruler of China now
And what would the Emperor do...
if he could really rule?
I would change everything
Even the way we get married
Is the Emperor against arranged marriages?
It is humiliating not to
choose whom you marry
Even I was not allowed to choose
In another year or two...
His Majesty will be taller than me
Is it true the Emperor has
a suitcase under his bed...
and is going to Oxford
Will the Emperor take Wan Jung with him?
Perhaps he would like to
see my face before he decides
The Emperor would like to see
the face of the Empress
It is the Emperor who
must remove the kai t'ou
I also had a tutor...like Mr Johnston
Miss Windsor
She's American
Miss Windsor taught me how to
do the dance of the quickstep
Does the Emperor know how to do the quickstep?
Will you teach me?
"Leave us, leave us"
If Your Majesty thinks...
it is old fashioned...
to make the rain and
the wind with a stranger...
we can be like a modern
couple...to begin with
A modern couple?
Goodnight! Goodnight!
You must come to Oxford with me
I like him
I am sure I am going to like him
And he will grow up
Eyes down
Report your arrival
Prisoner reporting
Louder!
Prisoner reporting!
Open the door
Close the door
Sit down
Name?
Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi
Write it
Now then...there are two types of confession
We call them toothpaste...
and water tap
The toothpaste prisoner needs to
be squeezed every now and then...
or else he forgets to keep confessing
The water tap man...needs one good
hard twist before he starts...
but then everything comes out
Now...you're an intelligent person
I'm sure you understand me?
Good. Then we'll begin
Why do you think you're in here ?
I am accused of being a traitor...
a collaborator and a counter revolutionary
It is not an accusation! You are a traitor!
You are a collaborator and you
are a counter revolutionary
Did you write this?
And you call it a confession?
This is nothing but a list of dates
A child's fairy tale
What do you want me to confess?
You know what you did...
and what others did
So why don't you volunteer the information?
I do not understand
We don't tell people what to confess
We already know everything about you
I...
I wanted reforms
What did you want to...reform?
Everything
Cut off my queue
"Your Majesty, please"
It is heavy
The Emperor before me was murdered...
because he wanted to reform the Empire
"Is that no so, Mr Johnston?"
"Yes, Your Majesty...probably"
Well...let's see if they will kill me
for reforming the Forbidden City
I am appointing Mr Johnston's friend...
the poet and scholar Chen Hsiao-Hsiu
...to be the new Lord Chamberlain
I want him to supervise a detailed
inventory...of the lmperial storerooms
So that we can learn exactly
how much has been stolen
.
The Forbidden City had become
a theatre without an audience
So why did the actors remain on the stage?
It was only to steal the
scenery...piece by piece
Can I sleep here? I am frightened
You're brave
Are you not frightened?
I am excited
I do not want to escape anymore
I want to rule
Kiss me
Can I stay with you as well?
Get in. Get in
I used to play a game with the Eunuchs...
trying to guess who is who
Now I cannot see you
"The storerooms are on fire, Your Majesty"
The fire was a terrible disaster
And I knew that Eunuchs had started it...
to stop me from knowing what they had stolen
There has been Eunuchs in the
Forbidden City...for eight hundred years
There were still more
than a thousand of them
I decided to expel them all
I had to ask for
Republican troops to help me
What are they carrying?
Their organs
Whatever their crimes...
they cannot be deprived of the
right...to be buried as whole men
I...I forgot what I was saying
You're wasting our time
We want to know about the Japanese
How did your friendship
with the Japanese begin?
Who introduced you? When?
I think it was...it was
Parliament had been dissolved again
The President had fled
At first I thought it was just another
...coup d'etat by just another warlord
Only this time it was different
This time it was my turn
Fifteen love
Play
Thirty-fifteen
The rotten Government of
the Republic is in flight
Now we shall remove the foreign stench...
of the Manchurian rats who still
hide in the Forbidden City
Mr Pu Yi and his family...
have been given one hour
to leave the Forbidden City
They will be escorted...to the
home of his Father and remain...
there under guard as state prisoners...
until further notice
What are you all looking at?
What are you standing there for?
You always wanted to
leave the Forbidden City
Now you have got an hour to pack
So go
I always thought I hated it here
But now I am afraid to leave
Do you think they will kill me?
"You must do as they say, Your Majesty..."
while I try to reach the British Embassy
They will give you asylum there
I'm sure they will
Chang...take my car to the South gate.
I want you to drive His Majesty
Your Majesty
"Please, Your Majesty"
What?
"But you didn't go to the
British Embassy, did you?"
You ended up at the Japanese Embassy
The Japanese were the only people
prepared to help me
Help you for nothing?
Japan has an Emperor.
We are almost the same age
I thought it was kindness
The same time I relised that
for many Chinese...
I was an alien
Simply because I am Manchurian
There was even an Anti-Manchurian
League who wanted to assassinate me
So I went to live in Tientsin
It was a nice...provincial town
...with a big port
In those days it had a large
International Settlement
The Japanese thought it
would be safer for me there
Were the Japanese paying
for you in Tientsin?
"Oh, no. I had to rent a villa"
The villa Chang...and it was very expensive
"So, were the bodyguards"
I spent a lot of money in Tientsin
Did you still believe in the
restoration of the lmperial system
Others did
The little court-in-exile
I cannot remember how much
jade and jewellery...
they made me spend to buy the
friendship of some warlord...
or some...white Russian general
And what else did you spend your money on?
"Oh, I was never tired of buying pianos..."
"watches, radios"
As long as they were foreign
Of course. Anything Western was good
"Especially Wrigley's chewing gum,
Bayer aspirin..."
and cars
While you were in Tientsin...
most of China came under the control
of General Chiang Kai Shek...
the so-called Nationalists...the Kuomintang
What were your relations with them?
None
I felt useless in Tientsin
I was twenty-one
I dreamt of going to the West
I became a playboy
"Tientsin, "
BRITISH INDIA STEAM NAVIGATION COMPAN
That's a great ship...
if you're going first class
I'm not going anywhere
Would you like to dance?
You are a brave man
Nobody here would have danced with me
Why's that?
Because I am Chinese
Well...l'm American
You say California.
I say French Riviera
San Fransisco
Monte Carlo
Are we really going this time?
Who's that couple?
"Oh, Henry and Elizabeth"
The Emperor of China?
The ex-Emperor and his wife
She's beautiful
"Yes, very"
And who are you?
I am His Highness' other wife
His other wife?
Number two wife
"Well, some people have all the luck"
Ladies and Gentlemen
General Chiang Kai Shek...has taken Shanghai
The Kuomintang have broken with the Reds
and they've knocked them for six
The Reds are finished!
Sorry about the reception everyone.
We'll have it fixed in a minute
"It would be wiser to return to the
Japanese Legation now, Your Majesty"
Your car is waiting
"Thank you, Mr Amakasu"
The General strike in Shanghai has collapsed
The International Settlement is safe
Troops of the Kuomintang are now
in fall control of the city
And firm steps are being taken to
restore order...in the native areas
Wen Hsiu. You want some gum?
I want a divorce
I do not want to be your mistress any longer
I thought you were my Secondary Consort
In the Forbidden City you were the Emperor...
and I was a Secondary Consort
But now your are Henry Pu Yi...
"Wan Jung is your wife, Elizabeth"
And who am I?
I'm nobody
I did not know you were so unhappy
You can only have one wife in the West
I want a divorce
No one can divorce me
I want a divorce
Your Ladyship
I do not need it
I do not need it
Can I come in?
Don't you remember me?
"I'm dressed like a pilot,
but I still can't fly"
Not yet
Eastern Jewel. We had dancing classes together
"Yes, just before your marriage"
You silly girl.
Why do people want to get married?
Wen Hsiu has gone
She will never come back
Is that so bad?
She was my only friend
"Well, at least now you've got
a husband all to yourself'
And you've got me
I'll be your friend
You smoke opium?
Be wicked. It's the best in Shanghai
Why are you going to Europe?
The place to go is Japan
It's more fun than anywhere
It's modern
How do you know we are going to Europe?
It is a secret
"Oh, I know everything"
I know Chiang Kai Shek has got false teeth
"I even know his nickname, "Cash-my-check"
I'm a spy
And I don't care who knows it
A spy?
I work for the Japanese
Special Service Bureau...
and I've come to protect you
The Japanese?
They are getting closer to him every day
He is sending his brother...
to the Military Academy in Tokyo
They talk to him about
Manchuria all the time
And Mr Amakasu never says hello to me
I do not trust the Japanese
"Of course, I'd love to be the
Emperor's new Secondary Consort"
Eastern Jewel
If the past available
"The post is vacant, my dear cousin..."
but you do not fit the part
Wen Hsiu left her dog behind.
Do you want it?
It is my fault. It is all my fault
"I came to see you, Your Majesty..."
to give you bad news
Something terrible has happened
The lmperial tombs of our Manchurian
ancestors have been attacked...
and robbed...by troops of the Kuomintang
Chinese soldiers
A warlord working for Chiang Kai Shek
The body of the Empress Dowager...
was hacked to pieces
Her pearl necklace has
became a wedding present
from Chiang Kai Shek...to his new wife
Tell me ...
do you consider yourself to be Chinese?
Of course
What is this?
Japan
And what do you call this part of China
The North East
And what did you call it as a child?
Manchuria
Japan invaded Manchuria
"on September th, "
And began to set up a puppet
state called Manchukuo
"Shorty afterwards, a Japanese Delegation..."
paid you a secret visit in Tientsin...
to request your collaboration
Which you say you refused?
Speak up
I already told you.
I have told you a hundred times
Tell us again. Tell us two hundred times
I refused to collaborate
"You say you refused, but a month later..."
"on November th, ..."
there you are arriving in Manchuria...
or shall I call it Manchukuo?
"Now, according to this
so-called confession of yours..."
you didn't go of your own free will
You insisted you were
kidnapped...by the Japanese
Yes
And taken to Manchuria by force?
Yes
Sit down
Do you remember a man called
Reginald Fleming Johnston?
He was your tutor
Yes
And a good friend...I believe
After twenty-eight years in China...
Mr Johnston returned to England
He became a Professor of Oriental
Studies...at London University
And he wrote a book
"It is called "Twilight
in the Forbidden City"
And it is dedicated to you
"Tientsin, "
"I am going to miss you, Johnston"
"I shall miss you, Your Majesty"
Do you think a man...
can become Emperor again?
Yes
"Thank you, Your Majesty"
How can we say goodbye?
As we said hello
"Farewell, Mr Johnston"
"Farewell, Your Majesty"
"Goodbye, Mr Johnston"
"We'll never forget you, Mr Johnston"
"Mr Johnston, goodbye, goodbye"
On page ...
Mr Johnston writes...
the endeavour to make out that
the Emperor had been kidnapped...
by the Japanese...is wholly untrue
He left Tientsin...he went to
Manchuria of his own free will...
Johnston was a liar
What did you say?
Mr Johnston had left before
I was taken to Manchuria
He could not have known what happened
Sit down
According to this account...
you prepared the man's things
on the morning of November th
Isn't it unusual for a man who is
kidnapped to have his luggage packed...
by his valet the day before he's kidnapped
This is what you've written isn't it?
Who told you to pack this man's luggage?
These two stories don't fit
Do they?
It was a long time ago
Perhaps I made a mistake
You are lying
You are both lying
Control yourself
You can still change your mind
I am the hereditary ruler
of the Manchukuo people
There can be no Manchukuo without me
Do you not see? The Japanese are using you
I must try to use them
The Japanese invasion of Manchuria...
will be condemned by
the League of Nations...
and by every civilised country on Earth
The Chinese Republic has broken
every promise it ever made to me
Chinese troops desecrated
the tombs of my ancestors
And Chinese troops did not
defend Manchuria from the Japanese
But Manchuria is still China
China has turned its back on me
Please do not go
Manchuria is the richest frontier in Asia
"Coal, oil, railways"
Millions of Chinese emigrants
are going there every year
I'm going to build my country
Johnston was wrong but he wasn't a liar
There was no kidnapping
You went to Manchuria by your own choice
because you wanted to be Emperor again
These might help you to remember the truth
Manchuria
To Heaven
To Earth
To the Moon
To the Sun
You're an Empress again
What I'm going to be is a pilot
I'm going to train at
a secret base near Yokohama
To learn precision bombing
I want to bomb Shanghai
Bomb Shanghai?
I hate China
I hate you
The Japanese Army High Command
Very impressive
On behalf of the Emperor of Japan...
the Commander of the Kwangtung Army...
extends his warmest congratulations on
the occasion of His Majesty's coronation
"Ah, may I introduce you...
my wife, the Princess Hiro Saga"
Prime Minister Hsiao-Hsiu
The Honourable Chang Ching-Hui...
Minister of Defense
"The Papal Nuncio, Monsignor Colonna"
The Empress and I accept with great pleasure
"Excuse me, Gentlemen"
"Ah, and our Mr Amakasu..."
is the new chief of the
Manchurian Motion Picture Studios
Do you have to spoil this day?
Why?
Mr Amakasu is the most
powerful man in Manchukuo
What are you talking about?
You did not believe I could
be Emperor again. But I am
You are blind
Do you know what it means to be
an Empress? You are an Empress
Why do you not make love to me anymore?
Because you have become an opium addict
Opium killed my Mother
Opium destroyed China
You can buy opium anywhere in Manchukuo
Shut up
In any shop
Shut up
Your brother is going to have a child
We must have a child
You must have an heir
Emperor Hirohito has officially
invited us to Japan
I am going alone
You are staying here
I would never go to Japan
Then go to your room
Ten thousand years to His Majesty the Emperor
Ten thousand years
I told you I hate you
Only because I give you what you need
Now we're engaged
You forgot my toothpowder
"Yes, sir"
Move him
. Collect your things
Up stairs
Stop
Your laces are undone. Do them up
Thursday you serve lunch
Friday you clean the toilet
Saturday you sweep the floor
I have never been separated from my family
You'd better get use to it
"You do not remember me, do you?"
I was the Minister of Trade -- in Manchukuo
You were all in Manchukuo
Now I am the Cell Leader
It is important to follow the rules here
No talking during study sessions
MANCHURIA
"Where is your gun, Captain?"
Where are their swords?
"Our weapons have been removed, Your Majesty"
On the orders of Colonel Yoshioka?
Colonel Yoshioka?
Colonel Yoshioka
What has happened here?
Why has my Guard been disarmed?
There have been many changes
while you were in Tokyo
"Your Majesty, may I present
Masaomi Kobayakawa..."
the new Japanese Ambassador...to Manchukuo
Why is Prime Minister Hsiao-Hsiu
not here to receive me?
"The Prime Minister has
resigned, Your Majesty"
His son his been assassinated
Assassinated?
"By Communist bandits, Your Majesty"
I must see him at once
"He refuses to see anyone, Your Majesty"
He has gone to a monastery... far away
Who are you?
"Chang Ching Hui, Your Majesty"
Minister of Defence
"The Council Meeting will be at
four o'clock, Your Majesty..."
before the State dinner
The Emperor has been asked
to sign the following
After careful consideration
we have decided...
to nominate the honourable Chang Ching Hui
as the new Prime Minister of Manchukuo
"Today, on the our return from Japan..."
we wish to speak of
something more important...
the future of our friendship with Japan
This is based on mutual respect...
and respect means equality and independence
When the two Emperors stood together...
and saluted the two national flags
they recognised that
Manchukuo had come of age
"Manchukuo is not a colony,
Manchukuo is Manchuria"
The relationship between
our two countries...
is like the relationship
between its two Emperors
It is rooted in fraternal
trust...in...in the desire
to preserve our ancient traditions...
and in a mutual respect
for national identities
Already we have welcomed the
Ambassadors...of E I Salvador
"Costa Rica, the Vatican"
"Soon, I'm...l'm sure the
other countries will follow"
I am going to have a child
The Father is Manchurian
I did it for you
His Majesty forgot to
sign the appointment of
the new Prime Minister...Mr Chang Ching Hui
I did not forget
"When an Englishman robs someone,
Your Majesty, he becomes a gentleman"
If he robs a lot he becomes a knight
Do you imagine the British run
their empire as a charity?
If India has payed for the
cost of its own occupation...
so must Manchukuo
We hope Manchukuo will have an heir
The Empress is expecting a child
"Yes, Your Majesty...we are
aware of the situation"
This is the name of the
Father. His name is Chang
He is your driver
All the necessary facts have been recorded
The man will be punished
The Emperor cannot allow
his honour to be stained
The Japanese are the only
divine race on our earth
"We will take China, Hong Kong...
Indo-China, Siam, Malaya"
Singapore and India
Asia belongs to us
There have been complaints
from your cell mates
You must learn how to urinate at night
without walking them all up
The way to do it...
is to urinate against
the side of the bucket...
not into the middle
"Yes, comrade"
"You still think I'm your servant, don't you?"
You are all pretending
You are just pretending you have changed
The party it teach us to be new men
We are working for a new China
You worked in Amakasu's private office
You are still the same people
People do not change
Guard!
I let it happen
"The second edict, Your Majesty"
Japanese will be the official
language in Manchukuo schools
Your Majesty...
"The baby was born dead, Your Majesty"
How is the Empress?
It would be better if she goes
to a clinic...somewhere warm
"She's already left, Your Majesty"
Open the door
With Manchukuo now firmly in their grasp...
the Japanese soon controlled
most of North China
By they were ready to strike
South at the heart of the country
The attack on Shanghai
was one of the first...
civilian bombing raids in history
It left thousands homeless
Thousands dead
Three months later Japanese armies...
were besieging the provisional
capital...at Nanking...
and when the city fell
...the atrocities began
Trying to terrorise the rest
of China into surrender
The Japanese high command ordered a massacre
More than two hundred thousand civilians
were systematically executed
The world watched in horror...
but no help was given
On December th ...
Japan attacked the American fleet...
at Pearl Harbour
There was no warning
Manchukuo...the Japanese bustion in North China...
was still ruled by the puppet Emperor Pu Yi
But behind the facade of triumph...
was a country enslaved
A country where Japanese experiments
in biological warfare...
were carried out on live human beings
A country where opium production became
the easiest way to finance the war
Millions of people...were deliberately
turned into drug addicts
Nine days after the bomb...
at Hiroshima on August th ...
Emperor Hirohito...announced
the surrender of Japan
It was the first time...his voice
had ever been heard...on radio
"You must get to Tokoy, Your Majesty"
You must surrender to the Americans
not the Russians
The Communists will kill everyone
The Empress has returned
"Your Majesty, please"
Your Majesty
The women are not in danger. We must hurry
"Your Majesty, your Majesty is leaving now"
The Russians
Perhaps you think we are here
to teach men to lie in a new way?
Why did you sign every
accusation made against you?
I didn't stop you from killing
yourself to see you like this
Someone who signs anything
to please his enemies...to please me
You knew about a lot of
things in Manchukuo...
even the secret agreements
But you couldn't possibly have known
about the Japanese biological warfare
experiments in Harbin. Could you?
So why did you sign these papers?
I was responsible for everything
You are responsible for what you do
All your life you thought you
were better than everyone else
Now you think you are the worse of all
Why can you not leave me alone?
You saved my life...to make me
a puppet in your own play
You saved me because I am useful to you
Is that so terrible?
Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi
By order of the Supreme People's Court...
the War Criminal Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi...
"male, fifty-three years old..."
of the Manchu nationality and from Peking...
has now served the years detention
As a result of remoulding through labour...
and ideological education...
during his captivity he has shown
that he has genuinely reformed
In accordance with Clause One
of the Special Pardon Order...
he is therefore to be released
You see?
I will end up living in
prison longer than you
They are so young
It is dangerous
"Pu Chieh, look"
It is the Governor of our prison
It cannot be
"It is, I'm sure it is"
Be careful
Come back
"Comrade. This must be a mistake,
I know this man"
He is a good man
Who are you?
I am a gardener
"Join us comrade, or fuck off'
But what has he done?
He's been accused
Accused of what?
Emperor's lackey
Revisionist element
Rotten rightest
Confess your crimes
I have nothing to confess
Kowtow to Chairman Mao
Confess your crimes
I have nothing to confess
Kowtow
Confess your crimes
Wait
He is a teacher. He is a good teacher
You cannot do this to him
Stop. You are not allowed in there
Who are you?
I live here
I am the son of the Guardian
"Ah. Well, I used to live here too"
That is where I sat
Who are you?
I was the Emperor of China
Prove it
This is the Hall of Supreme Harmony...
where the Emperors were crowned
The last Emperor to be crowned here
was Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi
He was three years old
He died in 1963