The Last Emperor (1987): Imperialism, Communism & Bias
This paper analyzes the 1987 film The Last Emperor through the lens of political bias, propaganda, and post-war social themes. It examines how the film portrays the life of Puyi, China's last emperor, as a passive victim of larger political and social forces, while simultaneously advancing an anti-communist agenda. The paper explores how the film addresses issues of gender, class, and power within the imperial and communist frameworks, discusses the depiction of re-education programs, and considers the film's romanticization of China's imperial past in contrast to the legacy of Maoism and the Cultural Revolution.
- Introduction: Puyi and the Politics of the Last Emperor: Puyi's rise, passivity, and the film's bias
- Gender, Class, and Power in Post-War China: Imperial gender roles, class conflict, and political power
- Communism, Re-Education, and Political Oppression: Re-education camps, communist ideology, and oppression
- Puyi's Release and the Survival of the Human Spirit: Puyi as peasant and imperial legacy's endurance
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper consistently grounds its analysis in specific plot details from the film, connecting narrative events to broader political and ideological themes without drifting into mere plot summary.
- It balances critique from multiple angles — acknowledging the film's anti-communist bias while also recognizing legitimate critiques of imperial rule, avoiding a one-sided reading.
- The conclusion ties personal narrative back to political argument, using Puyi's post-release life as evidence for the paper's central claim about the film's ideological messaging.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates ideological film analysis — examining not just what a film depicts, but what political positions it implicitly endorses or undermines. By identifying the film's anti-communist framing while also noting where communist critiques of imperialism have merit, the writer shows awareness of bias in both the source material and in competing historical narratives.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with an introduction to Puyi and the film's central tension between personal victimhood and political bias. The second paragraph expands into thematic analysis of gender, class, and power. The third paragraph addresses the film's depiction of communist re-education and offers a nuanced counterpoint. The final paragraph examines Puyi's fate after release, culminating in the paper's concluding argument about the film's romanticization of imperial China.
Introduction: Puyi and the Politics of the Last Emperor
The 1987 film The Last Emperor is based on the life of Puyi, the actual last emperor of China. Puyi was crowned emperor at age two, during a time of tremendous upheaval in China. As a toddler, he did not understand what was going on around him and was thrust into the unfamiliar world of politics. On this personal level, the story of the last emperor is far from biased, as Puyi was largely passive and a victim of major political and social forces beyond his control. However, there is a great deal of bias and propaganda related to both imperialism and communism. The film discusses the way propaganda was used during the various revolutions taking place — including the Great Cultural Revolution — yet it also supports an anti-communist agenda that is immediately apparent to the viewer.
Gender, Class, and Power in Post-War China
The parts of the post-war world that the film evokes include issues related to gender, class, and power. In terms of gender, men occupy positions of power while women are subservient to them within the imperial framework. Communism is presented as an antidote to this type of social order, although the film does not properly address this issue.
A second theme the film evokes is social class. The revolutions taking place were largely a reaction against a centuries-long feudal system. Many people were starving and desperate for change. Communism offered hope that redistribution of wealth could eliminate poverty and income disparity. The last emperor was the final remaining leader from the old, pre-communist era, and he represents a dying order. He is also portrayed as being sympathetic to outside forces and colonialism, including Japan — one of the central reasons the revolutionaries moved to overthrow imperial rule.
Finally, the film evokes issues related to political power. Because the emperor was crowned as a young child, his ability to rule is called into question from the very beginning. He is portrayed as an innocent victim of the communist revolution, which reflects a bias: the film subtly suggests that imperial rule might have been preferable to communism.
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