The truth is not necessarily the truth, yet we often have a hard time even seeing the truth

I first fell in love with the music of "The Last Emperor", and I only watched the movie now after many years. When I was still studying, I was very obsessed with Park Hua's FLASH animation. Her work "Cat" is my favorite. It tells the story of a kitten who has gone through untold hardships to find her mother's soul. This is simple and childish. The story has touched a lot of people, and I think its success lies in the background music. In the unstoppable torrent of fate, the small and helpless soul fought tenaciously, anxious but powerless. Later, I learned that the music here is from "The Last Emperor". I was surprised that the Chinese TV series had such an infectious original sound, but I later learned that I was wrong. The music came from a Japanese named Sakamoto Ryuichi. "The Last Emperor" is also not "The Last Emperor", but a film made by an Italian, Bertolucci, which won the Best Picture Award, Best Director Award, and Best Adapted Screenplay Award at the 60th American Academy Awards in 1987. , Best Costume, Best Composition, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Cinematography, and Best Artist. These supreme honors are all due to the story of the last emperor of China, and I only know him by name, Puyi, the puppet emperor of the puppet Manchuria.


After watching this 160-minute film, I realized that Puyi only exists as a symbol in the eyes of most people, and this symbol is not a dry and flat, he also has flesh and blood, pursuits, and struggles, but his His strength is not as strong as a hair on a camel, and under the manipulation of history and fate, he is just a helpless doll.


Bertolucci once said in an interview with a reporter from the French "Premier" magazine: "If I had no sympathy for Puyi, I would not have made this film. I even like those hateful characters, I need to love the people in front of the camera. All the characters. Even if they were vile, I managed to make them tragic in a way that made them a little noble. …These characters are abominable, but they are part of the world. I don't forgive him, but they It is also a plaything of the god of fate. Therefore, anyone is just a victim of history."


Historical films are not reenactments of history. Since films are made by people, it is impossible not to have a personal touch. Many people scold Bertolucci for not fooling around if he doesn't understand Chinese history, and for being awkward listening to the Chinese emperor speak English. As a Chinese-themed movie made for foreigners, this kind of abuse is really rude. You know, it is this foreigner who restores the existence of the last emperor as a human being and the most important dignity. Most Chinese historical dramas focus on the emperor's three thousand wives and concubines. This kind of topic is endlessly talked about. Even if the factual drama goes to outer space, there are still many audiences who are chasing after the ass. Just because a foreigner came to film the emperor of China, he harshly scolded him for not knowing anything. But as a Chinese, I understand that such scolding is inevitable. Due to historical and national cultural reasons, it is difficult for China to produce a film full of human concern like this. I have recalled many times what Johnston said, "I think the emperor is the loneliest boy on earth." This sentence, like God's grief for his poor child, also seems to summarize the Chinese emperor in Bertolucci's eyes-- The most honorable prisoner.


The truth is not necessarily the truth, yet we often have a hard time even seeing the truth.

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