Puyi, the last Emperor of China Director: Peter Du Cane
Films for the Humanities and Sciences (2008) English with narration.
A documentary of the last emperor of China, Aisin-Gioro Pui. Using interviews, archival footage, and the emperor's own writings, the two-part film explores the rise and fall of the last of the Qing Dynasty.
[font=" times="" new="" roman"]A Leaf Blown on the Winds of History (Part I) 52 minutes- Guangxu's nephew becomes emperor by the age of three...the story becomes fascinating after this. There was a Hollywood film title The Last Emperor that became popular and won number Academy Awards. The documentary covers the end of the Qing Dynasty, the political turmoil in China during the early 20th century. Leaving the throne and deciding to study abroad, Puyi is turned down for a visa to the UK. Instead, he decides to study with the Japanese.[/font]
[font=" times="" new="" roman"]Long Journey into a Red Sunset (Part II) 52 minutes- this portion of the long film is the rise of Puyi to become the puppet leader of Manchuria at the behest of the Japanese government, then he is recognized by the Japanese government as the emperor. The testimony at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal is covered in this section of the documentary. Exiled to Russia, then brought to China by Mao where Puyi would spend time in prison before writing an internationally acclaimed autobiography.[/font]
[font=" times="" new="" roman"]This film would be an excellent supplement to the fall of the imperial courts after World War II and the rise of the Communist party in China, it also covers Japanese occupation of Manchuria and the aftermath of the war. Unfortunately, the two parts are over 100 minutes; therefore, I would suggest breaking up the two parts as an excellent historical resource to a high school world history curriculum.[/font]
edited by aschleicher on 6/17/2016
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Puyi: The Last Emperor of China
06/24/2016 05:07 PM
#1
Puyi: The Last Emperor of China
I have heard amazing things about this film over the years and after reading this post decided to finally take the time to watch it (I am not a huge fan of movies). I found the history in the film to be pretty accurate, at least to my own knowledge base and what was covered in the course Origins to 1800 related to the Peoples Republic of China and Communist party of China in relative history. Details related to the Forbidden City of Beijing appeared to be well articulated and demonstrated throughout the movie. There were good plot twists and the flashbacks really added to the depth of the movie. I thought the character development and setting used great details which added to the historical value of the film, for me personally. I enjoyed this movie and am contemplating showing it in my 4th grade class next school year, though feel that many of the violent scenes may be above my students.
When I show certain movies to my students I just count the minutes and don't show certain sections. I just let them know that as their teacher it wouldn't be appropriate for me to show that section. It has worked out for me every time. For parents that want more information I let them know what parts will not be shown.