The war criminals will proceed in orderly fashion...
to the main waiting room and await instructions
No talking...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, 1908"
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!
"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
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
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
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 1919 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!
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"
"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 981 reporting
Louder!
Prisoner 981 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 981?
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
29.970
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