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and shots of what s/he sees. In The Last Emperor, the alternating technique is used in the scenes depicting the emperor's desperation at being separated from his loved ones, and his attempts to escape. The device ensures that viewers share Pu Yi's emotional angst, as well as his longing for freedom and frustration at having to submit to an undeserved fate. The viewer's alignment and affective connection with Pu Yi's sadness and with his unfortunate situation, is made explicit when, on the soundtrack, Johnston voices viewers' thinking by commenting that 'the emperor is the loneliest boy in the world'. The stylization of decadence and sexuality When the sequence related to Pu Yi's troubled adulthood begins, the colour scheme changes again and becomes dualist; it is composed of a uniform bluish grey (reminiscent of the exterior lighting in The Conformist) and also a vibrant polychromy, which arguably functions as a metaphor for the co-existence in this phase of Pu Yi's life of the harsh reality that he is unable to acknowledge, and the dreamlike lifestyle he recklessly pursues. The external shots of Manchuria, a wild landscape, are rendered in a gloomy bluish grey, a tone with which the emperor's new headquarters (a stone palace), and the characters' military uniforms, blend perfectly. The colour uniformity, further emphasized by a metallic-hued light, cues an impression of perilous detachment which invites grim expectations regarding the outcome of the narrative events. By contrast, life inside the palace exudes the elegance of 1930s Western aesthetics which is reproduced in the decor and costumes. The refined colour scheme creates fascination towards the beauty of whole compositions and individual details, positioning viewers alongside characters in experiencing intense aesthetic pleasure. Pu Yi's luxurious Western lifestyle experienced in a period of war, in a place which - as one of the recurring themes of Bertolucci's cinema - constitutes another secluded dwelling, highlights how his discontent has led him to pursue sensuous gratification rather than virtuous action. This reveals the moral void that prevents him from admitting that he has been a hostage of the 230
Japanese. His personality fits the definition of decadent individuals outlined by John Reed: The Decadent recognizes a nothingness at the centre of existence and dreads the emptiness within himself (Reed, 1985:15). To fill this emptiness, Pu Yi deludes himself that he occupies the role of emperor once more, his narcissism becoming a nihilism that destroys the only people who care for him. This particularly affects his first wife - now called Elizabeth - who, deeply aware of their humiliating situation and of her impotence, slowly assumes decadent perspectives, such as attitudes of self-destruction and a tendency towards sexual perversity (Reed, 1985: 19). She is challenged by another female character, the emperor's cousin Gioiello d'Oriente, whose androgyny evokes what 'was a peculiar but pervasive variation' of decadent sexuality (Reed, 1985: 227). However, as regards the representation of sexuality in The Last Emperor, I would suggest that it is so stylized that it appears designed not to cue arousal, but to fuse with the overall sense of aesthetic allure, reaching its peak in the sequence depicting Pu Yi's wedding night. The sexual encounter between the spouses is shot through a voile curtain; they are framed sitting on a bed by a fixed camera positioned so that only the upper half of their bodies are visible and their faces are mostly in profile; the red filters envelop the red of the bride's dress and of the bed linen, whereas the gold of the jewellery appears to melt in the suffused light. This strategy elicits a perception of the sequence that is more similar to the contemplation of rich embroidered silk, typical of Chinese artworks, than to the realistic, intimate human encounters typical of Bertolucci, who would return to his more characteristic depictions of sexuality in The Sheltering Sky. Melodramatic style and the estrangement of viewers The decadent aesthetic used to depict Pu Yi's weakness - and the consequent moral decay of his wife's lifestyle - results in a visual intensity that heightens the melodramatic tone with 231
- Page 183 and 184: Section Three: Between History and
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- Page 187 and 188: to the female protagonists Severine
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- Page 205 and 206: Notes 1. They Live by Night (1948)
- Page 207 and 208: 1985: 73) should be contextualized
- Page 209 and 210: The film's cognitive structure and
- Page 211 and 212: daily life elicits nostalgia for a
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- Page 217 and 218: part of the film depicting the peas
- Page 219 and 220: engagement will again change from e
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- Page 223 and 224: References Bachmann, G. (1973) 'Eve
- Page 225 and 226: The success of The Last Emperor ena
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- Page 229 and 230: out; the red of a notice on the wal
- Page 231 and 232: The intellectual implications of th
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- Page 237 and 238: the belief that whereas language ma
- Page 239 and 240: In addition, the presence of a hist
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- Page 243 and 244: Gaut, B. (1999) 'Identification and
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Japanese.<br />
His personality fits the definition <strong>of</strong> decadent individuals outlined by John Reed: The<br />
Decadent recognizes a nothingness at the centre <strong>of</strong> existence and dreads the emptiness within<br />
himself (Reed, 1985:15). To fill this emptiness, Pu Yi deludes himself that he occupies the<br />
role <strong>of</strong> emperor once more, his narcissism becoming a nihilism that destroys the only people<br />
who care for him. This particularly affects his first wife - now called Elizabeth - who, deeply<br />
aware <strong>of</strong> their humiliating situation and <strong>of</strong> her impotence, slowly assumes decadent<br />
perspectives, such as attitudes <strong>of</strong> self-destruction and a tendency towards sexual perversity<br />
(Reed, 1985: 19). She is challenged by another female character, the emperor's cousin<br />
Gioiello d'Oriente, whose androgyny evokes what 'was a peculiar but pervasive variation' <strong>of</strong><br />
decadent sexuality (Reed, 1985: 227). However, as regards the representation <strong>of</strong> sexuality in<br />
The Last Emperor, I would suggest that it is so stylized that it appears designed not to cue<br />
arousal, but to fuse with the overall sense <strong>of</strong> aesthetic allure, reaching its peak in the sequence<br />
depicting Pu Yi's wedding night. The sexual encounter between the spouses is shot through a<br />
voile curtain; they are framed sitting on a bed by a fixed camera positioned so that only the<br />
upper half <strong>of</strong> their bodies are visible and their faces are mostly in pr<strong>of</strong>ile; the red filters<br />
envelop the red <strong>of</strong> the bride's dress and <strong>of</strong> the bed linen, whereas the gold <strong>of</strong> the jewellery<br />
appears to melt in the suffused light. This strategy elicits a perception <strong>of</strong> the sequence that is<br />
more similar to the contemplation <strong>of</strong> rich embroidered silk, typical <strong>of</strong> Chinese artworks, than<br />
to the realistic, intimate human encounters typical <strong>of</strong> Bertolucci, who would return to his<br />
more characteristic depictions <strong>of</strong> sexuality in The Sheltering Sky.<br />
Melodramatic style and the estrangement <strong>of</strong> viewers<br />
The decadent aesthetic used to depict Pu Yi's weakness - and the consequent moral decay <strong>of</strong><br />
his wife's lifestyle - results in a visual intensity that heightens the melodramatic tone with<br />
231
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