'The Last Emperor' director Bernardo Bertolucci dies at 77

According to Variety, Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, who directed films such as "The Last Emperor" and "Last Tango in Paris", died today at the age of 77.

Bernardo Bertolucci was born in Parma, Italy on March 16, 1940. At the age of 24, he directed the sensational film "Before the Revolution" (1964), which laid the foundation for his career. In 1971, Bertolucci directed the film "The Conformist". In this film, he expressed the creative theme that dance is a metaphor. Two years later, he once again expressed this creative idea in his "Last Tango in Paris" (1973).

In 1977, Bertolucci produced the epic film 1900, which tells the story of the friendship and struggle between two men of different backgrounds during the 45 years at the turn of the century. It reflects the broad social content and the sharp and complex class struggle, and has won unanimous praise from critics.

In 1987, he released his masterpiece "The Last Emperor". The film examines the love and political life of Puyi, the last feudal emperor of ancient China, from a unique perspective, which is full of philosophy and life significance. The film won nine international awards and undoubtedly became an important milestone in Bertolucci's directorial career.

The Last Emperor is a biographical film produced by Italian Janco Films, British Dao Films and China Film Co-productions, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and starring John Lone, Joan Chen, Vivian Wu and Peter O'Toole. The film was released in Italy on October 23, 1987, and its 3D restored version was released at the Shanghai International Film Festival in June 2015.

The film tells the story of the ups and downs of the life of Aisin-Gioro Puyi, the last emperor of China, from becoming an emperor to finally becoming an ordinary citizen spanning 60 years.

In 1988, the film won nine awards at the 60th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Sound Effects, and Best Original Score.