The Last Emperor is a 1987 biographical epic drama directed by Bernardo Bertolucci that chronicles the ultimately tragic life of China's last emperor, Puyi (known in the West as Pu Yi). The film follows the emperor (portrayed as an adult by John Lone) from being worshiped by a billion people to his life as a humble gardener in the People's Republic of China. The film was highly acclaimed and received many awards upon its release, including Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director.
The following weapons were used in the film The Last Emperor:
Upon hearing the Forbidden City's corrupt eunuchs have burnt down a storehouse to cover their tracks, Puyi (John Lone) pulls out an FN Model 10 and holds it on the servant who told him the news. This pistol isn't seen in the rest of the film.
Amidst the confusion of the Russian invasion of Manchukuo (a Japanese puppet state in Manchuria, whose position of head of state was offered to Puyi) in August 1945, one of Puyi's Japanese advisers commits suicide with a Glisenti Model 1910 pistol.
The Kuomintang troops who force Puyi out of the Forbidden City in 1924 are all armed with Hanyang Type 88 rifles, as distinguishable by their slightly curved magazines. The Hanyang was an unlicensed copy of the Gewehr 1888 Commission Rifle. The rifles could be rubber props or badly treated Chinese surplus, since they lack a bayonet lug.
When leaving the Forbidden City, the Kuomintang has a pair of armored cars escort Puyi and his entourage out. Both of the cars are armed with Hotchkiss machine guns.
At the beginning of the film, the guards at the Chinese political prison where Puyi is being kept are armed with PPSh-41s fitted with stick magazines. The Soviet paratroops who capture Puyi at the end of World War II are also armed with the submachine gun.
