Cinema Reborn 2023
Cinema Reborn Film Festival is an annual event created by a community of film enthusiasts, programmers, directors, screen historians and critics. The focus of the festival is the conservation of the international film heritage and research into the long history of cinema the worldwide film restoration activity and the treasures hidden in the film archives of the world.
For some years now, the Italian Cultural Institute has collaborated successfully with Cinema Reborn for the inclusion of Italian films in the program. Also for 2023 we are pleased to confirm the screening of two great masterpieces of Italian cinema: Sciuscià (Shoeshine) by Vittorio De Sica (1946) and L’ultimo imperatore (The Last Emperor) by Bernardo Bertolucci (1987).
L’ultimo imperatore (The Last Emperor) (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1987)
Manchuria, border between the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China, 1950. A military train, coming from the Soviet Union and loaded with prisoners of war, arrives at an outpost in China. Among the prisoners accused of having collaborated with the Japanese invader during the war there is also Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi, the last and now ex Chinese emperor: he is in no way different from the other prisoners, and the soldiers treat him with the same harshness which they reserve for the other hostages. Dramatically coming to terms with a future in the role of a prisoner of no importance and prospects, moreover at the total mercy of a ferocious and omnipotent communist regime, he attempts suicide by cutting the veins on his wrists and dipping his hands in the hot water of a toilet. While the guardians, who have sensed what is happening, try to break down the door, Pu Yi’s mind begins to recall his life from the first childhood memory.
The film marked a decisive turning point in the director’s career and received a large number of awards, including nine Oscars and nine David di Donatello awards.
The 8 pm screening on Saturday 29 April will be introduced by Prof. Jing Han, the Director of Institute for Australian and Chinese Arts and Culture at Western Sydney University. Prior to that, she worked at SBS for 23 years as the Chief Subtitler and Head of SBS Subtitling Department and Linda Jaivin, the author of twelve books comprising seven novels and non-fiction including the acclaimed The Shortest History of China, which has been widely translated and published overseas as well as in Australia.
The Tuesday, May 2 screening will be held at 2:55 pm.
Information and booking: https://www.ritzcinemas.com.au/movies/the-last-emperor-1987