The Emperor and the Gentleman

One of my favourite movies: The Last Emperor

Pu Yi, was the last emperor of China, installed as a young boy, he was a puppet ruler of sorts. The movie takes place within the walls of the Forbidden City. Sheltered within these walls, the young Pu Yi does not know of the changes happening to China. The emperor and the staff go about their daily lives in the palace as the threat of revolution and war loom on the outside.

R.J. is Reginald Johnston, Pu Yi's tutor from England. Apart from teaching him the normal subjects, they talk about life outside the Forbidden City, Western cultures, the advancement of technology etc.

From their many conversations, I've extracted my favourite portion from the screen play which I borrowed from the National Library. RJ tells Pu Yi about the importance of words...


siyang: Nabeh, I'm also trying la...

no really, if you have the time.. go and watch this film :)