Bernardo Bertolucci loves grand historical sweep, and it’s on display in every element of his Oscar-snagging epic about Pu Yi, who at the age of 3 was taken from his mother and made emperor of China. Pu Yi as a character is strangely empty, largely because he is constantly shaped by external forces, and the film is most fascinating in its smartly fragmented portrait of the radical changes China endured throughout the 20th century. Bertolucci is a poet as well as a filmmaker, and it shows in his imagery, which has a richness and vibrancy befitting his epic subject. It’s a shame, though, that with all the authenticity on display—costumes! set design! footage shot inside the actual Forbidden City!—everyone speaks stilted British English. (DVD)