Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1987 film The Last Emperor won nine Academy Awards.
The film dramatizes the life of Puyi, who became China’s last emperor as a child in 1908. It follows his restricted upbringing in Beijing’s Forbidden City, his brief restoration, and his later life under political upheaval and imprisonment.
At the 60th Academy Awards, The Last Emperor won every category in which it was nominated. Its victories included Best Picture, Best Director for Bertolucci, Best Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Original Score, Sound, and Art Direction. This made it one of the ceremony’s most dominant winners.
The film is sometimes confused with other historical epics that won many Oscars, such as Gandhi and Out of Africa. Its nine-award total is especially notable because it achieved a clean sweep rather than losing any of its nominations.