The scenes involving the pursuit of a confession from the Emperor are extremely religious in nature. The requirement for complete truth and exactitude in the confession reminds me of a religious order of monks dealing with an immature monk. And, of course, the Maoists must bring him down to size, turn him into "just a man." His pursuit of his former glory by allowing himself to be used by the Japanese should give any man pause as to a pursuit of that which engrosses him at the expense of his wife and contrary to her wise advice. The end she comes to and the regret and guilt he would have to face the rest of his life would be incalculable.
The Emperor was never anyone great, never accomplished anything like his ancestors. He remained the same young boy wishing for love and being imprisoned by those who claimed to serve him. The movie is the story of his self-realization, his coming to terms with who he really is. It is the story of the disappointment men face at middle age, the realization of their true self, and the battle with the narcissism of sin. It is the story of us all. Like the laws of Humanism, the movie can expose fault but provides no divine redemption, no forgiveness by God.
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