Empress Dowager (1975)

Synopsis of Empress Dowager

The Empress Dowager tells the story of the last imperial family member who actually ruled in China until her death in 1908. She handed over the titular rulership to Kuang Tsu but retained all actual power. Retaining power seems to have been her real talent; she was unable to reform the Ching (Manchu) Dynasty and its system of government to meet the challenges of European dominance in Asia. The Empress Dowager was a fascinating, dominant woman in a male-oriented culture and she was a brilliant manipulator. This movie shows some of her intrigues, one of which prevented China from defending itself from the Japanese and led directly to the first Chinese revolution in 1911. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:

94 mins

Director(s):

Li Han-hsiang

Looking for special editions of Empress Dowager?

See All Versions

Subtitles:

Check All Versions

Closed Captioning:

Check All Versions