ABSTRACT
In Bernardo Bertolucci's film The Last Emperor (1987), the eunuchs, who formed the servant body of the imperial court of China, were expelled from the Forbidden City because of their deceit. In leaving the city, they walked in single file, each of them carrying an urn that contained his own sexual organs. When the wives of the Emperor wondered about the slowly moving procession, an adviser told them the hidden meaning of the ceremony: "Whatever their crimes, they cannot be deprived of their right to be buried as a whole man." This extremely condensed scene illuminates my topic in a flash; the problem of human dignity is deeply rooted in the unconscious conflicts and instinctual dangers. Also Bertolucci's idea of becoming integrated in facing one's death deserves to be studied more closely.
