Empire of the Sun (1987)

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers:

J.G. Ballard (novel)
Tom Stoppard (writer)

Release Date:

9 December 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Tagline:

To survive in a world at war, he must find a strength greater than all the events that surround him.

Plot:

A young English boy struggles to survive under Japanese occupation during World War II.

Plot Keywords:

Japanese | British | Food | Pow | Chinese

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Christian Bale	...	Jim 'Jamie' Graham
John Malkovich	...	Basie
Miranda Richardson	...	Mrs. Victor
Nigel Havers	...	Dr. Rawlins
Joe Pantoliano	...	Frank Demarest
Leslie Phillips	...	Maxton
Masatô Ibu	...	Sgt. Nagata
Emily Richard	...	Mary Graham, Jim's mother
Rupert Frazer	...	John Graham, Jim's father
Peter Gale	...	Mr. Victor
Takatoro Kataoka	...	Kamikaze Boy Pilot
Ben Stiller	...	Dainty
David Neidorf	...	Tiptree
Ralph Seymour	...	Cohen
Robert Stephens	...	Mr. Lockwood

Also Known As:

Solens rike (Finland: Swedish title) (Sweden) [sv]
A nap birodalma (Hungary) [hu]
Auringon valtakunta (Finland) [fi]
Das Reich der Sonne (West Germany) [de]
El imperio del Sol (Spain) [es]
El imperio del sol (International: Spanish title) [es]
Empire du soleil (France) [fr]
Günes imparatorlugu (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
I aftokratoria tou iliou (Greece) [el]
Império do Sol (Brazil) [pt]
Imperija sunca (Serbia) [sr]
Imperium slonca (Poland) [pl]
Imperyat Ha-Shemesh (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
L'empire du soleil (Canada: French title) [fr]
L'imperi del sol (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
L'impero del sole (Italy) [it]
O Império do Sol (Portugal) [pt]
Solens rige (Denmark) [da]

Runtime:

153 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Japanese | Mandarin

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Spain:T | Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | New Zealand:PG | Norway:11 (DVD rating) | Norway:15 (cinema release) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Hong Kong:IIA | Japan:U | Mexico:A | Netherlands:AL | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Sweden:11 | Taiwan:GP | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Brazil:Livre

Filming Locations:

Elstree Film Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Amblin Entertainment

Trivia:

Steven Spielberg had planned a long, continuous shot when Jim was standing on top of the building at the prison camp, watching the American planes bomb the airfields. The shot was very complicated and would require a single take. He gave instructions to Christian Bale to get excited, jump up and down, and run around on the rooftop as the planes passed and the bombs went off. However, Bale became nervous as the stunts began, and didn't do much of anything. Since most of the explosions had been used up on this shot, Spielberg (after having some soft, fatherly words with the young Bale) improvised with several shots from different close-up angles, eventually getting Bale to give a more excited performance.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Jamie races after the truck filled with British citizens, the little boy standing in the back of the truck stares at him with his mouth alternately opened or closed, depending on whether the shot is from further away or close up.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: [title card] In 1941 China and Japan had been in a state of undeclared war for four years. A Japanese army of occupation was in control of much of the countryside and many towns and cities. In Shanghai thousands of Westerners, protected by the diplomatic security of the International Settlement, continued to live as they had lived since the British came here in the 19th century and built in the image of their own country...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'Jurassic Park' (1995) (V)

Soundtrack:

SWING IS IN THE AIR

Very emotional film, with brilliant young Christian Bale.

Empire of the Sun, I have just revisited this film on DVD and was amazed the effect it left on me. This is almost an unknown film relative to most other Spielberg work. The DVD is not even available in Australia, so I had it 'Amazoned' from the US.

Christian Bales performance as the 12 year old Jim is mesmerizing. He is in virtually every scene of the 2.5 hour movie and gives us the full range of emotions. He also one of the best looking kids I've seen, which add tremendously to the viewing appeal of the movie. A true heart throb in the making.

As a history lesson Empire give us an insight to the happenings in China in WWII, and the ambitions of the Japanese Empire, which are never touched on in other WWII movies.

The most emotional part of the film for me: Jim is looking through the fence at the Japanese airbase, the sun is setting, he is dreaming of flying in those incredible machines, pilots are smartly uniformed and decorated, offices passing drinks to the young pilots, superb music playing, Zeros ready to go, Jim salutes the Japanese heroes as they are flying out. What we know is that the war is lost for Japan and these pilots are surely on Kamikaze suicide missions. We feel great empathy for these fellow human beings despite the fact that they are the enemy.

The images in Empire are beautiful to look at, the movie is thought provoking and provide some history lesson, if somewhat fantasy and sacrine sweet. A behind the scenes war movie with heart. My favourite Spielberg movie and in my top 15 of all time. Other favourites in no order. Titanic, Patton, Unforgiven, Airport, Terminator, Salaam Bombay, 2001, Bridge on River Kwai, Minority Report.