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Empire of the Sun (1987) 7.8
Ratings:
7.8/10 from 83,589 users
Metascore: 60/100
Reviews: 287 user | 56 critic | 17 from Metacritic.com A young English boy struggles to survive under Japanese occupation during World War II. Director:Steven Spielberg |
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Title: Empire of the Sun (1987)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Christian Bale | ... | ||
| John Malkovich | ... | ||
| Miranda Richardson | ... |
Mrs. Victor
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| Nigel Havers | ... |
Dr. Rawlins
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| Joe Pantoliano | ... | ||
| Leslie Phillips | ... |
Maxton
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Masatô Ibu | ... | |
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Emily Richard | ... |
Mary Graham, Jim's mother
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Rupert Frazer | ... | |
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Peter Gale | ... |
Mr. Victor
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Takatarô Kataoka | ... |
Kamikaze Boy Pilot
(as Takatoro Kataoka)
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| Ben Stiller | ... |
Dainty
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David Neidorf | ... |
Tiptree
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| Ralph Seymour | ... |
Cohen
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| Robert Stephens | ... |
Mr. Lockwood
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Based on J. G. Ballard's autobiographical novel, tells the story of a boy, James Graham, whose privileged life is upturned by the Japanese invasion of Shanghai, December 8, 1941. Separated from his parents, he is eventually captured, and taken to Soo Chow confinement camp, next to a captured Chinese airfield. Amidst the sickness and food shortages in the camp, Jim attempts to reconstruct his former life, all the while bringing spirit and dignity to those around him. Written by Jeff Hansen <jmh@umich.edu>
Taglines:
To survive in a world at war, he must find a strength greater than all the events that surround him.Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
25 December 1987 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
El imperio del sol See more »Box Office
Budget:
$35,000,000 (estimated)Gross:
$22,238,696 (USA)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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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... built banking houses, hotels, offices, churches and homes ...
See more »
Written by Frédéric Chopin
Arranged and Conducted by John Williams
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Christian Bale was picked for the role of Jim out of more than 4,000 who auditioned. Steven Spielberg had seen Bale in the miniseries Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986) and Amy Irving, who starred in it, personally recommended Bale to Spielberg, her husband at the time. Spielberg had not thought much of Bale in "Anastasia", but cast him in the role of Jim after he auditioned. See more »Goofs
When Jamie first approaches the crashed Zero at the costume party the rudder on the tail is straight. When his model plane disappears over the hill and he gets out and goes after it, the rudder on the Zero is all the way to the left. However in between these two shot's he's shown sitting in the wrecked aircraft playing with the controls, it's likely he's pressed the rudder pedals. See more »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... built banking houses, hotels, offices, churches and homes ...
See more »
Soundtracks
Chopin Mazurka Opus 17 No. 4Written by Frédéric Chopin
Arranged and Conducted by John Williams
See more »
This movie was a visual, character driven movie of superior quality, even for Steven Speilberg. Some say that Speilberg has too much the eye of a child, but I tend to disagree. Too many filmmakers today are producing slick, throw away action flicks that at first seem promising but eventually fall into predictable, fluff and special effects laden, thinly plotted, dialogue-poor, characterless movies that are gone before the popcorn. Yes, this film has a lot of great Special Effects (So did Schindler's List.) Moreover, a lot of great action to keep the story pace from dragging. The idea of a movie is for the actors and directors to show their stuff (Hopefully around some good writing.) This movie did it for me. I have to agree with all those who praised Christian Bale for his performance in this movie. He was brilliant. In addition, I got to see Ben Stiller in an unusual role for him. I thought that John Malcovitch acted perfectly for this film and yes he was a Han Solo/Indiana Jones character, but with even less depth. His role was pivotal only in so far as it affected the boy. We were not as concerned with his character in so much as his shadow was cast on Jim through out the movie. The war was bigger than this little boy was and it was exquisitely done. Steven Speilberg gives us wonder, mystery, action, adventure and history in everything he does. He's the consummate filmmaker.