Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Binding: DVD Brand: Warner Brothers EAN: 9780790761657 Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC ISBN: 0790761653 Label: Warner Home Video Manufacturer: Warner Home Video Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Warner Home Video Region Code: 1 Release Date: November 06, 2001 Running Time: 154 minutes Sales Rank: 2918 Studio: Warner Home Video Theatrical Release Date: 1987
The many highlights outweigh the films few problems...
For some reason there is a huge circle of film snobs (cinaphiles, movie buffs) who absolutely hate this film. I can understand to an extent, but not seeing the films central glistening facet is to ignore what is right in front of your eyes. Yes, even the vilest of movie critics; even someone who detests everything that is so Hollywood about Steven Spielberg will tell you that Christian Bale delivers quite possibly the finest child acting performance of all time.
That said; I don't hate this movie.
The film tells the story of young Jamie Graham, a twelve-year-old British boy living with his family in China. During World War II Jamie is separated from his family and finds himself in an interment camp struggling to ... Read More
Remember, We're British
Empire of the Sun
Based on J.G. Ballard's autobiographical book of the same name, "Empire of the Sun" follows the life of a young British schoolboy caught in the Japanese invasion of Shanghai. The British tried to recreate England in their enclave, complete with Church of England services and elaborate costume parties. As the Japanese advance the British evacuate, mostly by sea to Hong Kong and Singapore. The boy, James Graham,(Christian Bale in a remarkable film debut) is separated from his parents and is befriended by a couple of scruffy American blackmarketers (John Malkovich and Joe Pantoliano). They are interned in a Japanese camp for the duration of the war, where once again they re-create a microcosm of England, complete ... Read More
HARD TO FIND STUFF
I've been looking for this movie and its beautiful music for a long time and finally found it. I guess I just didn't look in the right places. I am now much wiser.
An Interesting and Inspiring Bit of History
I first saw "Empire of the Sun" in the Lakes District in England with an Australian stranger named Alf. (I'm not making this up.) Though a literature major in college, this film made me realize how few in-depth, behind-the-scenes, real history lessons I learned in my regular high school and college classes. The film started me on a journey to learn more. I now teach Social Studies and English to high-schoolers and try to always make sure my students understand that history is people and people are stories.
Empire of the Sun, a drama of a boy's survival in WW II
An excellent film that has been underrated in my opinion. Watching the young British boy mature amid the ravishes of World War II is a poignant experience. Stephen Spielberg expertly creates the era and the place and takes us into the heart of the boy Jim. This was Christian Bale's first movie. He was twelve or thirteen at the time and already had a strong enough screen presence to match John Malkovich scene for scene, and that's quite a feat. One caveat, Empire is not a movie for children even though it is about a child.
