Empire of the Sun
1987 film directed by Steven Spielberg
AI overview
"Empire of the Sun" is a 1987 film directed by Steven Spielberg that tells the story of a young British boy separated from his parents during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai in World War II. The film is notable as one of Spielberg's more serious dramatic works, exploring themes of childhood, survival, and the human cost of war through the perspective of its young protagonist.
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Film · TMDB
7.5Jamie Graham, a privileged English boy, is living in Shanghai when the Japanese invade and force all foreigners into prison camps. Jamie is captured with an American sailor, who looks out for him while they are in the camp together. Even though he is separated from his parents and in a hostile environment, Jamie maintains his dignity and youthful spirit, providing a beacon of hope for the others held captive with him.
Released: 1987-12-09153 minDir: Steven SpielbergDrama, History, WarBudget: $35.0MBox office: $66.7M
Cast
- Christian Bale as Jim
- John Malkovich as Basie
- Miranda Richardson as Mrs. Victor
- Nigel Havers as Dr. Rawlins
- Joe Pantoliano as Frank Demarest
- Leslie Phillips as Maxton
Themes
- based on novel or book
~19 min read
Article
Empire of the Sun is a 1987 American epic coming-of-age war drama film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Tom Stoppard, based on J. G. Ballard's semi-autobiographical 1984 novel of the same name. The film tells the story of Jamie "Jim" Graham (Christian Bale), a young boy who goes from living with his wealthy British family in Shanghai to becoming a prisoner of war in an internment camp operated by the Japanese during World War II. The film also stars John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers, Joe Pantoliano, Masatō Ibu, Leslie Phillips, Ben Stiller, and Robert Stephens.
Harold Becker and David Lean were originally to direct before Spielberg came on board, initially as a producer for Lean. Spielberg was attracted to directing the film because of a personal connection to Lean's films and World War II topics. He considers it to be his most profound work on "the loss of innocence". Empire of the Sun was released by Warner Bros. on December 11, 1987. The film received positive reviews, with praise towards Bale's performance, the cinematography, the visuals, Williams's score and Spielberg's direction. However, the film was not initially a commercial success, earning only $22 million at the US box office, although it eventually more than recouped its budget through revenues in foreign markets, home video, and television.