| Empire of the Sun | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster byJohn Alvin | |
| Directed by | Steven Spielberg |
| Screenplay by | Tom Stoppard |
| Based on | Empire of the Sun byJ. G. Ballard |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Allen Daviau |
| Edited by | Michael Kahn |
| Music by | John Williams |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
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Running time | 154 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages |
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| Budget | $25 million[1] |
| Box office | $66.7 million[2] |
Empire of the Sun is a 1987 Americanepiccoming-of-agewardrama film directed bySteven Spielberg and written byTom Stoppard, based onJ. G. Ballard's semi-autobiographical 1984novel 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 inShanghai to becoming aprisoner of war in aninternment camp operated by the Japanese duringWorld War II. The film also starsJohn Malkovich,Miranda Richardson,Nigel Havers,Joe Pantoliano,Masatō Ibu,Leslie Phillips,Ben Stiller, andRobert Stephens.
Harold Becker andDavid Lean were originally to direct before Spielberg came on board, initially as a producer for Lean.[3] 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".[1] 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.[4]
AmidJapan's invasion of China duringWorld War II, Jamie "Jim" Graham is a British upper class schoolboy enjoying a privileged life in theShanghai International Settlement. After theattack on Pearl Harbor, Japan begins occupying the settlement. As the Graham family evacuate the city, Jamie is separated from his parents and makes his way back to their house, assuming they will return. After a length of time alone and having eaten the remaining food, he ventures back into the city.
Hungry, Jamie tries surrendering to Japanese soldiers, who ignore him. After being chased by a streeturchin, he is taken in by two Americanexpatriates andhustlers, Basie and Frank. Basie decides he should be called "Jim". Unable to sell Jim, they intend to abandon him in the streets, but he offers to lead them to his neighborhood to loot the empty houses there. He is surprised to see lights on in his family home and thinks his parents have returned, only to discover that the house is occupied by Japanese troops. The trio are taken prisoner, transported to theLunghua Civilian Assembly Centre in Shanghai for processing, and sent to aninternment camp inSuzhou.
Now it is 1945, nearing the end of thePacific War and World War II, and despite the terror and poor living conditions of the camp, Jim survives by establishing a trading network, which even involves Sergeant Nagata, the camp's commander. Dr. Rawlins, the camp's British doctor, becomes a father figure and teacher to Jim. One night after a bombing raid, Nagata orders the destruction of the prisoners' infirmary as a reprisal but stops when Jim begs forgiveness. Through the barbed wire fencing, Jim befriends a Japanese teenager who is a trainee pilot.
Jim attempts to prevent being discovered by a Japanese guard by crawling through reeds and mud while staying low to evade him. Basie alongside many other Western prisoners observe from inside a nearby building, as the other prisoners make bets with Basie against Jim's chances of survival, while Basie alone bets on his success. The trainee observes, and succeeds in leading the guard away from Jim by yelling out to misguide him. Nagata enters the barracks, discovering disorder and theft in Basie's corner; Jim instructs Basie to beg for forgiveness, which he attempts but is unsuccessful and subsequently assaulted by Nagata. While recovering, Basie bonds closer with Jim, telling him of the dangers that exist where they are.
One morning, the base is attacked by AmericanP-51 Mustang fighter aircraft. Jim is overjoyed and climbs the ruins of a nearby pagoda to better watch the action. Rawlins chases him up the pagoda to save him, whereupon Jim breaks down in tears, saying he cannot remember what his parents look like. As a result of the attack, the Japanese evacuate the camp. As they leave, Jim's trainee pilot friend goes through the ritualkamikaze preparation and attempts to take off in a Japanese attack plane. The trainee is devastated when the engine sputters and dies.
The camp prisoners march through the wilderness, where many die from fatigue, starvation, and disease. Jim stops by Basie's barracks, learning from Frank that he and Dainty have already departed, leaving him and Jim behind without a goodbye. Arriving at a football stadium nearNantong, where many of the Shanghai inhabitants' possessions have been stored by the Japanese, Jim recognizes his parents'Packard car. He spends the night there with Mrs. Victor, a fellow prisoner who looked after him at the Suzhou camp and dies shortly thereafter, and witnesses flashes from theatomic bombing of Nagasaki hundreds of miles away.
Jim wanders back to the Suzhou camp. Along the way, he hears news ofJapan's surrender and the war's end. He is reunited with the now-disillusioned Japanese teenage pilot, who remembers Jim and offers him a mango, drawing hisguntō to cut it. Basie appears with a group of armed Americans to loot theRed Cross containers being airdropped over the area. One of the Americans, thinking Jim is in danger, shoots and kills the Japanese youth. Basie offers to have Jim come along with them, but he chooses to stay behind. He is later found by American soldiers and placed in a Red Cross shelter, where he is reunited with his parents, though he does not recognize them at first.
AuthorJ. G. Ballard makes a cameo appearance as a house party guest.
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Warner Bros. purchased thefilm rights, intendingHarold Becker to direct andRobert Shapiro to produce.[5]Tom Stoppard wrote the first draft of the screenplay, on which Ballard briefly collaborated.[2] Becker dropped out, andDavid Lean came to direct withSteven Spielberg as producer. Lean explained, "I worked on it for about a year and in the end I gave it up because I thought it was too similar to adiary. It was well-written and interesting, but I gave it to Steve."[5] Spielberg felt "from the moment I readJ. G. Ballard's novel I secretly wanted to direct myself."[5] Spielberg found the project to be very personal. As a child, his favourite film was Lean'sThe Bridge on the River Kwai, which similarly takes place in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. Spielberg's fascination with World War II andthe aircraft of that era was stimulated by his father's stories of his experience as aradio operator onNorth American B-25 Mitchell bombers in theChina-Burma Theater.[5] Spielberg hiredMenno Meyjes to do an uncredited re-write before Stoppard was brought back to write theshooting script.[2]
J.G. Ballard felt Bale had a physical resemblance to himself at the same age.[6] The actor was 12 years old when he was cast.Amy Irving, Bale's co-star in thetelevision movieAnastasia: The Mystery of Anna, recommended Bale to her then-husband, Steven Spielberg, for the role. More than 4,000 child actors auditioned.[7] Jim's singing voice was provided by English performer James Rainbird.[8]
Empire of the Sun was filmed atElstree Studios in the United Kingdom, andon location inShanghai andSpain.Principal photography began on 1 March 1987,[9] and lasted for 16 weeks.[10] The filmmakers searched across Asia in an attempt to find locations that resembled 1941 Shanghai. They entered negotiations withShanghai Film Studios andChina Film Co-Production Corporation in 1985.[11] After a year of negotiations, permission was granted for a three-week shoot in early March 1987. It was the first American film shot in Shanghai since the 1940s.[2] The Chinese authorities allowed the crew to alter signs totraditional Chinese characters, as well as closing down city blocks for filming.[11] Over 5,000 localextras were used, some old enough to remember theJapanese occupation of Shanghai 40 years earlier. Members of thePeople's Liberation Army played Japanese soldiers.[6] Other locations includedTrebujena inAndalusia,Knutsford inCheshire andSunningdale inBerkshire.[11] Lean often visited the set during the England shoot.[2]
Spielberg attempted to portray the era accurately, using period vehicles and aircraft. FourHarvard SNJ aircraft were lightly modified in France to resembleMitsubishi A6M Zero aircraft.[12] Two additional non-flying replicas were used. Three restoredP-51D Mustangs, two from 'The Fighter Collection' of England, and one from the 'Old Flying Machine Company', were flown in the film.[12] These P-51s were flown byRay Hanna (who was featured in the film flying at low-level past the child star with the canopy back, waving), his son Mark and "Hoof" Proudfoot and took over 10 days of filming to complete due to the complexity of the planned aerial sequences, which included the P-51s actually dropping plaster-filled replica 500 lb bombs at low level, with simulated bomb blasts. A number of large scale remote control flying models were also used, including an 18-foot wingspanB-29, but Spielberg felt the results were disappointing, so he extended the film contract with the full-size examples and pilots on set in Trebujena, Spain.[13][14]
Spielberg had wanted to film inSuper Panavision 70 but did not want to work with the old camera equipment that was only available at the time.[15]
Industrial Light & Magic designed thevisual effects sequences with somecomputer-generated imagery also used for theatomic bombing of Nagasaki.Norman Reynolds was hired as theproduction designer whileVic Armstrong served as thestunt co-ordinator.[14]
Empire of the Sun was given alimited release on 11 December 1987 before being widely released on Christmas Day, 1987. The film earned $22.24 million in North America,[4] and $44.46 million in other countries, accumulating a worldwide total of $66.7 million, earning more than its budget but still considered a box office disappointment by Spielberg.[N 1][2]
Review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 75% based on reviews from 67 critics. The site's critical consensus reads, "One of Steven Spielberg's most ambitious efforts of the 1980s,Empire of the Sun remains an under-rated gem in the director's distinguished filmography."[17]Metacritic calculated an average score of 62 out of 100 based on 22 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[18] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[19]
J. G. Ballard gave positive feedback, and was especially impressed with Christian Bale's performance.[6] Critical reaction was not universally affirmative,[5] butRichard Corliss ofTime stated that Spielberg "has energized each frame with allusive legerdemain and an intelligent density of images and emotions".[20]Janet Maslin fromThe New York Times said Spielberg's movie-conscious spirit gave it "a visual splendor, a heroic adventurousness and an immense scope that make it unforgettable".[21]Julie Salamon ofThe Wall Street Journal wrote that the film was "an edgy, intelligent script by playwrightTom Stoppard, Spielberg has made an extraordinary film out of Mr. Ballard's extraordinary war experience."[22][better source needed]J. Hoberman fromThe Village Voice decried that the serious subject was undermined by Spielberg's "shamelessly kiddiecentric" approach.[5]Roger Ebert gave a mixed reaction, "Despite the emotional potential in the story, it didn't much move me. Maybe, like the kid, I decided that no world where you can play with airplanes can be all that bad."[23] On hisTV show withGene Siskel, Ebert said that the film "is basically a good idea for a film that never gets off the ground". Siskel added, "I don't know what the film is about. It's so totally confused and taking things from different parts. On one hand, if it wants to say something about a child's-eye view of war, you got a movie made byJohn Boorman calledHope and Glory that was just released that is much better, and much more daring in showing the whimsy that children's view of war is. On the other hand, this film wants to hedge its bet and make it like an adventure film, so you've got likeIndiana Jones with the John Malkovich character helping the little kid through all the fun of war. I don't know what Spielberg wanted to do."[24]
The film won awards from theNational Board of Review of Motion Pictures forBest Film andBest Director, and Bale received a special citation for Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor, the first National Board award bestowed on a child actor.[25][26] At the60th Academy Awards,Empire of the Sun was nominated forArt Direction,Cinematography,Costume Design (Bob Ringwood),Film Editing,Original Music Score, andSound (Robert Knudson,Don Digirolamo,John Boyd andTony Dawe). It did not convert any of the nominations into awards.[27]Allen Daviau, who was nominated as cinematographer, publicly complained, "I can't second-guess the Academy, but I feel very sorry that I get nominations and Steven doesn't. It's his vision that makes it all come together, and if Steven wasn't making these films, none of us would be here."[2] The film won awards for cinematography, sound design, and music score at the42nd British Academy Film Awards. The nominations includedproduction design,costume design, andadapted screenplay.[28] Spielberg was honored for this work by theDirectors Guild of America,[29] while theAmerican Society of Cinematographers honoredAllen Daviau.[30]Empire of the Sun was nominated forBest Motion Picture (Drama) andOriginal Score at the45th Golden Globe Awards.[31] John Williams earned aGrammy Award nomination.[32]
Jim's growing alienation from his pre-war self and society is reflected in his hero-worship of the Japanese aviators based at the airfield adjoining the camp. "I think it's true that the Japanese were pretty brutal with the Chinese, so I don't have any particularly sentimental view of them," Ballard recalled. "But small boys tend to find their heroes where they can. One thing there was no doubt about, and that was that the Japanese were extremely brave. One had very complicated views about patriotism [and] loyalty to one's own nation. Jim is constantly identifying himself, first with the Japanese; then, when the Americans start flying over in theirMustangs andB-29s, he's very drawn to the American."[5]
The apocalyptic wartime setting and theclimactic moment when Jim sees the distant white flash of theatomic bombing of Nagasaki gave Spielberg powerful visual metaphors "to draw a parallel story between the death of this boy's innocence and the death of the innocence of the entire world".[33] Spielberg reflected he "was attracted to the idea that this was a death of innocence, not an attenuation of childhood, which by my own admission and everybody's impression of me is what my life has been. This was the opposite ofPeter Pan. This was a boy who had grown up too quickly."[1] Other topics that Spielberg previously dealt with, and are presented inEmpire of the Sun, include a child being separated from his parents (The Sugarland Express,E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,Close Encounters of the Third Kind,The Color Purple, andPoltergeist)[N 2] and World War II (1941, andRaiders of the Lost Ark).[34] Spielberg explained "My parents got a divorce when I was 14, 15. The whole thing about separation is something that runs very deep in anyone exposed to divorce."[1]
The dramatic attack on the Japanese prisoner of war camp carried out by P-51 Mustangs is accompanied by Jim's whoops of "...the Cadillac of the skies!", a phrase believed to be first used in Ballard's text as "Cadillac of air combat".[35] Steven Bull quotes the catchwords in theEncyclopedia of Military Technology and Innovation (2004) as originating in 1941.[36] John Williams's soundtrack includes "Cadillac of the Skies" as an individual score cue.
Ben Stiller conceived the idea forTropic Thunder while performing inEmpire of the Sun.[37]
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