Overlooked and underrated: Spielberg’s ‘Empire of the Sun’

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

EMPIRE OF THE SUN (1987)

Before “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan,” director Steven Spielberg tackled a lavish, complicated and personal World War II film that wound up tanking at the box office and attracting few fans.

I was among the many people who trashed “Empire of the Sun,” dismissing the 1987 film as a waste of talented actors and a rare failure from a great film maker. The 2½-hour film was stiff, hard-headed and drab. And I hated it.

Man, was I wrong.

I caught the film on Home Box Office a year later. And this time, I had a distinctly different reaction. That night in my apartment, I found “Empire of the Sun” a fascinating, touching and boldly moving experience. This is one of Spielberg’s unsung greats.

I rarely change my mind about films, certainly not as drastic a swing as I did with “Empire of the Sun.”

In fact, I can cite just one other example in which I left a theater despising a film and then completely changed my mind after watching it a second time. That film was Oliver Stone’s “Nixon,” which I regard today as one of the finest politically-charged movies I have ever seen – right up there with Stone’s “JFK.”

I can’t tell you exactly why I changed my opinion about “Empire of the Sun.” Spielberg’s film just clicked for me on a second viewing – from the way he finds hope in the most hopeless of situations to the way it shows how love survives even the horrors of war, from his rich visuals to composer John Williams’ lush score.

“Empire of the Sun” is coming-of-age story starring a young Christian Bale as Jamie Graham, the child of a British family living in Shanghai at the brink of World War II. Jamie suddenly finds himself separated from his mother and becomes a prisoner of war in the Lunghua Civilian Assembly Center in China.

During his years in the prison camp, Jamie becomes lost in that awkward stage between child and adult. With no parents, Jamie fends for himself while living in horrible conditions. He learns about survival and the cruelty of war. And he befriends several fellow prisoners.

CHRISTIAN BALE

Jamie’s most significant relationship in the camp is with a morally corrupt American, Basie, played by John Malkovich; they first meet early in the film on the streets of Shanghai. Jamie’s one mistake is that he fails, or simply refuses, to see Basie for the shallow, self-centered person he actually is.

“Empire of the Sun” is based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by author J.G. Ballard. While fictional, the story draws from Ballard’s own personal experiences during World War II.

It also gives Spielberg a grand stage from which to touch on such favorite themes as the beauty of flying, the lost innocence of youth, the impact of World War II and the separation of a child from his parents. Jamie’s obsession with flight, in fact, leads to his separation from his mother.

“Empire” was shot on location in Shanghai and includes some of Spielberg’s most impressive sequences. One scene early in the film shows how Jamie becomes separated from his mother as thousands flee the city to avoid Japanese invaders. Another much later shows Jamie’s pure joy as he watches American fighters zoom past the prison camp.

Bale, who carries the film and is in just about every frame, shows an intensity he would later exploit impressively in such films as “Rescue Dawn” and “The Machinist.” It’s an impressive early performance from one of the screen’s best actors.

Spielberg would revisit World War II again in 1993 with “Schindler’s List” and in 1998 with “Saving Private Ryan.” After watching “Empire of the Sun,” it’s difficult to imagine Spielberg making those two modern classics – the two finest films of his career – if he didn’t make “Empire” first.

“Empire of the Sun” gave Spielberg the perfect vehicle to explore the themes of love, sacrifice and pain in a wartime setting – themes he expanded and explored in much greater emotional detail in “Saving Private Ryan” and, especially, “Schindler’s List.”

“Empire of the Sun” is available for purchase or rent on DVD. Click here to purchase the film on DVD through Amazon.com. You can rent the film through Netflix; the film, however, is not available for streaming on Netflix. The film is rated PG for violence and profanity.









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