Empire of the Sun (1987)
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A young British boy must navigate the perils of a Japanese-occupied Shanghai and a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II.
The story
In the winter of 1941, during the Japanese invasion of China, Jamie Graham is a British upper-class schoolboy living in the Shanghai International Settlement. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the settlement is occupied by Japanese forces. As the Graham family evacuates, Jamie becomes separated from his parents. He navigates the occupied city alone before being taken in by two American expatriates, Basie and Frank. The trio is eventually captured and sent to an internment camp in Suzhou. There, Jamie must survive the harsh conditions and the complexities of life as a prisoner of war while attempting to navigate the dangers of the conflict.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1941, British schoolboy Jamie Graham is separated from his parents during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai. He is taken in by two American hustlers, Basie and Frank, and is eventually captured and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Suzhou. In the camp, Jamie survives by establishing a trading network and finds a mentor in Dr. Rawlins. He also befriends a Japanese trainee pilot. As the war progresses, Jamie witnesses the destruction of the infirmary and the aerial attacks by American P-51 Mustangs. Following the Japanese retreat, he travels toward the coast, witnessing the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. He is eventually reunited with his parents, though he is so traumatized that he does not fully recognize them.
- First release year
- 1987
- Runtime (minutes)
- 154
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; Japanese
- Directors
- Steven Spielberg
- Writers
- Tom Stoppard · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Christian Bale · Jamie "Jim" Graham; John Malkovich; Miranda Richardson; Nigel Havers; Joe Pantoliano; Masatō Ibu; Leslie Phillips; Ben Stiller; Robert Stephens
- Genres
- war drama; coming-of-age
- Themes
- loss of innocence; alienation; war
- Tone and mood
- dramatic; adventurous
- Setting
- Shanghai and a prisoner-of-war camp in Suzhou during World War II (1941-1945).
- Premise and plot tags
- war; coming-of-age; historical
- Source material / true-story basis
- J. G. Ballard's semi-autobiographical 1984 novel of the same name.
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews, particularly for the lead performance, cinematography, and score, though it was not initially a commercial success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 75% · review count: 67; Metacritic · score: 62 · scale: 100 · review count: 22
- Awards and nominations
- Best Film · National Board of Review of Motion Pictures · Win; Best Director · National Board of Review of Motion Pictures · Win; Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor · National Board of Review of Motion Pictures · Win; Art Direction · Academy Awards · Nomination; Cinematography · Academy Awards · Nomination; Costume Design · Academy Awards · Nomination; Film Editing · Academy Awards · Nomination; Original Music Score · Academy Awards · Nomination; Sound · Academy Awards · Nomination; Cinematography · British Academy Film Awards · Win; Sound Design · British Academy Film Awards · Win; Music Score · British Academy Film Awards · Win; Best Motion Picture (Drama) · Golden Globe Awards · Nomination; Original Score · Golden Globe Awards · Nomination; Grammy Award · Original Score · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was the first American film shot in Shanghai since the 1940s.; Over 5,000 local extras were used, some old enough to remember the Japanese occupation of Shanghai 40 years earlier.; Ben Stiller conceived the idea for Tropic Thunder while performing in Empire of the Sun.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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