Empire of the Sun

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Summary: Great Film.
Review: It's a great film, I can't wait until it comes out on DVD. One of my top 10 Favorite films.

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Summary: Terrific Film!
Review: Christian Bale stars in Steven Spielberg's ambitious film about a British boy, living a pampered life in Shanghai, who is separated from his parents when Japanese troops invade China at the beginning of WW II. The kid then has to fend for himself in a prison camp among adults. Talk about a coming-of-age story! This film is terrific, with wonderful music, acting, camera work, and images. Tom Stoppard adapted J. G. Ballard's autobiographical novel, and John Williams provided the music. This is how Hollywood used to make movies.--Diana Dell, author, "A Saigon Party: And Other Vietnam War Short Stories."

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Summary: A lost epic for those who hate Spielberg films...
Review: My attachment to this film stems from two facts: 1) I was the same age as Jim when I first saw the film in theaters in 1987, and 2) my father is a pilot, so my brother and I have always been steeped in the culture of flight. Thus I identified very deeply with the boy I saw there on the big screen those many years ago, a boy who had the same fears and fascinations that I did. As I sat there next to my parents and my brother, I could not imagine the horror of being seperated from them, only to have to make my own way in a war-torn land.

I think the reason a lot of Spielberg's work bothers me is the gratuitous emotion (aka, the "gee whiz" effect) he injects into his films. The framing sequence in "Saving Private Ryan", the precocious kids in any number of his films...all designed to elicit a very blunt emotional response. He does all the thinking for his audiences and seems loathe to let them draw their own emotional conclusions. And to be fair, there are a couple of those moments in "Empire..." (the fate of the young Japanese pilot seems particularly calculated and still irks me, but this isn't entirely Spielberg's fault as he's merely adapting someone else's narrative). That said, I feel that this is easily his most restrained work. We're given ample opportunity to make up our own minds about the events and characters in this film. Of course this is largely attributable to the unbelievable performance of Christian Bale. The maturity he demonstrates in this film belies his years, and by the end of the film you feel as though you've watched him age 10 years. I'm glad to see him in leading roles again, even if it is in such questionnable fare as "American Psycho". For awhile there I thought "Newsies" would be his unfortunate swan song. (Fun fact: Bale does the voice of Thomas, the nervous young soldier in Disney's "Pocahontas")

Props must also go to the stellar supporting cast, led by the (as always) brilliant John Malkovich. And John Williams' epic and unforgettable score almost plays a physical part in this film...it would not be the same movie without it. It's easily one of the most moving and memorable scores in recent decades.

Unfortunately "Empire of the Sun" is not available on DVD (yet). I'm not sure if the upcoming VHS release is letterboxed or not, but I don't think I'd want to see this film with it's beautiful, sweeping cinematography cropped down for pan & scan. The day this film is released on DVD (hopefully with plenty of extras) will be a happy day indeed for myself and all those who love this wonderful and deeply underrated classic.

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Summary: Not Your Typical Spielberg Film and The Better For It!
Review: This film has a permanent place in my top ten, sandwiched between Wild Strawberries and Breaking the Waves. I should begin by saying that I'm not a Spielberg fan. Not at all. Never saw ET, suffered through Ryan's Privates, thought Amistad was a snooze and fell for The Color Purple against my better judgement. What annoys me so much about his royal Spielbergness is his gratuitous use of the human nervous system as a convenient foil for substance, all in aid of box office revenue. Sap, pap and pop aren't my idea of culture.

That said, I only recently came to terms with the fact that Empire of the Sun was a Spielberg opus. Magnum at that. I've been blocking it out because I like the damned film so much. Why you ask? Let's start with Malkovich Malkovich. This is the perfect role for Malkovich who just this year traded in his trademark sneer for a baffling, doelike look of vulnerability that must have something to do with middle age. But as Basie, Malk is nothing short of brilliant: mercenary, mercurial, and the worst possible mentor to Jim, a cossetted English boy played sensitively by Christian Bale. Jim is our protagonist, lost to his family in the melee surrounding the Japanese invasion of Shanghai. Whether foraging for food or deeply inhaling the scent of his mother's face powder in their empty mansion, the post-invasion scenes in Shanghai ache with loss as Jim's sense of freedom turns into panic. All that remains of his childhood is his fascination with flight. At last, it's off to the POW camp, where Jim meets with some rather fine acting from Miranda Richardson, Malk & Company. Jim is frenetic. He's wheeling and dealing, he's angling for position, busily engaged in commerce. Jim, formerly trading on his priviledged childhood, is now in the business of surviving.

It's hard to indentify just where the charm lies in this three hour epic, but there's no shortage of it. Jim's fascination and ultimate disillusionment with Basie and his American cohorts forms an elegant arc that is a perfect microcosm of the parent-child relationship. Less effective is the silent, mutual admiration that develops between Jim and the young Kamikaze pilot in the adjoining airstrip. It's sweet, but only narrowly avoids the kind of Benetton ad inclusionary "we are the world" tripe that was so popular in the 80s. Then there's the extraordinary trek through what looks like the Gobi to the stadium in which the dazed POWs stumble among the spoils of war, the former trappings of imperialism. This is a bit political for Spielberg whose range typically has the bredth and depth as a Hallmark card's punchline, but he pulls it off. The key moments in the film are set against a haunting boys choir song that's very olde England and puts the soaring, over-the-top score by John Williams to shame.

Look, it's not typical Spielberg. While big in scope, it lacks some of the grand gestures of his other films. It's not as fuzzy and there aren't any action figures, toys or lunchboxes. There is, at least, the veneer of restraint. Of course, the ending is what really does it for me. It's the big payoff, the fruit of three hours' labor and the reason celluloid was invented. It's not so much that Jim's parents find him, it's that moment when he closes his eyes and the frenetic scramble for survival ceases at last. It was only then that I realized I'd suspended disbelief as well as dislike of the "epic" film to root for Jim from the start. And it was only then, tears rolling down my cheeks as Jim finds a home in his mother's arms, that I realized I am every bit Spielberg's dupe, satisfied at last.

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Summary: Outstanding and Accurate Adaption to Film of a Book
Review: I first read this book in 1987.As a (amateur historian) reader of military history, I foundMr. Ballard's book and Mr. Spielberg's adaption to film a hauntingexperience of an aspect of World War II little known or experiencedhere in America. One can watch repeated episodes of The HistoryChannel's series on "Hitler's Henchmen", but what of Tojo'sor the Emperor's Henchmen and the atrocities they committed in WWII?This film and book brought these historical events to a personal andemotional level that lingers with you long after reading the book orwatching the film. Christian Bale's performance is truly haunting.John Malkovich certainly demonstrated his future skill at being themanipulator/survivor in his later films. It is a haunting film thatchronicles the horrors of war as experienced by a civilian, especiallya privilged boy, and yet, the humanity of those

(least of all theBasie (American) character) that somehow survives the horrors ofimprisonment. A truly underated and underappreciated film.

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Summary: WHEN OH WHEN!
Review: This film is one of my absolute favorites. My VHS copy is now on the fritz from repeated viewings and if there ever was a film MADE for DVD it's this one.

When will it be released on the format it's perfect for!?!?!

In my mind I hear the music, the rumblings, and in my mind I see the beautiful cinematography and the gorgeous choreography of the Japanese attack on Shanghai.

Please release this film on DVD!

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Summary: Unforgettable
Review: I saw this movie in the theatre when I was about 14 and it has haunted me ever since. It is one of the most beautiful cinematic experiences I have encountered. This MUST be made available for the DVD format!

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Summary: The epic of the Sun
Review: Empire of the Sun is a breathtaking experience. Based upon and faithful to English author J.G. Ballard's brilliant novel of the same name, EOTS details Ballard's childhood adventures as a prisoner of the Japanese in occupied China. Where other filmakers have tried and failed to turn Ballard's books into movies, Spielberg has crafted a masterpiece. EOTS overflows with stunning images: Young Jim, dressed like a Turkish dandy, blunders into a company of armed and dangerous Japanese soldiers. A midnight air attack on distant Japanese fortifications, seen from the safety of his internment camp barracks, becomes for Jim a vision of wonder and beauty. Fighter planes on a strafing run against an adjacent Japanese airfield wheel, dive and scream like a visitation of angry angels. A one time soccer stadium glitters in the dawn with the transitory wealth of a thousand looted estates. It is difficult to praise EOTS too highly. Superlative writing, directing, acting (esp. Christian Bale as Jim, and John Malkovich), scoring, editing...one could go on almost forever. One of the great movies.

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Summary: One of Spielberg's best!
Review: This movie is unbelieveably amazing! Once again, Steven Spielberg uses the brilliant technique of telling a story through the eyes of a young, simple boy (played by the wonderful Christian Bale). It shows, once again, the horrors of that awful war, after which the world will never be the same. John William's magnificant music gives the films a heavenly atmosphere, which comes in huge contrust to the horrors it contains. The photography is amazing too. It is a must-see and a must-buy, since it would be wrong to only watch is once. It is breath-taking, not because of specail effects, but because of the humanity (and lack of humanity) in it. You better preper snacks and go to the bathroom before you start watching, cause once you've started, there's no way of stopping!

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Summary: Master Work Neglected by Revenue-obsessed "Suits"
Review: "Empire of the Sun" is one of the few movies that makes my eyes water with tears throughout the screenplay. The movie contains classic visual montages such as the harrowing car ride through mob-choked city streets, or the stunning scene of thousands of household objects littering an open field. Spielberg's vision was never sharper, and the words and music never more piercing. Yet despite this artistry and heart-gripping storytelling, the revenue-obsessed "suits" who control the production and distribution of DVDs have held "Empire of the Sun" from the public. This mistake, cold hearted as it is short sighted, may someday be rectified so that people can enjoy a DVD version of this great film. Until then I will continue to weep and rejoice over my VHS version, and hope that someone with more humanity and fewer spreadsheets rises to power in the DVD industry.