Cast: Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers, Joe Pantoliano, Leslie Phillips, Masatô Ibu, Emily Richard, Rupert Frazer, Peter Gale
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenplay: Tom Stoppard, based on the novel by J.G. Ballard
Cinematography: Allen Daviau
Music: John Williams
U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers
In 1987, when Steven Spielberg released Empire of the Sun, he was fighting a reputation as a lightweight filmmaker, something not even his previous effort, The Color Purple, had dispelled. This label would dog him until 1993, when Schindler's List defined him as a director with equal command of serious and popular material. Because most of Spielberg's best substantive movies came after 1993, Empire of the Sun is often overlooked. Although it isn't entirely successful - there are times when Spielberg's vision exceeds his grasp - the picture is a good predictor of things to come as well as a successful examination of a setting that rarely gets treatment in Western films.
It's Shanghai in December 1941, and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor is about to change everything for the British citizens living there. The city has been under Japanese occupation for some time, but the invading army has allowed the British and American quarters to continue operating autonomously. However, on December 8, the Japanese move in, confiscating property and consigning British and American citizens to concentration camps. Jim Graham (Christian Bale), a teenager living with his British parents, Mary (Emily Richard) and John (Rupert Frazer), becomes separated from them during the chaos that erupts after Pearl Harbor. He spends time in hiding before joining with American soldiers of fortune Baise (John Malkovich) and Frank (Joe Pantoliano). Eventually, all three end up in the Soo Chow camp, next to a Japanese air base. From there, Jim, who has had a lifelong affair with flying machines, can watch the Zeroes take off and land. As the experience in the camp toughens him, Jim becomes an important cog in the day-to-day activities of the prisoners, although he dreams of a time when he can escape and locate his parents.
Empire of the Sun is based on the memoirs of J.G. Ballard. Spielberg is at his best when recounting the story's character-based moments and at his weakest when attempting to explore the larger themes of life, death, and the absurdity of war. Some of the scenes in which these issues are italicized (such as the final confrontation between Basie and Jim) do not ring true. They seem confused and overly artsy, as if the director is striving to achieve something he can't quite get his arms around. For Spielberg, successfully tapping into large themes like these would come, although not for several more years.
The story is interesting in that it portrays the plight of British and Americans in concentration camps. Traditional movies of this sort represent the situations of Japanese Americans (in the Western United States) or European Jews (in Poland, Czechoslovakia, or Germany). In addition, it's unusual for a World War II movie to be set in China, far from the front lines and battle zones. If nothing else, Empire of the Sun re-enforces how rich and varied the terrain is for stories to emerge from the last great world conflict.
Empire of the Sun is presented from a child's point-of-view, which should be no surprise to those who are familiar with the director's work. Spielberg has a long history of telling stories from the perspective of someone who is young in age and/or possesses the innocence of youth. The list includes E.T. (where the children protect the alien), Hook (with the boy/man Peter Pan), Close Encounters (with Richard Dreyfuss' innocence allowing him to meet the aliens), A.I. (with the child/robot), The Terminal (where Tom Hanks has a child-like quality), and Catch Me if You Can (where Leonardo DiCaprio refuses to act like a grown-up). This approach also allows Spielberg to present the concentration camp in a different light. Instead of dwelling on the grim circumstances of the adults, Empire of the Sun shows events through Jim's eyes. He's constantly on the move, always finding things to do. One of the film's memorable sequences has him rushing from person to person in the camp, trading goods for things he can then trade again. His goal is not personal gain, but making everyone's life better (as well as proving his worth to Basie, who has the heart of a mercenary).
The cast is populated exclusively by character actors - a rare thing in any post-1980 feature. While it's true that as an adult Christian Bale has gone on to forge a name, this is where he started. The promise he shows here, at the age of 12, would lead him to be cast by Kenneth Branagh in Henry V. John Malkovich plays against type as Basie, a fortune-hunter with a good heart. Joe Pantaliano's role may have played a part in his eventual stereotyping. Miranda Richardson has a small part, with many of her scenes having been cut from the final print. And if you look carefully, you'll see a young Ben Stiller (in only his second feature role) playing one of the Americans.
Empire of the Sun received a slew of technical Oscar nominations (Art Direction, Cinematography, Sound, Editing, Score, Costume Design) but no major nods. It went home empty handed. This echoed what had happened two years before when The Color Purple, the most nominated film of 1985 (11 nominations) garnered zero statues. This twin snubbing led some to wonder at the time whether the Academy would ever acknowledge Spielberg as a serious filmmaker. Schindler's List, of course, reversed that thinking.
Empire of the Sun remains a solidly engaging story of heroism in the face of adversity, as filtered through the eyes of a boy obsessed with planes and flight. As World War II tales go, this one belongs to the minority of adventures that transpire away from the battlefields of the day. From a cinematic perspective, it also represents a glimpse at a maturing Spielberg who was striving to make more complex, mature fare but had not yet progressed to the level he would eventually attain. Despite its flaws, Empire of the Sun remains solid two decades after it received theatrical distribution.
© 2006 James Berardinelli