Empire of the Sun
Empire of the Sun movie poster
Directed by	Steven Spielberg
Produced by	Kathleen Kennedy Frank Marshall Steven Spielberg
Written by	J. G. Ballard (novel) Tom Stoppard Menno Meyjes
Starring	Christian Bale John Malkovich Miranda Richardson Nigel Havers
Music by	John Williams
Cinematography	Allen Daviau
Editing by	Michael Kahn
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Amblin Entertainment
Release date(s)	December 9, 1987
Running time	154 min. Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE (Hon (born December 18 1946 is an American Film director, Screenwriter and producer. Kathleen Kennedy (b 5 June 1953 in Berkeley California) is a five-time Academy Award nominated American movie industry executive Frank Wilson Marshall (born September 13, 1946) is a four-time Academy Award -nominated American movie producer and Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE (Hon (born December 18 1946 is an American Film director, Screenwriter and producer. James Graham Ballard (born 15 November in the International Settlement in Shanghai, China) is a British Novelist and Short Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE (born 3 July 1937 is a British Screenwriter playwright Menno Meyjes (born 1954 Eindhoven) is a Dutch -born Academy Award and BAFTA nominated Screenwriter. Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974 is a British John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an Emmy Award -winning two-time Academy Award -nominated American Actor Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958 is an English stage film and television actress. Nigel Allan Havers (born 6 November, 1951 in London) is a BAFTA nominated English Actor. John Towner Williams (born February 8 1932) is an American Composer, conductor and Pianist. Allen Daviau, ASC (born June 14, 1942 in New Orleans) is a five-time Academy Award nominated American Cinematographer Michael Kahn (born in New York, December 8, 1935) is a widely recognized Film editor. Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and Amblin Entertainment' is an American film and television Production company founded by Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Events 536 - Byzantine General Belisarius enters Rome while the Ostrogothic garrison peacefully leaves the city Events January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago Illinois, to
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$38,000,000 (est. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States )
Gross revenue	$22,238,696 (USA)
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Empire of the Sun is a 1987 English language war film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Christian Bale, John Malkovich, and Miranda Richardson. Events January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago Illinois, to English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States War film is a Film genre concerned with Warfare usually about naval, air or land battles sometimes focusing instead on Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE (Hon (born December 18 1946 is an American Film director, Screenwriter and producer. Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974 is a British John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an Emmy Award -winning two-time Academy Award -nominated American Actor Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958 is an English stage film and television actress. It is based on the novel of the same name by J.G. Ballard; the film's screenplay being adapted by Tom Stoppard and Menno Meyjes. Empire of the Sun is a 1984 novel by J G Ballard which was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. James Graham Ballard (born 15 November in the International Settlement in Shanghai, China) is a British Novelist and Short Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE (born 3 July 1937 is a British Screenwriter playwright Menno Meyjes (born 1954 Eindhoven) is a Dutch -born Academy Award and BAFTA nominated Screenwriter. The film was critically acclaimed, being nominated for six Oscars and winning three BAFTAs (for Cinematography, Music and Sound). "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA is a British charity that hosts annual awards shows for film television television craft video games and forms of animation Bale received a special citation for Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor from the National Board of Review — an award specially created for his performance in Empire of the Sun. The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures was founded in 1909 in New York City, just 13 years after the birth of cinema, to protest New York City Mayor

The story is a semi-biographical account of author Ballard's early years. The main character's name in the film, James Graham, is the same as that of J. G. (James Graham) Ballard.

Plot

The idyllic childhood of a young English schoolboy, Jamie Graham living with his rich parents in a luxurious Shanghai suburb comes to an abrupt end in 1941 when the Empire of Japan, having more or less occupied China since 1937, launch war against United States, Great Britain and Holland. Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku The Second Sino-Japanese War ( July 7, 1937 to September 9, 1945) was a major war fought between the Republic of China and the

Jamie is separated from his parents, who are evacuated. He spends some months living in his deserted house, living on the remnants of packaged food. He ventures into Shanghai and finds it bustling with Japanese troops who ignore his attempts at surrender. Eventually, he falls in with an American, Basie (Malkovich), who renames him "Jim," and when they are captured Jim uses great ingenuity to stay with Basie. They are taken to Soochow Creek Internment Camp where they are put to work constructing a runway for the Japanese air force. Suzhou Creek ( Wade-Giles: Su-chou-ho literally "Suzhou River") is a river in China that passes through the Shanghai city centre This is a list of Internment and Concentration camps, organized by country A runway ( RWY) is a strip of land on an Airport, on which Aircraft can take off and land. In one dreamlike sequence, Jim wanders away from the group and finds several Japanese Zero fighter planes and their proud pilots. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

The story then jumps ahead to 1945, a few months before the end of the Pacific Campaign of the war. The Pacific War was the part of World War II —and preceding conflicts—that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands and in East Asia, between Jim is now about 13 or 14 years old and has eked out a good living, despite the poor conditions of the camp. He has an extensive trading network, involving even the camp’s commanding officer, Sergeant Nagata, from whom he casually steals a bar of soap. He is being schooled by the camp’s British doctor, Dr. Rawlins, (Nigel Havers) who has a difficult time teaching Jim humility. Through the barbwired fencing of the camp, Jim "befriends" a Japanese teenager who also dreams of becoming a pilot.

Jim still idolizes Basie and visits him in the American men’s barracks. He is attracted to the Americans, whose relaxed good nature contrasts starkly with their dull British counterparts. Jim hopes to move into the American men’s barracks. Jim later rescues Dr. Rawlins from a beating by Sgt. Nagata, by delivering a humble speech to the sergeant in Japanese. The doctor gives Jim a pair of golf shoes as a reward.

Christian Bale attempting to surrender to Japanese soldiers in an early scene of Empire of the Sun

Basie charges him with setting snare traps outside the wire of the camp to catch wild pheasants that Basie claims have been roosting there. Pheasants are a group of large Birds in the order Galliformes. Jim creeps into the marsh undetected, but the golf shoes he left behind are discovered by Nagata, who tromps into the marsh to find the owner. In Geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of Wetland which is subject Just as Nagata is about to find Jim, he is distracted by the Japanese boy from the air base on the other side of the wire and Jim escapes detection. As a reward, Basie allows him to move into the American barracks with him.

Meanwhile, Basie has been plotting to escape the camp. Basie’s callous private reason for sending Jim into the marsh had been to test the area for mines. Nagata makes an unexpected visit to Basie’s corner of the barracks and finds some soap that Jim had earlier stolen. Basie is beaten, and spends several days in the infirmary. The other men steal Basie's possessions and Jim leaves the American men's barracks in shame.

One morning at dawn, Jim witnesses a kamikaze ritual of three Japanese pilots at the air base. ( is a word of Japanese origin which in English usually refers to the Suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Overcome with emotion at the solemnity of the ceremony he begins to sing the same Welsh hymn ("Suo Gân") he sang as a choir boy in Shanghai. Suo Gân (sɨɔ gɑːn is a traditional Welsh Lullaby written by an anonymous Composer. As the pilots take off on their suicide mission, the base is suddendly attacked by a small squadron of P-51 Mustangs. He runs to the roof of a building, where he sees one of the pilots wave at him. Excited, he begins to cheer them on. Dr Rawlins finds Jim on the roof, oblivious to the danger of the bombs. Jim turns to the doctor and starts talking to him in a highly emotional and excited state that verges on hysteria. The event seems to have an impact on Jim that brings about a type of mental breakdown. Mental breakdown (also known as nervous breakdown or snapping) is a non-medical term used to describe a sudden acute attack of Mental illness such as Rawlins sharply brings Jim back to reality by telling him “not to think so much. ”

The Japanese decide to evacuate the camp. Running to tell Basie the news, Jim is devastated to find that Basie has already escaped with another American, Dainty (Ben Stiller). Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller (born November 30 1965 is an Emmy Award -winning American Comedian, actor Film producer and director Meanwhile, the last remaining Zero fails to start and take off, the improvised pilot being the friendly Japanese teenager, who breaks down in tears, ashamed.

The camp's population begins a grueling march to Nantow where they are told there will be food. Many die along the way, including Mrs. Victor, a British woman who was Jim's "neighbour" at Soochow. As Jim sits with her body among the war spoils stored in Nantow Stadium by the Japanese, he sees a bright light in the sky to the East. He believes it to be Mrs. Victor's soul floating to Heaven but finds out later, through a radio broadcast, that it was the flash from one of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan, hundreds of miles away. The soul, according to many religious and philosophical beliefs is the self-awareness, or Consciousness, unique to a particular living Heaven may refer to the physical heavens the sky or the seemingly endless expanse of the Universe beyond A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion.

Starving and weak, Jim trudges back to the camp at Soochow. Making his way through rice paddies, he notices cylindrical objects attached to parachutes falling from the sky. They contain Red Cross relief packages and food items. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an International humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers worldwide who stated Jim fills a parachute with supplies and arrives at the camp. He finds the same young Japanese boy he knew from his internment deliriously and angrily slashing at the plants in the marsh with his katana. A is a type of Japanese sword ( nihontō) and often is called a "samurai sword The boy calms down and offers Jim a mango and begins to cut it with his sword. Mangoes belong to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous species of tropical fruiting Trees in the Flowering plant family Anacardiaceae He is shot dead by one of Basie’s companions, who have arrived to loot the Red Cross containers. Jim is furious and throws the man who shot his friend into the marsh and begins to beat him. Basie drags him off and promises to take him back to Shanghai and find his parents. Jim refuses the offer and stays behind.

Jim is found by a unit of American soldiers. He is sent back to Shanghai and housed with other children who have lost their parents. Jim, obviously more scarred by his experiences during the war than the other kids, doesn’t recognize his parents when they arrive at the home and they scarcely recognize him. The paralysis is broken when his mother finds him in the crowd. Jim collapses into his mother’s arms.

Cast

Reception

Steven Spielberg and Christian Bale during filming of Empire of the Sun.

The film has a fresh 76% rating on Rotten Tomatoes,^[1] and a 60% rating at Metacritic. Rotten Tomatoes is a Website devoted to reviews information and news of Movies. Metacritic is a Website that collates reviews of music Albums games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and Books. ^[2]

Julie Salamon wrote that the film as "an edgy, intelligent script by playwright Tom Stoppard, Mr. Spielberg has made an extraordinary film out of Mr. Ballard's extraordinary war experience. ,"^[3] and Janet Maslin from The New York Times called the film "a visual splendor, a heroic adventurousness and an immense scope that make it unforgettable. "^[4] Time magazine stated that Spielberg "has energized each frame with allusive legerdemain and an intelligent density of images and emotions. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and " ^[5] Some reviewers had criticisms, however: for Washington Post, Desson Howe said "Behind the trademark fancy package is a troubling sensibility, too. The Washington Post is the largest and most circulated Newspaper in Washington D Spielberg seems unable to come to terms with anything real" ^[6]

During its limited release opening weekend at the United States box office, the film made $1. A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for Admission to a venue 3 million. Its domestic total gross was $22. 2 million. ^[7]

Awards

Empire of The Sun has won numerous film awards, including three BAFTA awards for Best Cinematography, Best Score, and Best Sound. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA is a British charity that hosts annual awards shows for film television television craft video games and forms of animation The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures was founded in 1909 in New York City, just 13 years after the birth of cinema, to protest New York City Mayor The Young Artist Awards are presented yearly by the Young Artist Foundation The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA is a British charity that hosts annual awards shows for film television television craft video games and forms of animation ^[8]

At the Young Artist Awards, the Academy Awards for young actors, the film won Best Family Motion Picture - Drama, and Christian Bale's first award for Best Young Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama. The Young Artist Awards are presented yearly by the Young Artist Foundation Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974 is a British At the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, the movie won in 3 categories, including Best Film in the English language, Best Director and Best Juvenile Performance by Christian Bale. The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures was founded in 1909 in New York City, just 13 years after the birth of cinema, to protest New York City Mayor English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The film was also nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Art Direction - Set Decoration, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, and Best Music - Original Score. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. ^[9]

It was also nominated two Golden Globes including Best Motion Picture-Drama and Best Original Score-Motion Picture,^[10] and for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures at the Directors Guild Awards. The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and Television programs given out each year during a formal dinner ^[11]

Comparisons to other films

In 1990, a reporter asked Spielberg about the similarities between his film and Columbia Pictures's Hope and Glory: both films are set around the same time, have similar child-age principal characters, and themes of "kids' choices. }} Columbia Pictures Industries Inc is an American Film production and distribution company Hope and Glory is a 1987 British comedy-drama - War film, written and directed by John Boorman. " Says Spielberg: "This is my version of World War II and Hope and Glory is more of a comedy. Hope and Glory is a 1987 British comedy-drama - War film, written and directed by John Boorman. "

Notes

External links

• Empire of the Sun at the Internet Movie Database
• Empire of the Sun at the TCM Movie Database
• Empire of the Sun at Allmovie
• Empire of the Sun at Rotten Tomatoes
• Empire of the Sun at Metacritic
• Empire of the Sun at Box Office Mojo
• Empie of the Sun at SpielbergFilms. Turner Classic Movies ( TCM) is a cable television channel featuring commercial -free classic movies mostly from the Turner Entertainment and Warner Allmovie (previously All Movie Guide) is a commercial database of information about Movie stars movies and television shows. Rotten Tomatoes is a Website devoted to reviews information and news of Movies. Metacritic is a Website that collates reviews of music Albums games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and Books. Box Office Mojo is a Website that tracks Box office Revenue in a systematic way com
• Empire of the Sun movie posters at MoviePosterDB.com

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