IMDb > Empire of the Sun (1987)
Empire of the Sun
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Empire of the Sun (1987) More at IMDbPro »

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Empire of the Sun (1987) -- A young English boy struggles to survive under Japanese occupation during World War II.
Empire of the Sun (1987) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   31,495 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Steven Spielberg
Writers:
J.G. Ballard (novel)
Tom Stoppard (writer)
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Empire of the Sun on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 December 1987 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Drama | War more
Tagline:
To survive in a world at war, he must find a strength greater than all the events that surround him.
Plot:
A young English boy struggles to survive under Japanese occupation during World War II. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 7 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(30 articles)
In full: Q Awards 2009 winners
 (From digitalspy. 26 October 2009, 9:26 AM, PDT)

Fred Dekker Revisits The Night of the Creeps!
 (From MovieWeb. 16 October 2009, 7:44 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Extraordinary film more (251 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Christian Bale ... Jim 'Jamie' Graham

John Malkovich ... Basie

Miranda Richardson ... Mrs. Victor
Nigel Havers ... Dr. Rawlins

Joe Pantoliano ... Frank Demarest
Leslie Phillips ... Maxton
Masatô Ibu ... Sgt. Nagata
Emily Richard ... Mary Graham, Jim's mother
Rupert Frazer ... John Graham, Jim's father
Peter Gale ... Mr. Victor
Takatoro Kataoka ... Kamikaze Boy Pilot

Ben Stiller ... Dainty
David Neidorf ... Tiptree
Ralph Seymour ... Cohen
Robert Stephens ... Mr. Lockwood
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
153 min
Country:
USA
Colour:
Colour (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Some sources say Jean Anderson is in the film but she is not in this project more
Goofs:
Continuity: In an early scene where Jamie's mother is sitting on the foot of his bed, she lights a cigarette. When she stands to exit the room, the cigarette has disappeared. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Narrator: [title card] In 1941 China and Japan had been in a state of undeclared war for four years. A Japanese army of occupation was in control of much of the countryside and many towns and cities. In Shanghai thousands of Westerners, protected by the diplomatic security of the International Settlement, continued to live as they had lived since the British came here in the 19th century and built in the image of their own country...
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Spielberg on Spielberg (2007) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
A NIGHTINGALE SANG IN BERKELEY SQUARE more

FAQ

What is the name of the lullaby sung by Jim throughout the movie?
Is this based entirely on JG Ballard's experiences during the war?
What's with the stadium filled with treasures?
more
75 out of 88 people found the following comment useful.
Extraordinary film, 19 August 2001
8/10
Author: artzau from Sacramento, CA

Reading through the reviews, there were a lot of people who didn't understand this film. This is Spielberg's venture into the realm of art in cinematography. This film is a visual masterpiece and you are swept along from beginning to end. Yes, the tale gets a bit loose in spots and you never know what's going to happen next. But, if you're willing to give up warm and fuzzy for lush visual images and startling leaps of character, you'll see what Spielberg's trying to accomplish. This film makes use of the talents of Miranda Richardson and gives some early exposure to the likes of John Malkovich and Ben Stiller, but young Christian Bale steals the show. The reviewer that commented on the "gothic" effect of the Tai-Pan's going to the costume ball being driven through Shanghai was right on. This film is rife with such scenes and does not disappoint. It's wholly misleading to look for some kind of action story underlying this film. The tale, taken from the book, is straightforward enough: a young boy's boost into manhood through the second world war. The film is full of memorable moments and visually very, very pleasing. As art, it is excellent. That's likely why it wasn't a blockbuster, as say, e.g., Poltergeist, Close Encounters and the Jurassic Park films, were. But, hey. That's the cost of creating art as opposed to crap. And, crap does draw a lot of flies...

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Empire of the Sun (1987)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
i thought this was very badly executed jamezcoe
Nigel Havers Esmacious
Implied rape of Jim's mother godfatherofsoul
dying to know what he morris codes to the ships in the canal hmmmisthatright
Complete and utter rubbish Fitvideo
Personal Take escalera-2
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