Empire of the Sun is a 1987 American epic coming-of-age war film based on J. G. Ballard's semi-autobiographical novel of the same name. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson and Nigel Havers. The film tells the story of Jamie "Jim" Graham, a young boy who goes from living in a wealthy British family in Shanghai, to becoming a prisoner of war in a Japanese internment camp, during World War II.
Harold Becker and David Lean were originally to direct before Spielberg came on board, initially as a producer for Lean. Spielberg was attracted to directing the film because of a personal connection to Lean's films and World War II topics. He considers it to be his most profound work on "the loss of innocence". The film received positive reviews but was not initially a box office success, earning only $22,238,696 at the US box office, but it eventually more than recouped its budget through revenues in other markets.
Amidst Japan's invasion of China during World War II, Jamie Graham, a British upper middle class schoolboy, enjoys a privileged life in the Shanghai International Settlement. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese begin occupying the settlement. As the Graham family evacuate the city, Jamie becomes separated from his parents in the ensuing chaos. Jamie returns to their house hoping they will return. After a length of time alone and eating all the food, he ventures into the city.
Hungry, Jamie tries surrendering to Japanese soldiers who ignore him. After being chased by a street urchin, he is taken in by two American expatriates and hustlers, Basie and Frank. They nickname him, "Jim". Unable to sell Jim for money, Basie and Frank intend to abandon him in the streets, but Jamie offers to lead them to his neighborhood to loot the empty houses there. Jamie sees his house lit and thinks his family has returned, only to discover the house occupied by Japanese troops. The trio are taken prisoner. They are then taken to Lunghua Civilian Assembly Center in Shanghai for processing. Basie is among those selected internees to go to the Suzhou Internment Camp, but Jamie is not. The soldiers tasked with moving the prisoners to the camp have a damaged map and do not know the route. Jamie knows the camp's location and convinces the soldiers he can show them the way.
It is now 1945, nearing the end of the Pacific War. Despite the terror and poor living conditions of the camp, Jim survives by establishing a successful trading network—which even involves the camp's commander, Sergeant Nagata. Dr Rawlins, the camp's British doctor, becomes a father figure and teacher to Jim. One night after a bombing raid, Nagata orders the destruction of the prisoners' infirmary as reprisal. He only stops when Jim (now fluent in Japanese) begs forgiveness. Through the barbed wire fencing, Jim befriends a Japanese teenager who is a trainee pilot. Jim also visits Basie in the American POW barracks, where Jim idolizes the Americans and their culture. More details
Amidst Japan's invasion of China during World War II, Jamie Graham, a British upper middle class schoolboy, enjoys a privileged life in the Shanghai International Settlement. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese begin occupying the settlement. As the Graham family evacuate the city, Jamie becomes separated from his parents in the ensuing chaos. Jamie returns to their house hoping they will return. After a length of time alone and eating all the food, he ventures into the city.
Hungry, Jamie tries surrendering to Japanese soldiers who ignore him. After being chased by a street urchin, he is taken in by two American expatriates and hustlers, Basie and Frank. They nickname him, "Jim". Unable to sell Jim for money, Basie and Frank intend to abandon him in the streets, but Jamie offers to lead them to his neighborhood to loot the empty houses there. Jamie sees his house lit and thinks his family has returned, only to discover the house occupied by Japanese troops. The trio are taken prisoner. They are then taken to Lunghua Civilian Assembly Center in Shanghai for processing. Basie is among those selected internees to go to the Suzhou Internment Camp, but Jamie is not. The soldiers tasked with moving the prisoners to the camp have a damaged map and do not know the route. Jamie knows the camp's location and convinces the soldiers he can show them the way.
It is now 1945, nearing the end of the Pacific War. Despite the terror and poor living conditions of the camp, Jim survives by establishing a successful trading network—which even involves the camp's commander, Sergeant Nagata. Dr Rawlins, the camp's British doctor, becomes a father figure and teacher to Jim. One night after a bombing raid, Nagata orders the destruction of the prisoners' infirmary as reprisal. He only stops when Jim (now fluent in Japanese) begs forgiveness. Through the barbed wire fencing, Jim befriends a Japanese teenager who is a trainee pilot. Jim also visits Basie in the American POW barracks, where Jim idolizes the Americans and their culture. More details
