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Movie based on J.G. Ballard's autobiographical novel about his experiences in a Japanese detainee camp during World War II. He begins as a smug little British schoolboy (complete with blazer, cap, and shorts) singing in a choir in Shanghai. The peaked cap and blazer, with contrasting trim, as well as the longisg shorts are quite accurate costuming. Jim is played by 13-year old Christian Bale. He handles the 11-year old role at the beginning well, but is not a very believable 15-year old at the end of the movie. He is pictured as an intelligent, dreamy child leading a privileged life. That ends suddenly when the Japanese strike. An only child, he is separated from his parents when the Japanese seize the city and round up the Europeans. He almost starves as the Japanese refuse to take him prisoner until two disreputable Americans he becomes attached to are captured. In the internment camp Jim eventually gives up on the British who have standards, but are hapless and weak. He is drawn to the Americans, a ratty bunch who know how to survive. A great ending with the dramatic appearance of a U.S. P-51, although Jim's Japanese friend is killed. The movie has a consistently visionary quality. The novel was quite good and so is the movie. The musical sound track is particularly effective.
The movie is based on J.G. Ballard's autobiographical novel about his experiences in a Japanese detainee camp during World War II. book is his actual experienmces, not a fictionalized account. I read the book and saw the film so long ago that it is now hard to compare the two. But as far as I recall, the book is faitfull to the book.
This film was very effectively directed by Stephen Speilberg. It is not one of his more discussed films, but I think it is one of his better films. He has a very sensitive way of working with children.
This is a very well acted film. There are not a lot of well-known actors. The best known was the actor who played Jim. Jim is played by 13-year old Christian Bale. He handles the 11-year old role at the beginning well, but is not a very believable 15-year old at the end of the movie. A HBC reader is more impressed with Bale's performance. "I disagree with one of the comments about Christian Bale's performance not being very believable as a 15 year old. At 15 I was not very big and still had my treble singing voice. Some kids mature at a slower pace. What made the performance work was the change in his character's attitudes, confidence, and relationships with others, especially grown-ups."
The film begins with Jim as a smug little British schoolboy. He sings in the school choir. We see Jim in the Choir The first pic is Jim performing in the choir at the start of the movie. He is pictured as an intelligent, dreamy child lehding a privileged life. That ends suddenly when the Japanese strike. An only child, he is separated from his parents when the Japanese seize the city and round up the Europeans. He almost starves as the Japanese refuse to take him prisoner until two disreputable Americans he becomes attached to are captured. In the internment camp Jim eventually gives up on the British who have standards, but are hapless and weak. He is drawn to the Americans, a ratty bunch who know how to survive. Jim is intragued with planes and there is a Japanese air base near the concentration camp. Apparently the Japanese soldiers at the air base tolerated him even though he was not allowed to leave the camp here he was confined. There he makes feiends with a Japanese youth. Jim's Japanese friend is killed near the end of the film.
The climax of the film comes in a great scene with a P-51 Mustang--kind of a modernized calvalry coming to the rescue. It is a great ending with the dramatic appearance of a U.S. P-51 Mustang, arguably the most effective propeller fighter of World War II. A reader writes, "P-51...Cadillac of the Skies!" I agree. That and the transition scene from the hanger to the camp are my favorites. The making of documentary on the DVD has as great feature on this scene. Christian almost blew the take. I love watching the way Spielberg patiently talks him through it."
The musical sound track is particularly effective.
We see Jim dressed in an English shoolboy outfit at the beginning of the film. He wears a maroon blazer, cap, and shorts. The peaked cap and blazer, with contrasting trim, as well as the longish shorts are quite accurate costuming. From this point on Jim's costuming befins to deteriorate to rags reflecting the terrible conditions in Japanese concentration campsd.
The movie has a consistently visionary quality. The novel was quite good and so is the movie.
An Australian reader writes, "The Jim Graham story in the wonderful film "Empire of the Sun" was a brilliant film and bought me to tears especially when Jamie sings the Welsh song "Suo-Gan" in the scene where the Japanese pilots are about to go on a suicide mission. I I have this song now on the Aled Jones CD 2003 called "Simply Aled" and it is the former Welsh choirboy with the seraphins voice, now a grown up man aged 32. He still has a brilliant voice to and he sings with his 12 year old choirboy self in the grand song O Holy Night." -- PJD.
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