Editing Empire of the Sun (film)

{{short description|1987 film by Steven Spielberg}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Empire of the Sun
| image          = Empire of the Sun.jpg
| alt            = Against the backdrop of orange sun is the smoke trail of a falling aircraft. In the foreground is the silhouette of a boy jumping for joy.
| caption        = Theatrical release poster by [[John Alvin]]
| director       = [[Steven Spielberg]]
| producer       = {{plainlist|
* Steven Spielberg
* [[Kathleen Kennedy (producer)|Kathleen Kennedy]]
* [[Frank Marshall (filmmaker)|Frank Marshall]]
}}
| screenplay     = [[Tom Stoppard]]
| based_on       = {{Based on|''[[Empire of the Sun (novel)|Empire of the Sun]]''|[[J. G. Ballard]]}}
| starring       = {{plainlist|
* [[John Malkovich]]
* [[Miranda Richardson]]
* [[Nigel Havers]]
* [[Christian Bale]]
}}<!--As per poster block-->
| music          = [[John Williams]]
| cinematography = [[Allen Daviau]]
| editing        = [[Michael Kahn (film editor)|Michael Kahn]]
| studio         = [[Amblin Entertainment]]
| distributor    = [[Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Bros.]]
| released       = {{Film date|1987|12|11}}
| runtime        = 154 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = {{plainlist|
* English
* Japanese
* Chinese
* Welsh
* Latin
}}
| budget         = $25 million<ref name="child"/>
| gross          = $66.7 million<ref name="visit" />
}}

'''''Empire of the Sun''''' is a 1987 American [[epic film|epic]] [[Coming-of-age film|coming-of-age]] [[war film]] directed by [[Steven Spielberg]] and written by [[Tom Stoppard]], based on [[J. G. Ballard]]'s semi-autobiographical 1984 [[Empire of the Sun (novel)|novel of the same name]]. The film tells the story of Jamie "Jim" Graham ([[Christian Bale]]), a young boy who goes from living with his wealthy British family in [[Shanghai]] to becoming a [[prisoner of war]] in an [[internment camp]] operated by the Japanese during [[World War II]]. The film also stars [[John Malkovich]], [[Miranda Richardson]], [[Nigel Havers]], [[Joe Pantoliano]], [[Masatō Ibu]], [[Leslie Phillips]], [[Ben Stiller]], and [[Robert Stephens]].

[[Harold Becker]] and [[David Lean]] were originally to direct before Spielberg came on board, initially as a producer for Lean.<ref>[[#refMcBride1997|McBride 1997]], p. 391.</ref> 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".<ref name="child">Forsberg, Myra. [https://www.nytimes.com/books/97/06/15/reviews/spielberg-turns40.html "Spielberg at 40: The Man and the Child"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140224111656/http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/06/15/reviews/spielberg-turns40.html |date=February 24, 2014 }}. ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 1, 2008. Retrieved: September 17, 2008.</ref> The film received positive reviews, with praise towards Bale's performance, the cinematography, the visuals, Williams's score and Spielberg's direction. However, the film was not initially a commercial success, earning only $22 million at the US box office, although it eventually more than recouped its budget through revenues in foreign markets, home video, and television.<ref name="Boxofficemojo" />
{{TOC limit|limit=2}}

==Plot==
<!-- Per [[WP:FILMPLOT]], film plot summaries should be between 400 and 700 words.-->
Amid [[Second Sino-Japanese War|Japan's invasion of China]] during [[World War II]], Jamie "Jim" Graham is a British upper class schoolboy enjoying a privileged life in the [[Shanghai International Settlement]]. After the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]], Japan begins occupying the settlement. As the Graham family evacuate the city, Jamie is separated from his parents and makes his way back to their house, assuming they will return. After a length of time alone and having eaten the remaining food, he ventures back into the city.

Hungry, Jamie tries surrendering to Japanese soldiers, who ignore him. After being chased by a street [[Street children|urchin]], he is taken in by two American [[expatriate]]s and [[Con man|hustlers]], Basie and Frank. Unable to sell Jamie, they intend to abandon him in the streets, but he offers to lead them to his neighbourhood to loot the empty houses there. He is surprised to see lights on in his family home and thinks his parents have returned, only to discover that the house is occupied by Japanese troops. The trio are taken prisoner, transported to the [[Lunghua Civilian Assembly Centre]] in Shanghai for processing, and sent to an [[internment camp]] in [[Suzhou, Jiangsu|Suzhou]].

Now it is 1945, nearing the end of the [[Pacific War]] and World War II, and despite the terror and poor living conditions of the camp, Jim survives by establishing a 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 a reprisal but stops when Jim begs forgiveness. Through the barbed wire fencing, Jim befriends a Japanese teenager who is a trainee pilot.

One morning, the base is attacked by American [[North American P-51 Mustang|P-51 Mustang]] fighter aircraft. Jim is overjoyed and climbs the ruins of a nearby pagoda to better watch the action. Dr. Rawlins chases him up the pagoda to save him, whereupon Jim breaks down in tears—saying he cannot remember what his parents look like. As a result of the attack, the Japanese evacuate the camp. As they leave, Jim's trainee pilot friend goes through the ritual [[kamikaze]] preparation and attempts to take off in a Japanese attack plane. The trainee is devastated when the engine sputters and dies.

The camp prisoners march through the wilderness, where many die from fatigue, starvation, and disease. Arriving at a football stadium near [[Nantong]], where many of the Shanghai inhabitants' possessions have been stored by the Japanese, Jim recognises his parents' [[Packard]] car. He spends the night there with Mrs. Victor, a fellow prisoner who dies shortly thereafter, and witnesses flashes from the [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|atomic bombing of Nagasaki]] hundreds of miles away.

Jim wanders back to the Suzhou camp. Along the way, he hears news of [[Surrender of Japan|Japan's surrender]] and the war's end. He is reunited with the now-disillusioned Japanese teenage pilot, who remembers Jim and offers him a mango, drawing his [[guntō]] to cut it. Basie appears with a group of armed Americans to loot the [[Red Cross]] containers being airdropped over the area. One of the Americans, thinking Jim is in danger, shoots and kills the Japanese youth. Basie offers to have Jim come along with them, but he chooses to stay behind.

He is later found by American soldiers and placed in an orphanage, where he is reunited with his mother and father, though he does not recognise them at first.

==Cast==
[[File:Ch Bale 02.jpg|180px|[[Christian Bale]], pictured here in 1988, played Jamie "Jim" Graham.|thumb|right]]
{{Cast list|
* [[Christian Bale]] as James "Jim" Graham, also known as Jamie
* [[John Malkovich]] as Basie
* [[Miranda Richardson]] as Mrs. Victor
* [[Nigel Havers]] as Dr. Rawlins
* [[Joe Pantoliano]] as Frank Demarest
* [[Leslie Phillips]] as Maxton
* [[Masatō Ibu]] as Sergeant Nagata ([[Nihongo|Japanese]]: 永田軍曹, ''Nagata Gunsō'') 
* [[Emily Richard]] as Mary Graham, Jim's Mother
* [[Rupert Frazer]] as John Graham, Jim's Father
* {{ill|Peter Gale|qid=Q112100555|short=yes}} as Mr. Victor
* {{ill|Takatarō Kataoka|ja|片岡孝太郎|zh|片岡孝太郎}} as Kamikaze Boy Pilot
* [[Ben Stiller]] as Dainty
* [[Robert Stephens]] as Mr. Lockwood
* [[Guts Ishimatsu]] as Sergeant Uchida ([[Nihongo|Japanese]]: 内田軍曹, ''Uchida Gunsō'')
* [[Burt Kwouk]] as Mr. Chen
* [[Paul McGann]] as Lieutenant Price
* [[Marc de Jonge]] as Mathieu
* [[Eric Flynn]] as British Prisoner #1
* [[James Greene (Northern Irish actor)|James Greene]] as British Prisoner #2
* [[Paula Hamilton]] as British Prisoner #3
* [[Tony Boncza]] as British Prisoner #4
* [[Peter Copley]] as British Prisoner #5
}}
Author [[J. G. Ballard]] makes a cameo appearance as a house party guest.

==Production==
===Development===
{{Multiple image|perrow=3|total_width=290
| image1 = Steven Spielberg by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| image2 =Image-Tom Stoppard 1 (cropped).jpg
| footer = Director [[Steven Spielberg]] (left) and screenwriter [[Tom Stoppard]]
}}
[[Warner Bros.]] purchased the [[film rights]], intending [[Harold Becker]] to direct and [[Robert Shapiro (filmmaker)|Robert Shapiro]] to produce.<ref name="faber" /> [[Tom Stoppard]] wrote the first draft of the screenplay, on which Ballard briefly collaborated.<ref name="visit" /> Becker dropped out, and [[David Lean]] came to direct with Spielberg as producer. Lean explained, "I worked on it for about a year and in the end I gave it up because I thought it was too similar to a [[diary]]. It was well-written and interesting, but I gave it to Steve."<ref name="faber">[[#refMcBride1997|McBride 1997]], p. 392.</ref> Spielberg felt "from the moment I read [[J. G. Ballard]]'s novel I secretly wanted to direct myself."<ref name="faber" /> Spielberg found the project to be very personal. As a child, his favourite film was Lean's ''[[The Bridge on the River Kwai]]'', which similarly takes place in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. Spielberg's fascination with World War II and [[List of aircraft of World War II|the aircraft of that era]] was stimulated by his father's stories of his experience as a [[radioman|radio operator]] on [[North American B-25 Mitchell]] bombers in the [[China Burma India Theatre of World War II|China-Burma Theater]].<ref name="faber" /> Spielberg hired [[Menno Meyjes]] to do an uncredited re-write before Stoppard was brought back to write the [[shooting script]].<ref name="visit" />

===Casting===
J.G. Ballard felt Bale had a physical resemblance to himself at the same age.<ref name="Sheen">[[Martin Sheen|Sheen, Martin]] (narrator), Steven Spielberg, J.G. Ballard, and Christian Bale. ''The China Odyssey: Empire of the Sun'' [[American Broadcasting Company]], 1987.</ref> The actor was 12 years old when he was cast. [[Amy Irving]], Bale's co-star in the [[television movie]] ''[[Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna]]'', recommended Bale to her then-husband, Steven Spielberg, for the role. More than 4,000 child actors auditioned.<ref>Wills, Dominic. [http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/christian_bale_biog.html "Christian Bale Biography"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913060828/http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/christian_bale_biog.html |date=2008-09-13 }}. ''[[Tiscali]]''. Retrieved: September 16, 2008.</ref> Jim's singing voice was provided by English performer James Rainbird.<ref>Bullock, Paul. [http://fromdirectorstevenspielberg.tumblr.com/post/140508311575/steven-spielberg-questions-4-did-christian-bale-sing-in "Spielberg Questions #4: Did Christian Bale sing in Empire of the Sun?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310171948/http://fromdirectorstevenspielberg.tumblr.com/post/140508311575/steven-spielberg-questions-4-did-christian-bale-sing-in |date=March 10, 2016 }}. ''From Director Steven Spielberg''. Retrieved: March 5th 2016.</ref>

===Filming===
''Empire of the Sun'' was filmed at [[Elstree Studios (Shenley Road)|Elstree Studios]] in the United Kingdom, and [[filming location|on location]] in [[Shanghai]] and [[Spain]]. [[Principal photography]] began on 1 March 1987,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/74049/empire-of-the-sun#notes|title=Empire of the Sun - Miscellaneous Notes|website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=March 21, 2021|archive-date=January 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116210309/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/74049/empire-of-the-sun#notes|url-status=live}}</ref> and lasted for 16 weeks.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/16/movies/boy-in-empire-calls-acting-really-good-fun.html |title=Boy in 'Empire' calls acting 'really good fun' |last=Yarrow |first=Andrew |date=December 16, 1987 |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date= March 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211101903/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/16/movies/boy-in-empire-calls-acting-really-good-fun.html |archive-date=February 11, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> The filmmakers searched across Asia in an attempt to find locations that resembled 1941 Shanghai. They entered negotiations with [[Shanghai Film Studio]]s and [[China Film Group Corporation#China Film Co-Production Corporation|China Film Co-Production Corporation]] in 1985.<ref name="Walker" /> After a year of negotiations, permission was granted for a three-week shoot in early March 1987. It was the first American film shot in Shanghai since the 1940s.<ref name="visit" /> The Chinese authorities allowed the crew to alter signs to [[traditional Chinese characters]], as well as closing down city blocks for filming.<ref name="Walker" /> Over 5,000 local [[Extra (actor)|extras]] were used, some old enough to remember the [[Second Sino-Japanese War|Japanese occupation of Shanghai]] 40 years earlier. Members of the [[People's Liberation Army]] played Japanese soldiers.<ref name="Sheen" /> Other locations included [[Trebujena]] in [[Andalusia]], [[Knutsford]] in [[Cheshire]] and [[Sunningdale]] in [[Berkshire]].<ref name="Walker">[[#refWalker1998|Walker 1988]], p. 49.</ref> Lean often visited the set during the England shoot.<ref name="visit">[[#refMcBride1997|McBride 1997]], pp. 394–398.</ref>

Spielberg attempted to portray the era accurately, using period vehicles and aircraft. Four [[North American T-6 Texan|Harvard SNJ]] aircraft were lightly modified in France to resemble [[Mitsubishi A6M Zero]] aircraft.<ref name="Air Classics 1999-11">{{cite journal |title=Mark Hanne 1959-1999 |journal=Air Classics |volume=35 |issue=10 |page=6 |date=November 1999 |publisher=Challenge Publications |publication-place=Canoga Park, CA, US |issn=0002-2241 |oclc=733866638| url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/235492832 |id={{ProQuest|235492832}} |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Two additional non-flying replicas were used. Three restored [[P-51D Mustang]]s, two from 'The Fighter Collection' of England, and one from the 'Old Flying Machine Company', were flown in the film.<ref name="Air Classics 1999-11"/> These P-51s were flown by [[Ray Hanna]] (who was featured in the film flying at low-level past the child star with the canopy back, waving), his son Mark and "Hoof" Proudfoot and took over 10 days of filming to complete due to the complexity of the planned aerial sequences, which included the P-51s actually dropping plaster-filled replica 500&nbsp;lb bombs at low level, with simulated bomb blasts. A number of large scale remote control flying models were also used, including an 18-foot wingspan [[B-29]], but Spielberg felt the results were disappointing, so he extended the film contract with the full-size examples and pilots on set in Trebujena, Spain.<ref name="Air Classics 1988-01">{{cite journal |title=Empire Of The Sun Exclusive Look At Steven Spielberg's New WWII Movie! |journal=Air Classics |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages= |date=January 1988 |publisher=Challenge Publications |publication-place=Canoga Park, CA, US |issn=0002-2241 |oclc=637419754}}{{pages needed|date=June 2021}}</ref><ref name="Walker pp. 63–65" />

Spielberg had wanted to film in [[Super Panavision 70]] but did not want to work with the old camera equipment that was only available at the time.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|date=May 21, 1992|title=Panavision redefines the wide-body look|page=17|last=Everett|first=Todd}}</ref>

===Special effects===
[[Industrial Light & Magic]] designed the [[visual effects]] sequences with some [[computer-generated imagery]] also used for the [[atomic bombing of Nagasaki]]. [[Norman Reynolds]] was hired as the [[production designer]] while [[Vic Armstrong]] served as the [[stunt co-ordinator]].<ref name="Walker pp. 63–65">[[#refWalker1998|Walker 1988]], pp. 63–65.</ref>

==Reception {{anchor|Release|Box office}}==
''Empire of the Sun'' was given a [[limited release]] on 11 December 1987 before being widely released on Christmas Day, 1987. The film earned $22.24 million in North America,<ref name="Boxofficemojo">[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=empireofthesun.htm " Empire of the Sun"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511060137/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=empireofthesun.htm |date=May 11, 2013 }}. ''[[Box Office Mojo]]'' ([[Amazon.com]]). Retrieved: September 16, 2008.</ref> and $44.46 million in other countries, accumulating a worldwide total of $66.7 million, earning more than its budget but still considered a box office disappointment by Spielberg.{{#tag:ref|In 1989, Spielberg was quoted as saying: "...''Empire of the Sun'' wasn't a very commercial project, it wasn't going to have a broad audience appeal... I've earned the right to fail commercially."<ref>[[#refFriedman2000|Friedman and Notbohn 2000]], p. 137.</ref>|group=N}}<ref name="visit" />

===Critical response===
{{Anchor|Critics|Critical response}}
Review aggregation website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] gives the film an approval rating of 77% based on reviews from 64 critics, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "One of Steven Spielberg's most ambitious efforts of the 1980s, ''Empire of the Sun'' remains an under-rated gem in the director's distinguished filmography."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/empire_of_the_sun/ |title=Empire of the Sun (1987) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]] |access-date=September 6, 2024 |archive-date=August 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120820101439/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/empire_of_the_sun/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Metacritic]] calculated an average score of 62 out of 100 based on 22 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/empire-of-the-sun |title=Empire of the Sun Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=July 19, 2018 |archive-date=October 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024195452/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/empire-of-the-sun |url-status=live }}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/ |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=[[CinemaScore]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

J. G. Ballard gave positive feedback, and was especially impressed with Christian Bale's performance.<ref name="Sheen" /> Critical reaction was not universally affirmative,<ref name="faber" /> but [[Richard Corliss]] of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' stated that Spielberg "has energized each frame with allusive legerdemain and an intelligent density of images and emotions".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,966149,00.html |title=Cinema: The Man-Child Who Fell to Earth EMPIRE OF THE SUN |last=Corliss |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Corliss |date=December 7, 1987 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date= July 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080608174827/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C966149%2C00.html |archive-date=June 8, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Janet Maslin]] from ''[[The New York Times]]'' said Spielberg's movie-conscious spirit gave it "a visual splendor, a heroic adventurousness and an immense scope that make it unforgettable".<ref>[[Janet Maslin|Maislin, Janet]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/09/movies/moviesspecial/09SUN.html "Empire of the Sun"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326221046/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/09/movies/moviesspecial/09SUN.html |date=March 26, 2017 }}. ''[[The New York Times]]'', December 9, 1987. Retrieved: September 16, 2008.</ref> [[Julie Salamon]] of ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' wrote that the film was "an edgy, intelligent script by playwright [[Tom Stoppard]], Spielberg has made an extraordinary film out of Mr. Ballard's extraordinary war experience."<ref>Salmon, Julie. [http://www.metacritic.com/movie/empire-of-the-sun/critic-reviews "Empire of the Sun"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024055918/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/empire-of-the-sun/critic-reviews |date=October 24, 2012 }}. ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', December 9, 1987. Retrieved: January 31, 2011.</ref>{{Better source needed|date=November 2020}} [[J. Hoberman]] from ''[[The Village Voice]]'' decried that the serious subject was undermined by Spielberg's "shamelessly kiddiecentric" approach.<ref name="faber" /> [[Roger Ebert]] gave a mixed reaction, "Despite the emotional potential in the story, it didn't much move me. Maybe, like the kid, I decided that no world where you can play with airplanes can be all that bad."<ref>[[Roger Ebert|Ebert, Roger]]. [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19871211/REVIEWS/712110301/1023 "Empire of the Sun"]. ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', December 11, 1987. Retrieved: September 16, 2008. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925223919/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19871211%2FREVIEWS%2F712110301%2F1023 |date=September 25, 2012 }}</ref> On his [[At the Movies (1986 TV program)|TV show]] with [[Gene Siskel]], Ebert said that the film "is basically a good idea for a film that never gets off the ground". Siskel added, "I don't know what the film is about. It's so totally confused and taking things from different parts. On one hand, if it wants to say something about a child's-eye view of war, you got a movie made by [[John Boorman]] called ''[[Hope and Glory (film)|Hope and Glory]]'' that was just released that is much better, and much more daring in showing the whimsy that children's view of war is. On the other hand, this film wants to hedge its bet and make it like an adventure film, so you've got like ''[[Indiana Jones]]'' with the John Malkovich character helping the little kid through all the fun of war. I don't know what Spielberg wanted to do."<ref>[http://www.retrojunk.com/content/movie/15/index/ "Empire of the Sun"]. ''Siskel & Ebert''. Disney-ABC Domestic Television. December 12, 1987. Television.</ref>

===Awards {{anchor|Awards|Accolades}}===
[[File:Suo Gan - Susan Bullock (Darlun Fy Mam).oga|thumb|The opening song is an old [[Wales|Welsh]] folk song: ''[[Suo Gân]]'' or ''Huna Blentyn'' ([[English language|Eng]]: 'Sleep My Child'); here sung by Susan Bullock.]]
The film won awards from the [[National Board of Review of Motion Pictures]] for [[National Board of Review Award for Best Film|Best Film]] and [[National Board of Review Award for Best Director|Best Director]], and Bale received a special citation for Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor, the first National Board award bestowed on a child actor.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 17, 1988 |title='Empire of Sun' said best film by National Board |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7124370// |newspaper=The San Bernardino County Sun |location=San Bernardino, CA |agency=AP |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=October 20, 2016 |archive-date=August 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831045231/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7124370// |url-status=live }} {{Open access}}</ref><ref>[http://www.nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1987/ "National Board of Review 1987 Award Winners"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109043135/http://www.nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1987/ |date=January 9, 2019 }}. ''National Board of Review''. Retrieved: October 21, 2016.</ref> At the [[60th Academy Awards]], ''Empire of the Sun'' was nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Art Direction]], [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Cinematography]], [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Costume Design]] ([[Bob Ringwood]]), [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Film Editing]], [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Original Music Score]], and [[Academy Award for Best Sound|Sound]] ([[Robert Knudson]], [[Don Digirolamo]], [[John Boyd (sound engineer)|John Boyd]] and [[Tony Dawe]]). It did not convert any of the nominations into awards.<ref>[http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/oscarlegacy/1980-1989/60nominees.html "Nominees & Winners for the 60th Academy Awards"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100408200704/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/oscarlegacy/1980-1989/60nominees.html |date=2010-04-08 }} ''[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]''. Retrieved: January 31, 2011.</ref> [[Allen Daviau]], who was nominated as cinematographer, publicly complained, "I can't second-guess the Academy, but I feel very sorry that I get nominations and Steven doesn't. It's his vision that makes it all come together, and if Steven wasn't making these films, none of us would be here."<ref name="visit" /> The film won awards for cinematography, sound design, and music score at the [[42nd British Academy Film Awards]]. The nominations included [[Production designer|production design]], [[costume design]], and [[film adaptation|adapted screenplay]].<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/BAFTA_Awards/1989 "42nd British Academy Awards"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081231153055/http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/BAFTA_Awards/1989 |date=December 31, 2008 }}. ''[[IMDb]]''. Retrieved: September 17, 2008.</ref> Spielberg was honored for this work by the [[Directors Guild of America]],<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Directors_Guild_of_America_USA/1988 "DGA Awards: 1988"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090127052642/http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Directors_Guild_of_America_USA/1988 |date=January 27, 2009 }}. ''[[IMDb]]''. Retrieved: September 17, 2008.</ref> while the [[American Society of Cinematographers]] honored [[Allen Daviau]].<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/American_Society_of_Cinematographers_USA/1988 "ASC Awards: 1988"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040225100001/http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/American_Society_of_Cinematographers_USA/1988 |date=February 25, 2004 }}. ''[[IMDb]]''. Retrieved: September 17, 2008.</ref> ''Empire of the Sun'' was nominated for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture (Drama)]] and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score|Original Score]] at the [[45th Golden Globe Awards]].<ref>[http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/year/1987 "The 45th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1988)"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124174439/http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/year/1987 |date=November 24, 2010 }}. ''[[Golden Globes]]''. Retrieved: January 31, 2011.</ref> John Williams earned a [[Grammy Award]] nomination.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Grammy_Awards/1989 "Grammy Awards: 1988"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070806092928/http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Grammy_Awards/1989 |date=August 6, 2007 }}. ''[[IMDb]]''. Retrieved: September 17, 2008.</ref>

==Themes==
Jim's growing alienation from his pre-war self and society is reflected in his hero-worship of the Japanese aviators based at the airfield adjoining the camp. "I think it's true that the Japanese were pretty brutal with the Chinese, so I don't have any particularly sentimental view of them," Ballard recalled. "But small boys tend to find their heroes where they can. One thing there was no doubt about, and that was that the Japanese were extremely brave. One had very complicated views about patriotism [and] loyalty to one's own nation. Jim is constantly identifying himself, first with the Japanese; then, when the Americans start flying over in their [[North American P-51 Mustang|Mustangs]] and [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress|B-29s]], he's very drawn to the American."<ref name="faber" />

The apocalyptic wartime setting and the [[climax (narrative)|climactic]] moment when Jim sees the distant white flash of the [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|atomic bombing of Nagasaki]] gave Spielberg powerful visual metaphors "to draw a parallel story between the death of this boy's innocence and the death of the innocence of the entire world".<ref>[[#refMcBride1997|McBride 1997]], p. 393.</ref> Spielberg reflected he "was attracted to the idea that this was a death of innocence, not an [[attenuation]] of childhood, which by my own admission and everybody's impression of me is what my life has been. This was the opposite of [[Peter Pan]]. This was a boy who had grown up too quickly."<ref name="child" /> Other topics that Spielberg previously dealt with, and are presented in ''Empire of the Sun'', include a child being separated from his parents (''[[The Sugarland Express]]'', ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]]'', ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]'', ''[[The Color Purple (1985 film)|The Color Purple]]'', and ''[[Poltergeist (1982 film)|Poltergeist]]''){{#tag:ref|Film historian and author Kowalski collectively links these films as Spielberg's "family" or conversely, as his "displaced father" films.<ref name="Kowalski"/>|group=N}} and World War II (''[[1941 (film)|1941]]'', and ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'').<ref name="Kowalski">[[#refKowalski2008|Kowalski 2008]], pp. 35, 67.</ref> Spielberg explained "My parents got a divorce when I was 14, 15. The whole thing about separation is something that runs very deep in anyone exposed to divorce."<ref name="child" />

==In popular culture==
The dramatic attack on the Japanese prisoner of war camp carried out by P-51 Mustangs is accompanied by Jim's whoops of "...the Cadillac of the skies!", a phrase believed to be first used in Ballard's text as "Cadillac of air combat".<ref>[[#refBallard1984|Ballard 1984]], p. 151.</ref> Steven Bull quotes the catchwords in the ''Encyclopedia of Military Technology and Innovation'' (2004) as originating in 1941.<ref>[[#refBull2004|Bull 2004]], p. 184.</ref> John Williams's soundtrack includes "Cadillac of the Skies" as an individual score cue.

Ben Stiller conceived the idea for ''[[Tropic Thunder]]'' while performing in ''Empire of the Sun''.<ref>Vary, Adam B. [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20182058,00.html "First Look: ''Tropic Thunder''"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006090731/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20182058,00.html |date=October 6, 2014 }}. ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', March 5, 2008. Retrieved: May 27, 2008.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Empire of the Sun (soundtrack)|''Empire of the Sun'' (soundtrack)]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=N}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book| last=Ballard |first=J.G. |title=Empire of the Sun, first edition |publisher=Victor Gollancz Ltd.| location=London| date=2002| isbn=0-575-03483-1| ref=refBallard1984}}
* {{cite book|last=Bull |first=Steven |title=Encyclopedia of Military Technology and Innovation| publisher=Greenwood| location=Santa Barbara, California| date=2004| isbn=978-1-57356-557-8| ref=refBull2004}}
* {{cite book |last=Dolan |first=Edward F. |title=Hollywood Goes to War |publisher=Hamlyn |location=London |date=1985 |isbn=0-86124-229-7 |ref=refDolan1985 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/hollywoodgoestow0000dola }}
* {{cite book |last=Evans |first=Alun |title=Brassey's Guide to War Films |publisher=Potomac Books |location=Dulles, Virginia| date=2000| isbn=1-57488-263-5 |ref=refEvans2000}}
* {{cite book |last1=Friedman |first1=Lester D |last2=Notbohm |first2=Brent |title=Steven Spielberg: Interviews |year=2000 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |location=Jackson, Mississippi |isbn=978-1-57806-113-6 |ref=refFriedman2000 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/stevenspielbergi00spie }}
* {{cite book |last1=Gordon |first1=Andrew |last2=Gormile |first2=Frank |title=The Films of Steven Spielberg |publisher=Scarecrow Press |location=Lanham, Maryland |date=2002 |pages=109–123, 127–137| isbn=0-8108-4182-7 |ref=refGordon2002}}
* {{cite book| last1=Hardwick|first1=Jack|last2=Schnepf|first2=Ed| title=The Making of the Great Aviation Films (General Aviation Series, vol. 2) |chapter=A Viewer's Guide to Aviation Movies |date=1989| ref=refHardwick1989}}
* {{cite book |last=Kowalski |first=Dean A. |title=Steven Spielberg and Philosophy: We're Gonna Need a Bigger Book |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Kentucky| date=2008| isbn=978-0-8131-2527-5| ref=refKowalski2008}}
* {{cite book |last=McBride |first=Joseph |title=Steven Spielberg: A Biography |location=New York |publisher=Faber & Faber |date=1987| isbn=0-571-19177-0 |ref=refMcBride1997}}
* {{cite journal |last=Walker |first=Jeff |title=Empire of the Sun |journal=Air Classics |volume=24 |date= January 1988| ref=refWalker1998}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote|Empire of the Sun}}
* [https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/empire-sun/ Official Website]
* {{IMDb title|0092965|Empire of the Sun}}
* {{TCMDb title|74049|Empire of the Sun}}
* {{AFI film|67175}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=empire_of_the_sun|title=Empire of the Sun}}
* {{Mojo title|id=empireofthesun|title=Empire of the Sun}}
* {{Metacritic film|title=Empire of the Sun}}

{{J. G. Ballard}}
{{Steven Spielberg}}
{{Tom Stoppard}}
{{National Board of Review Award for Best Film}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Good article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Empire Of The Sun (Film)}}
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