EMPIRE OF THE SUN

EMPIRE OF THE SUN - 1987

RATED - PG for violence and intense scenes of terror. Not overly graphic but take it seriously for younger children. Recommended for 13 and over.

RATINGS - 255 Amazon (4.5/5), 590,285 Netflix (3.9/5), 29,383 IMDB (7.7/10), Roger Ebert (2.5/4).

STARRING - Christian Bale (film debut), John Malkovich, Nigel Havers (Chariots of Fire), Ben Stiller.

THEMES - Relationships, the human spirit.

AWARDS - 6 Academy Award nominations and BEST PICTURE nominee Golden Globes.

STORY - Christian Bale makes his stunning movie debut in this Spielberg directed film as Jamie, a 12 year old British boy, who grows up in luxury and opulence as the son of a wealthy textile factory owner in China during WWII. Having attended the best private schools, having every conceivable luxury available to a young boy growing up in that era, not least of which is being able to give the servants orders in direct contradiction to the instructions given by his mother, his life is abruptly changed when the Japanese take over that part of China. His family moves into a hotel temporarily to see what happens and when the Japanese bomb that part of the city, thought to be safe, there is a panic as thousands of British and Chinese try to escape. Jamie and his parents are separated and do not reunite until the end of the war, approximately four years later. The film is the story of Jamie's survival during that time. An extremely bright and resourceful boy (played brilliantly by Bale), he uses his natural leadership and aggression to stay alive and become indispensable to the American who becomes the unofficial leader (godfather) of the prison camp. The camera work, acting and screenplay are exceptional, not to mention the music. The film loses a little something (I think) when Spielberg gets a little too artistic and surreal but this is still one of Spielberg's best. Overall, a very interesting and worthwhile movie about another slice of WWII and how the human spirit adapts when it is put into survival mode. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 05/25/2009.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, TRAILER, ROGER EBERT