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Empire of the Sun

  • Film
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Time Out says

JG Ballard's autobiographical novel, about his experiences in the WWII Japanese concentration camps in China, is a mild version of the events he witnessed; Spielberg's is milder still. young Jim Graham (Bale) is Ballard, an obnoxious expat brat separated from his parents as the war overwhelms Shanghai. His world of balsa-wood models and servants is blown apart and replaced by prison camp brutality. Stripped of its sci-fi trappings, Ballard's text is about what shits we may become in order to survive. Spielberg includes a strand of populist heroism, yet even this fails to dent the awful message. And the budget makes itself seen, as does Bale's superlative Jim.

Written by JG

Release Details

  • Duration:152 mins

Cast and crew

  • Director:Steven Spielberg
  • Screenwriter:Tom Stoppard
  • Cast:
    • Emily Richard
    • John Malkovich
    • Joe Pantoliano
    • Leslie Phillips
    • Christian Bale
    • Rupert Frazer
    • Nigel Havers
    • Miranda Richardson
    • Masato Ibu
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