Empire of the Sun
And so the most recent viewing. Should say a lot more about this, and I know Simon will comment extensively, so I’ll keep the review short. The film doesn’t quite hang together as well as many other Spielberg films, and I reckon this is probably due to JG Ballard’s source novel (not having read it, I can’t say for sure). Jamie, rich Brit kid, gets separated from his parents when the Japanese invade Shanghai during WWII. Forced to live by his wits and then in a labour camp, he is obsessed with flying and the Japanese planes, and finds wonder even in the most horrific of circumstances. Christian Bale is brilliant in the role, and totally carries the film at the tender age of 13 or so. But the structure and time frame of the movie can mean it’s hard to engage or get a good handle on the characters around Jamie. Worth watching though.
I absolutely love this film. Its the most underrated picture in Steven Spielberg’s back catalogue; a flawed masterpiece. I also think I’m one of the few that actually saw it in the cinema (bizarrely, it had some very poor reviews at the time).
Regarding the source material, JG Ballard’s novel was always going to be a difficult beast to adapt, and it does have a somewhat episodic structure which the film doesn’t completely manage to break free from. However, this does not spoil what for me is an emotional powerhouse of a film; superbly acted, visually stunning and deeply moving.
Mark correctly highlights Christian Bale’s outstanding performance, but he is supported by a handful of equally brilliant turns; Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers and - best of all - John Malkovitch.
Spielberg directs with astounding flair - one amazing slow motion shot of a low flying plane passing Jim in the internment camp remains one of the most audacious and memorable images in the directors entire back catalogue.
This is a film about the loss of innocence, and as such it is a fairly bleak experience. Even the apparently happy ending has a bitter edge to it as Jim cannot remember what his Mother and Father look like, and the viewer senses that his parents will be hopelessly ill equipped to deal with the appalling damage the war has inflicted on their son.
There are several almost unbearably moving scenes, but for me the most poignant is where Jim witnesses the atomic bomb falling on Japan and thinks its “Mrs Victor’s soul going up to heaven”. That bit tears me up every time.
Jim’s subsequent realisation of how both he and the world have changed forever is - “I learnt a new word today: atom bomb…it was like God taking a photograph” - is emotionally devastating stuff. A brilliant, brilliant film.
Comment by Simon — 17 May, 2006 @ 9:44 am