Empire of the Sun
Movie, 1987, The '80s, Set in Shanghai, 1941
Empire of the Sun is #10 of 35 in release order and #10 of 35 in chronological order in the Steven Spielberg.
The story
Jamie Graham, a privileged English boy, is living in Shanghai when the Japanese invade and force all foreigners into prison camps. Jamie is captured with an American sailor, who looks out for him while they are in the camp together. Even though he is separated from his parents and in a hostile environment, Jamie maintains his dignity and youthful spirit, providing a beacon of hope for the others held captive with him.
Empire of the Sun recap
Empire of the Sun (1987) follows a British boy in Shanghai who loses his parents when Japan seizes the city in 1941 and survives the war in a prison camp. Steven Spielberg directs Tom Stoppard's adaptation of J. G. Ballard's semi-autobiographical novel. Christian Bale, aged 13, plays Jamie Graham, a privileged boy obsessed with aeroplanes. Alone in his empty house after the family is split up in the crowds, he goes back into the city, where the American hustlers Basie (John Malkovich) and Frank (Joe Pantoliano) take him in and rename him Jim. All three end up in an internment camp at Suzhou, beside a Japanese airfield. By 1945 Jim runs errands and trades for everyone, learns from the camp doctor, Dr. Rawlins (Nigel Havers), is looked after by Mrs. Victor (Miranda Richardson), and befriends a teenage Japanese trainee pilot across the wire. When American Mustangs attack the airfield, he cheers from a rooftop. Empire of the Sun follows The Color Purple and precedes Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Empire of the Sun ending explained
Empire of the Sun ends with Jim reunited with his parents, though he barely seems to recognise them. The Japanese march the prisoners to a stadium full of looted belongings, where Mrs. Victor dies and Jim sees a distant flash he believes is her soul; it is the atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Back near the camp, his pilot friend is shot by an American who mistakes his sword for a threat. Jim turns down Basie's offer to come along, is found by soldiers, and is sent to a shelter where his mother and father find him.
Post-credits scenes
No. Empire of the Sun has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Empire of the Sun
Empire of the Sun isn't on a US streaming service right now. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes 75%
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Color Purple, before Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
- Chronological order: after The Color Purple, before Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Cast
- Christian Bale as Jim
- John Malkovich as Basie
- Miranda Richardson as Mrs. Victor
- Nigel Havers as Dr. Rawlins
- Joe Pantoliano as Frank Demarest
- Leslie Phillips as Maxton
- Masatô Ibu as Sgt. Nagata
- Emily Richard as Jim's Mother
- Rupert Frazer as Jim's Father
- Peter Gale as Mr. Victor
- Takatarô Kataoka as Kamikaze Boy Pilot
- Ben Stiller as Dainty
Directed by Steven Spielberg.