Empire of the Sun (1987) - Review
4.5/5
This underrated Spielberg gem is an exciting and emotionally resonant portrait of war through a child’s eyes.
Attending the BFI Southbank’s “Film on film” weekend to see the at the time much malignedEmpire of the sun a programmer told us that we were about to experience a rare treat. Seen on original 70mm film we would be one of the few audiences to experience the film in this way, as Spielberg intended.
Set during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai during World War II a young and wealthy family are split up and must contend with the real possibility of never seeing each other again. The war and the continual displacement are shown exclusively through the 13-year-old son James Graham (A young and sprightly Christian Bale). A privileged boy, he tells one of their workers early on “You have to do what I say”, when she denies him ice cream before bed. He’s a boy with little life experience or any knowledge of the type of poverty a few kilometres away from their luxurious estate. This is brilliantly executed in scenes where they’re chauffeured down busy high streets overflowing with people who tap on the car windows begging for help. The family stares ahead, a feeling of guilt behind the eyes an easy sacrifice for the comfort they possess. So, when Jim must adapt to survive, he’s forced into a reality that couldn’t care less about his class ranking and insistence on a reward for helping him. As he tries to rebuild his life, he meets Basie (John Malkovich) whom he forms a complicated bond. Basie is a man looking out for himself but seems drawn to Jim, like a messed up older brother. Eventually they’re moved into a containment camp where Jim becomes a huge personality and part of the community amongst the chaos and despite their uncertain futures.
Spielberg has a knack for working with children as we’ve seen in so many of his classics over the years. Christian Bale shows the kind of star power that has moulded him into the actor we know today. He’s in practically every shot and carries the entire film on his very young shoulders. He gives a mature performance that shows the devastation and emotional baggage war can provide. Though despite his initial snobbery and constant question asking he’s usually peppy and likable which lifts others around him; you can’t help but end up loving him. The scale is huge, but it somehow manages to feel intimate at the same time. We have the sweeping shots and barrage of extras expected from a film set during World War II yet the constant movement to confined camps is full of real pain and despair. This redirects the drama to feel immediate and personal in a way that we don’t often see in movies of this ambition and scope.
If you were to nitpick at two and a half hours, twenty minutes could have easily been chopped from the runtime. Although perhaps staying with Jim as a character for so long does some of the heavy lifting in terms of feeling empathy for the character. The direction is as smooth as you’d expect, Spielberg seems to know exactly where to place the camera for maximum effect in every scene. It’s instinctual to him and at no point does the jump from place to place feel jerky or convoluted. Shout out to a young Ben Stiller with a small early role as one of Basie’s minions, which got an audible reaction from the audience.
A word on the 70mm film – As someone who isn’t a purist regarding ratio or anything picture related, this format looked stunning on the big screen. It gave a certain old school charm, like a relic of the time the screen crackles and gives the impression of a time capsule.
If there’s ever a chance to see this movie as the big man intended, everyone should jump at the opportunity to do so.
Seen on 70mm film at BFI Southbank on 15/06/25.