Empire of the Sun (1987)

	Directed by: Steven Spielberg	COUNTRY USA GENRE War/Drama NORWEGIAN TITLE Solens rike RUNNING TIME 154 minutes
	Produced by: Steven Spielberg Kathleen Kennedy Frank Marshall
	Written by (based on the novel by J. G. Ballard): Tom Stoppard

Cast inkluderer:
Karakter	Skuespiller	Vurdering
Jim Graham	Christian Bale	½
Basie	John Malkovich
Mrs. Victor	Miranda Richardson
Dr. Rawlins	Nigel Havers	½
Frank Demarest	Joe Pantoliano	½
Maxton	Leslie Phillips	-
Mr. Lockwood	Robert Stephens	-
Lieutenant Price	Paul McGann	-
Sergeant Nagata	Masato Ibu	-
Mary Graham	Emily Richard	-
John Graham	Rupert Frazer	-
Dainty	Ben Stiller	-

Review

For some reason, Steven Spielberg directs his grand epic about a privileged English boy's life in Shanghai during the Asia-Pacific War with a slight, persistent affectation. When little Jim Graham (Christian Bale) scurries around the streets of Shanghai or the internment camp the Japanese place him in, alternatingly in terror and in high spirits, sometimes both, Spielberg captures his plight with a balletic quality, amplified by John Williams' mushy score. The intention was probably, as it often was for Spielberg during this period, to see it all through a child's point of view and lift his narrative up from the ugly and authentic to the emblematic and grandiose, but the move is something of a disservice to his stars and the story. Despite this misstep, Empire of the Sun reaches a few grand heights and features an accomplished performance by its 12-year-old star Bale, who even at this early age demonstrated a remarkable forcefulness and emotional range. I wonder what the impact of the film could have been if Spielberg had dared to capture the boy more exposed and to show human vulnerability in a more unforgiving, fundamental manner.