DVD : Empire of the Sun

Rating: - Spielberg's Crowning Jewel
I recall being quite excited about Spielberg after seeing his first film "Sugarland Express" in the early 1970's, but by the time of "Jaws" (1975), it seemed quite clear he was all about Hollywood at its mega-hit, manipulative best. I went to "Close Counters," "E.T.," and "Poultergeist" for the sake of a son or daughter, and suffered through "Jurassic Park," which seemed like little more than a tedious extended commercial for itself. Then it was one's duty to see "The Color Purple," "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan," and more recently a dismissible comedy, "Catch Me, If You Can," about one imposter played by another. But "Empire of the Sun" is altogether another story, perhaps his most complex and sophisticated, watchable and rewatchable film.

From the opening image of the floating caskets to the final one of the protagonist's floating suitcase, this is a film about visual and auditory detail, subtlety, nuance and depth. First of all, it's a coming-of-age story with few if any rivals (give actor Christian Bale much of the credit; imagine the consequences if Dicaprio had been given that role); secondly, despite the moments of illogic, implausible plotting, and surrealism, it manages to capture war--its romanticism and heroism along with the disillusionment, suffering and death--as do few other films. We see war from the point of view of a child who couldn't care less about the politics. There isn't any enemy, no bad guys and good guys: there are only planes and the pilots who fly them, concentration camps and courageous and resourceful people who manage to bear it out to the edge of doom, and then beyond.

Finally, Spielberg pits the boy's innocense against the real enemy: death. Again there's no winner or loser, but there is knowledge and illumination. The boy can communicate with the Japanese, who are not demonized here as in other World War II films set in China or portraying the Nanking/Shanghai massacres, because he understands their language--planes, kamikaze pilots, and the Japanese language itself. In one particularly moving scene he joins in with a kamikaze pre-mission ritual, adding to their song about ignoring death his own song about God and his angels looking after the pilots' safety. His "moment of truth" comes when he recognizes death for what it is and helps the sufferer, who obviously cannot continue the arduous quest, by saying to her, kindly and almost playfully, "Let's pretend we're dead." She joins him in a prone position, Spielberg does a time dissolve back to her dead body illuminated by an eerily bright sky, and the boy interprets the sign as God's welcoming her to heaven. Later we find the "scientific" explanation for the source of the light--the bombs dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki--but it's the boy's explanation that by this time seems more persuasive, demonstrating that the death of innocence and youth need not take with it the power of the human imagination.

The singing of a boy's choir from opening to final frames lends to the film a depth and resonance not found in any other Spielberg movie. Spielberg has pulled out all the stops of his technical cinematic magic, unashamedly embraced a melodramatic mode in its truest sense (drama with music), and produced a work of singular imagination: it's equal parts realism and fantasy, toughness and soul, heroism and redemption, courage and grace. I only wish it had been a greater commercial success, because it obviously would have made a significant difference in the films to follow.

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Rating: - War History
this is a true story of a child seperated from his family during world war 11. His battle to survive as a prisoner of war, he was only about 10 years old. this is a very heart-gut wrenching sad but true story. a must SEE movie.Get the tissue's ready.

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Rating: - Childhood Favorite
I remembered watching this movie when i was a young girl...yeah, a war movie and a middle schooler! It just captured my attention and made me more aware of things outside of my little world. It is one I could watch over and over again.

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Rating: - Magnificent!!!
My brother, my husband, a co-worker of my husband and myself, think this movie is a superb piece of art. Chiristian Bale (Batman begins) is the main actor. At his tender age of thirteen years, he delivers such a wonderful performance that makes me think he was born to be the one who would make this film. Highly recommended movie. Christian Bale lovers, "baleheads", buy the movie!. Have some tissue ready on your coffee table.
* I'm a spanish speaking person. I hope my english is satisfactory.

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Rating: - Comment on movie: "Empire of the Sun"
(I think we already did this...)
This is a classic historically-based movie. Educational in that I (and probably many others)
did'nt know about the English colony in a special status in China prior to Pearl Harbor.
The cars were beautiful, I mistakenly thought the Packard was a Rolls! Beautiful antigue
aircraft, scale-model fighters, good flying scenes. Theme music (Welch hymn I think)
helped so much too.
The horrors of war are clearly shown, but without a deliberate "anti-war" theme that
can detract from good drama. All told, a must-have DVD. / Richard and Arlene Norman
(born in 1932; both of us observed WWII in real time via newsreels, Life Magazine
radio (Lowell Thomas) and the narratives of the combatants we knew.)