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Post by ck100 on Oct 22, 2022 1:19:12 GMT
Many consider this an underrated Steven Spielberg movie. In honor of the movie turning 35 this year, I wanted to see this movie for the first time. A good movie overall in my opinion. Spielberg has plenty of movies that are better, and the movie runs a little long at 2.5 hours, but he creates a good WW2 story from a kids point of view with good performances from Christian Bale in particular, as well as John Malkovich and Joe Pantoliano. Like with The Color Purple, Empire of the Sun is another stepping stone for Spielberg to build to his peak at mature drama with his later films of Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. Leonard Maltin Movie Guide Review: Empire of the Sun (1987) - 2 out of 4 stars
"British boy, living a well-sheltered life in Shanghai, is separated from his parents and forced to fend for himself when Japan invades China at the outset of WW2. Sprawling, ambitious, but emotionally distant and loaded with cinematic crescendos (replete with crane shots and overbearing music by John Williams) that simply don't have the emotional content to warrant all the fuss. Tom Stoppard adapted J.G. Ballard's autobiographical novel (Ballard appears briefly in Beefeater costume in an early party scene)."   |
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Post by politicidal on Oct 22, 2022 1:21:21 GMT
One of those Spielberg movies I had yet seen. Like 1941 or Always or The Sugarland Express.
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Post by CrepedCrusader on Oct 22, 2022 3:24:39 GMT
I've always liked this movie.
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Post by movielover on Oct 22, 2022 3:46:21 GMT
An all time favorite of mine. Itās in my top 3 Spielberg movies.
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Post by theravenking on Oct 22, 2022 13:21:37 GMT
One of Spielberg's most underrated. Christian Bale is incredible considering that this was his first film role.
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Post by phantomparticle on Oct 23, 2022 22:43:43 GMT
Brief observations The inclusion of Suo-Gan as counterpoint to the image of floating coffins at the beginning of the movie was a stroke of genius. This was my introduction to the beautiful Welsh lullaby, and it set my expectations for the film high (perhaps too high). I now own several versions of the song and they all bring tears to my eyes. There is a memorable scene when the boy encounters a Japanese lad on the other side of a fence and a shot of Bale surrounded by a shower of sparks (can't recall the circumstances). Spielberg is a master in the editing and knows when to cut a shot at precisely the right moment. In ET, he ends the movie with a close up of Elliot as he watches the spaceship disappear. In Empire of the Sun, he could have achieved an equally powerful effect with a fade out as the boy embraces his mother and closes his eyes in exhaustion and relief. Instead, the director dissipates the emotional climax with another scene. The John Malkovich character reminds me of George Segal in King Rat, sacrificing his own humanity for self-preservation. As others have said, and I believe this was brought up in reviews at the time, the movie is twenty minutes too long. I haven't seen this in a couple of decades and need to check it out again for a re-assessment. |
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Post by rudeboy on Oct 24, 2022 0:08:21 GMT
The best of Spielbergās āseriousā movies and second only to Jaws imo. Bale is astonishing, one of the most complex and riveting child performances ever, and I honestly donāt think, for all his fine work since, he has ever quite matched this performance. The book is great, too.
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Post by Spike Del Rey on Oct 24, 2022 12:58:23 GMT
A forgotten masterpiece IMHO.
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Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Aug 20, 2024 15:07:24 GMT
This film is a visual masterpiece. Most films of Spielberg have good visuals but this one is on another level. I was not surprised to read that it was originally a David Lean project - Spielberg must have used a lot of Lean's notes while making.
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Post by sdrew13163 on Aug 20, 2024 15:59:57 GMT
10/10. So great.
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Post by å:Dr.BLĪDā¬:éÆ on Sept 8, 2024 0:46:44 GMT
I've not had a bite of this Speilburger yet....on the list.....but I adore the Aussie duo Empire 0f The Sun.
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Post by vegalyra on Sept 8, 2024 1:30:45 GMT
Good film but years since Iāve seen it. Bale is great. āP51 Mustang- Cadillac of the skies!ā
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Post by Lebowskidoo š¦ on Sept 8, 2024 13:30:29 GMT
Loved this so much and watched it a lot when it came out. It was a sort of gateway to my soundtrack obsession, I loved the score. Proud that young Christian Bale grew up to be the star I always knew he was. Not sure why this wasn't more widely embraced, it's one of Spielberg's best.  |
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