empire sun film empire sun american epic coming age war film based semi autobiographical novel steven_spielberg directed film stars film tells story young boy goes living wealthy british family shanghai prisoner war japanese camp world war originally direct came board initially producer lean attracted directing film personal connection lean films world war topics considers profound work loss innocence film received critical acclaim initially box office success earning box office eventually budget revenues markets plot amidst japan invasion china world war british upper middle class enjoying privileged life attack pearl harbor japanese begin occupy settlement ensuing chaos escape city separated parents mother shouts panicked mob wait house promises come spends time living deserted home eating food ventures city hungry tries surrender japanese soldiers laugh chased street taken american partner frank nicknames jim intend leave boy streets unable sell teeth cash promises lead neighborhood finds house lit sees figure window thinks mother runs door discover house occupied japanese troops trio prisoner taken shanghai processing truck later arrives selected selected knows camp location desperate convinces soldiers arrival camp jim airfield witness workers squadron zero fighters jim reaches touch confronted trio fighter pilots jim pilots salute jim return nearing end pacific war despite terror poor living conditions camp jim survives establishing successful trading network involves camp commander camp british doctor father figure teacher jim night bombing raid orders destruction prisoners stops jim fluent japanese begs forgiveness barbed wire fencing jim befriends japanese teenager pilot jim visits american barracks jim americans culture eventually sends jim set snare traps outside camp wire jim succeeds test area land mines plotting escape reward allows jim american barracks morning dawn jim witnesses ritual overcome emotion sings welsh song base suddenly attacked group american fighter aircraft jim climbs ruins nearby better watch chases jim save boy breaks tears remember parents look like result attack japanese decide evacuate camp escapes confusion promised jim camp prisoners march wilderness die fatigue starvation disease arriving football stadium near filled confiscated japanese jim recognizes parents waking corpse woman jim witnesses flashes atomic bombing nagasaki hundreds miles away jim slips away group way hears news japan surrender end war encounters japanese teenager befriended earlier pilot disillusioned youth remembers jim offers cut reappears group armed americans arrived red_cross containers area americans thinking jim danger shoots kills japanese youth offers help jim find parents jim infuriated friend death chooses stay jim eventually found american soldiers placed film ends deeply jim reuniting mother father sound welsh final scene shows jim floating river shanghai thrown water march stadium know inside american magazines closest thing memories echoes opening shot coffin floating river cast goes living wealthy british family shanghai prisoner war world war felt physical resemblance age actor years old cast star television movie mystery anna recommended husband steven_spielberg role child actors auditioned jim singing voice provided english performer american ship steward stranded shanghai japanese occupation forms friendship giving nickname jim victor british woman jim neighbor dies stadium moved right bombing prison camp jim sees bright light sky east believes soul floating heaven finds later flash atomic bombing nagasaki hundreds miles away jim father figure finds difficulty teaching jim companion hit truck joins prison camp emily richard michael british prisoner british prisoner lieutenant price production development purchased film rights intending direct produce wrote draft screenplay briefly collaborated dropped came direct producer lean explained worked year end gave thought similar diary written interesting gave steve felt moment read novel secretly wanted direct found project personal child favorite film lean bridge similarly takes place japanese prisoner war camp fascination world war aircraft era stimulated father stories experience radio operator north american mitchell bombers hired uncredited rewrite brought write shooting script filming empire sun filmed united_kingdom location shanghai spain filmmakers searched asia attempt find locations resembled shanghai entered negotiations china film production corporation year negotiations permission granted week shoot early march american film shot shanghai 1940s chinese authorities allowed crew alter signs traditional chinese characters closing city blocks filming local extras old remember japanese occupation shanghai years earlier members played japanese soldiers locations included lean visited set england shoot attempted portray era accurately period vehicles aircraft harvard aircraft lightly modified france resemble aircraft additional non flying restored fighter collection england old flying machine company flown film flown featured film flying low level past child star canopy waving son mark took days filming complete complexity planned aerial sequences included actually dropping plaster filled replica bombs low level simulated bomb number large scale remote control flying models including foot wingspan felt results disappointing extended film contract size examples pilots set spain makes cameo appearance costume party scene special effects designed visual effects sequences computer generated imagery atomic bombing nagasaki hired production designer served stunt coordinator reception empire sun given limited release december wide released christmas day film earned million north_america million countries accumulating worldwide total million earning budget considered box office disappointment critical response review website rotten_tomatoes gives film score based reviews critics comparison metacritic calculated average score based reviews gave positive feedback especially impressed performance critical reaction universally time stated frame intelligent density images emotions new_york_times called film visual heroic immense scope unforgettable wall_street_journal wrote film edgy intelligent script playwright extraordinary film extraordinary war experience village_voice subject undermined approach roger_ebert gave mixed reaction despite emotional potential story didn maybe like kid decided world play bad said film basically good idea film gets ground added don know film totally confused taking things different parts hand wants child eye view war got movie called hope glory released better daring showing children view war hand film wants bet like adventure film got like character helping little kid fun war don know wanted awards second starring role received special citation juvenile actor award specially created performance empire sun 60th academy awards empire sun nominated editing original music score costume design sound convert nominations awards nominated cinematographer publicly complained second guess academy feel sorry nominations doesn vision makes come wasn making films film won awards cinematography sound design music score 42nd nominations included production design costume design adapted screenplay honored work directors guild america honored empire sun nominated best motion picture drama 45th golden globe awards earned grammy award nomination themes flying jim possibility danger escape prison camp growing self society reflected hero worship japanese based airfield adjoining camp think true japanese pretty brutal chinese don particularly sentimental view recalled small boys tend find heroes thing doubt japanese extremely brave complicated views patriotism loyalty nation jim constantly identifying japanese americans start flying drawn american apocalyptic wartime setting climactic moment jim sees distant white flash atomic bombing nagasaki gave powerful visual metaphors draw parallel story death boy innocence death innocence entire world reflected attracted idea death innocence childhood admission everybody impression life opposite boy grown quickly topics previously dealt presented empire sun include child separated parents express extra terrestrial close encounters world war raiders lost explained parents got divorce thing separation runs deep exposed divorce popular culture dramatic attack japanese prisoner war camp carried accompanied jim skies phrase believed text air combat screenplay entered urban mythology attributed war years quotes innovation originating soundtrack includes skies individual score cue phrase appropriated aircraft including australian service conceived idea performing empire sun
Empire of the Sun (film)