Empire of The Sun

Humanity. That’s the biggest tone in Spielbergs movies. He has the ability to shove inside most of his movies human tones and variations that makes us feel and identify with the main character. With “Empire of The Sun” there is no difference. The boy portrayed by the infant Christian Bale makes remarks that now and then resemble our own childhood, as when he meets character Frank and keep telling him his abilities (like writing a book), albeit them being of no use for the occasion.

Located at Shanghai just before Pearl Harbour attack, the film depicts a rich boy’s life changing abruptly due to the Japanese invasion.  The atmosphere changes from the safety granted by wealth on a former colony to the  anxiety of living on concentration camp, apart from any relative.  Yes, Bale’s character, Jim, gets lost from his parents, right at the beginning of the movie. Thus, inside the camp the movie adopts the usual prison Hollywood dynamics: the character acquires knowledge of all the places leaps, sometimes even luring the captors, as if there could be fun times here and there when in captivity. Impossible not to resemble McQueen’s “The Great Escape”.

Another noticeable aspect is the hollywoodian rather usual reconciliation with the Japanese.  The movie shows the Japs as being capable of in-war mutual friendship, even of great acts of valor towards their captives. This pattern somehow resonates on other movies, like “Karate Kid”, for an example, where there is pride shown towards Myagi’s War Medals.  

The two main and almost only substantial characters are Christian Bale’s and Malkovitch’s . The latest, as always, acts his most repeated role, as the clever guy in the room. Nothing more than this.  On the other hand, Jim is very well acted. The boy doesn’t slip any bit from the emotions he is enacting, ranging from content, through fear, to excitement. Seeing him nowadays as a child we can notice many of his adult acting expressions, with the same convincingness he pours these days.

This movie, as with almost all Spielberg’s, has a positive and beautiful message. This time it’s about leaving behind our possessions, griefs, hopes and guidance principles in order to adapt the way life presents itself, or, as the movie shows, just to survive.  It is truly worth seeing.

@jpvbm