Review of Empire of the Sun (1987) by Zenab H — 03 Oct 2012

In 1941, after the Japanese occupation of China, Shanghai has been idle for some time, and life there flowed almost as before. But soon the Japanese internment exposed also English colony in Shanghai, leaving Jim Graham, the son of a diplomat eleven, separated from their parents, was in a POW camp, where he was forced to forget about children's games and dreams, having trained adult cruel science of survival.

The film, based on the autobiographical book by James G. Ballard (the script written by the famous English playwright Tom Stoppard), long before the appearance of "Schindler's List" has presented new and unexpected for many of Steven Spielberg, who had refused foreign entertaining, adventurous, superzrelischnosti using computer tricks and even saving melodrama, as in the preceding film "Color Purple." This immediately affected the success of ($ 22.2 million box office with a budget of $ 38 million). American audiences and critics found no particular reason for empathy (still later, "Schindler's List" was indeed passed, and felt by the public, including - the descendants of Jews who survived the Holocaust), accusing the director of "Empire of the Sun" in the emotional distancing from the little hero and, on the other hand, is condemned for alleged tearful ending. It seems that they just seemed alien and distant history of British child and his stay in a Japanese prison camp in China, where almost no Americans.

Extremely patriotic compatriots Spielberg seems to not have noticed that in this film are expressed his favorite ideas about the clash of reality and dreams, the real and the imaginary. Wunderkind Jim moved from the familiar world of harmony, luxury and fun in a stunning hostile environment quite alien (at least for him) properties, which are necessary to adapt, to establish contact with its inhabitants, including potential adversaries, which is what the Japanese to understand that they - the same people who are forced to shoot and kill in war.

The name "Empire of the Sun" is, of course, to Japan, which since the national flag - a yellow rising sun. But if for a moment apart from historical events, it is easy to imagine that under the "Empire of the Sun" is meant a kind of cosmic civilization, very distant from us as the East - West. And the little Englishman - if captive-envoy in that, given the reality that, among other things, that the Americans out of revenge for Pearl Harbor and the intimidation of others were the atomic bombing, without having to experience this.

Steven Spielberg, showing amazingly cinematic craft scene (which stóit only one episode of the game genius Jim about famous Japanese fighters "Zero!"), And impressive beauty of the unknown reality (surprisingly, the Japanese camp in China, was shot in the desert of Almeria in Spain! ), in fact, offers a less sentimental version of the fairy and ribbons "E. T., ET ", a more rigorous and dramatic version of UFO film" Close Encounters of the Third Kind. " Laughed at the "enemy" in the eccentric burlesque comedy "1941", he was able to "Empire of the Sun" to overcome the imposed childhood complexes and look at the opponents have an open mind, and most importantly - try to see his like (think roll names Elliot and E. T) in the "Others". Particularly shocking in strength and depth of thought point to the young suicide bombers, we can say a European counterpart Jim.

It is a pity that the Academy Award (by the way, it was first noted Spielberg special prize named Erving Tällberg until March 1987, when just completed work on "Empire of the Sun") was not willing to understand the clever and visually brilliant film (excellent operator Allen Davio cooperated to "Color Purple"). Ironically, almost all of the "Oscars" were given then the "Last Emperor" by Bernardo Bertolucci, too, about China and about another story, which, however, fit into the framework of majestic kinozrelisch Hollywood.