The Lost Spielberg

Rating: 10/10 (11 February 2002)

Many years ago, Steven Spielberg's name was only associated with escapist blockbusters. His career was defined by Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. But now Spielberg is the man behind Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. The man who, to many seemed like just a child posing as an adult filmmaker had grown up. But Schindler's List, Private Ryan and A.I. didn't just pop up out of nowhere. Spielberg began looking for respect before that, starting with The Color Purple (1985), which was a good melodrama about African Americans.
After that film, Spielberg began his first real war movie, Empire of the Sun. Adapted from the novel by J.G. Ballard, an autobiography, the film tells the story of twelve year old Jamie, played by twelve year old Christian Bale (Who could put Haley Joel Osment to shame.) He's spoiled British boy living in Shanghai, In a protected area for foreign nationals known as the International Settlement.. China's neighbor, Japan, is readying itself for war.
Jamie knows a lot about the things he really cares about (in this case, fighter aircraft) and is naïve about everything else, especially war. `I want to join the Japanese Air Force,' he muses to his surprised father, after mentioning he liked their planes.
When the film opens he is only beginning to assess the world outside his large house. His family, happy in their seclusion, doesn't help matters.
`We're very lucky, aren't we? To have everything,' he tells his father.
`Yes, well you notice how the harder I work the luckier' we get?' The man retorts, while hitting golf balls into his swimming pool using large coins as tees.
When the Japanese mobilize, chaos ensues, and amid the events that surround and envelop him, he is forced to change from an affluent boy to a survivor.
His fascination with planes presents him with an admiration of the Japanese that eclipses any frustration he would have felt in his situation. One of the more powerful images in the film finds him saluting Kamikaze pilots who are making their final toast to the Emperor, and singing the haunting Welsh lullaby the film opens with (The theme of the hymn is sleep and night). He is, of course, unaware as to what their mission is, but his innocent desire to show his admiration adds a unique perspective. The different perspective is interesting, especially in light of recent events such as the September 11th tragedy. Maybe time heals such wounds. Maybe not.
His change from helpless and snobby to determined and cynical is very gradual, but it is incredibly dramatic, and is one of the best- illustrated character developments put to film. Christian Bale's performance in Empire deserved an Oscar. He truly brought life to the complex character. Also to be noted is John Malkovich, who acts as Jamie's mentor for his new spartan life. He seems to serve as Jamie's dark angel, a man with useful advice, but malevolent intentions of personal gain. Also appearing is Joe Pantoliano (The Matrix) as Malkovich's right-hand-man, and it features a young Ben Stiller. But this paragraph simply can't encompass how well illustrated and deep all these characters are. It literally must be seen to be believed.
It becomes obvious as the film plays out what would have attracted David Lean (the film's original intended director) to the movie. This is an epic, a tale of huge scope. There are scenes with literally thousands of extras on the screen at a time. One can only feel awe in knowing that this was made before computers dominated the movie industry. Every crowd is real. Every plane is real (to an extent.) The whole experience is a feast for the eyes, with several artful shots brining magic to the movie.
With excellent performances of the entire cast, strong filmmaking and visual style and a powerful score by John Williams, Empire of the Sun doesn't deserve to be overlooked. Unfortunately, and it may seem pompous to say this, but audiences weren't ready for this new Spielberg style, and it had a lukewarm reaction at the box office, with one of Spielberg's lowest grosses ever. Being released alongside `The Last Emperor' didn't help matters either. But the fact that it was nominated for 11 Oscars should certainly mean that many people did enjoy it during its release.
(WARNING: This paragraph has slight spoilers. If you haven't seen the film, you may want to skip this paragraph.) One thing to look out for is Spielberg's rather inspired toying with time and memory. He said of the book that `half of it was a lie,' because the memories of the young boy were fragile things that his surroundings twisted. Look out for little details; such as how Jamie's parents stand at his bedside, remarkably similar to the magazine picture he sticks on his wall later in the film. At the end of the film, Spielberg actually sums up what he was trying to say with that little detail through one single split-second shot. As Jamie tries to resurrect his fallen Japanese friend, he's chanting `I can bring everyone back, everyone,' though it is clear there's no saving him. Suddenly, it shows him actually pressing his hands to the chest of a younger version of himself, prim and proper in his school uniform. He's not trying to bring his friend back; he's trying to return to his old self. And he's failing. (END of Spoilers)
Fortunately, this film isn't obscure enough that it's hard to find. Make the effort to see this film. I assure you that you won't regret it.