Empire of the Sun

Director: Steven Spielberg

1987 / 153min / 35mm

Spielberg’s ravishing adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s semi-autobiographical account of life among Western expats in a Japanese internment camp in occupied Manchuria, starring a preternaturally talented 13-year-old Christian Bale as Jim, the spoiled child of Brit expats who must learn to live outside of the lap of luxury, and John Malkovich as Basie, a downed American pilot who takes Jim under his wing. “The quintessential Steven Spielberg movie… [Bale’s] performance is simply one of the best I’ve ever seen given by a child in a film. He carries the film almost singlehandedly, with a rare earnestness that humbles most of his adult costars.” —Armond White, New York Press

Distributor: Park Circus

Part of Maybe If You Smile They Will One Day All Return