As the son of a World War II veteran,Steven Spielbergholds war and its veterans close to his heart. The global conflict between the Allies and the Axis Powers is embedded into his films, from swashbuckling adventures likeRaiders of the Lost Arkto gritty, punishing depictions of combat likeSaving Private Ryan. While an inherently tragic and horrifying situation,war perfectly illustrated Spielberg’s thematic traits, as every battle revolves around the perseverance of one soldier making a difference and the will of the human spirit. Critics are quick to peg him for concocting a happy ending to harrowing situations, but his show-stopping sequences capturing combat and militarized assaults display resounding emotional sincerity, not all of which is sentimental. In this breathtaking 11-minute destruction of an idyllic life inEmpire of the Sun,we watched Spielberg grow up as a filmmaker before our own eyes.
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Every director wants to be acknowledged as a “serious artist,” even a director of Steven Spielberg’s stature, who revolutionized cinema forever with his crowd-pleasing blockbusters that were also critically acclaimed, includingJaws,E.T., and the Indiana Jones franchise. Despite already amassing an impeccable resume before turning 40,Spielberg felt the pressure to mature and make adult-oriented moviescentering around real problems and not sharks and aliens.Afteradapting the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel,The Color Purple—a role he was egregiously ill-suited for through a contemporary lens—Spielberg’s, shall we say, desperate bid to win an Oscar continued withEmpire of the Sun.
Following Jim, (Christian Bale) an English boy based in Shanghai,this coming-of-age dramaamid the backdrop of Japan’s invasion of China sees the child struggling to survive inside an internment camp. Being told from a child’s perspective, thefilm complements Spielberg’s skills while expanding his paletteby demonstrating what happens when a child with everything faces the ultimate tragedy.
The film peaks with the 11-minute sequence where the Japanese military—following the bombings on Pearl Harbor—invades Shanghai,which causes Jim to be separated from his parents. Looking out over the Shanghai International Settlement residence, Jim communicates with a Japanese warship by sending light signals to military forces on the ground, a mode of interaction similar to theend ofClose Encounters of the Third Kind. For Jim, who we first see playing with a toy aircraft,it’s all fun and games, that is, until an explosion launches him back from his window.
Steven Spielberg Captures the Horrors of War Through a Child’s Eye in ‘Empire of the Sun'
Everyone in the building quickly evacuates, but Jim still doesn’t grasp the severity of this moment of political upheaval. While everyone traverses on foot, Jim and his parents freely obtain the services of a chauffeur to slowly carry them through the crowd, as,through the Spielberg gaze, Jim watches the native Shanghai people cry for rescue.Even amid chaos, Spielberg tracks the clear class divide that still permeates this collapsing society. Once they are forced to travel on foot, the three are trapped in the whirlwind of refugees, losing Jim’s father in the process. Hanging on to childish instincts, Jim stops to pick up his toy plane, which causes him to lose contact with his mother. Standing on top of a car, Jim watches his mother get sucked away by the crowd.In a flash, the schoolboy is trapped in the cloud of war, fending for his life.
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The separation is a product of sheer Spielberg magic, buthe wisely restrains his usual flair to match the traumatic nature of the event.The director’s blocking and placement of action are as smooth as ever, but you’re holding your breath throughout, knowing that Jim’s innocence will die one way or another. The panic on the streets is only half of the thematic thrust of this scene, which continues with Jim rushing back to his luxurious home and finding it empty and ravaged.The place that once served as his immediate fantasy land looks like theaftermath of combat.In fact, the house no longer belonged to his family, as the Japanese army staked their claim, declaring it the property of the Japanese emperor. When Jim questions two servants in his house hauling away furniture, one of them slaps him in the face.
This scene inEmpire of the Sun, which deserves a spot on Steven Spielberg’s Hall of Fame reel, taps into the horrors of war from a privileged child’s perspective, but the director makes it feel grounded and relatable. We can only view the conflict from his myopic view, and yet it’s still terrifying. BeforeThe Fabelmansdid so without any ounce of metaphorical text, this scenecrystallizes Spielberg’s worldview,from his sense of detachment from his parents to his sudden entry into a harsh adulthood.
Empire of the Sun
A young English boy struggles to survive under Japanese occupation of China during World War II.
