AT THE MOVIES - 1987 "Empire of the Sun " the Loss of Innocence

Empire of the Sun is a 1987 American epic coming-of-age war film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Tom Stoppard, based on J. G. Ballard's semi-autobiographical 1984 novel of the same name.  The film tells the story of Jamie "Jim" Graham (Christian Bale), a young boy who goes from living with his wealthy British family in Shanghai to becoming a prisoner of war in a Japanese internment camp during World War II.

Harold Becker and David Lean were originally to direct before Spielberg came on board, initially as a producer for Lean.  Spielberg was attracted to directing the film because of a personal connection to Lean's films and World War II topics.  He considers it to be his most profound work on "the loss of innocence".  The film received positive reviews, but was not initially a commercial success, earning only $22 million at the US box office, although it eventually more than recouped its budget through revenues in foreign markets, home video, and television.

Plot

Amid Japan's invasion of China during World War II, Jamie "Jim" Graham is a British upper middle class schoolboy enjoying a privileged life in the Shanghai International Settlement.  After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan begins occupying the settlement.  As the Graham family evacuate the city, Jamie is separated from his parents in the ensuing chaos.  Jamie makes his way back to their house, assuming they will return.  After a length of time alone and having eaten the little remaining food, he ventures back into the city.

Hungry, Jamie tries surrendering to Japanese soldiers, who ignore him.  After being chased by a street urchin, he is taken in by two American expatriates and hustlers, Basie and Frank.  Unable to sell Jamie for money, they intend to abandon him in the streets, but Jamie offers to lead them to his neighborhood to loot the empty houses there.  Jamie is surprised to see lights on in his family home and thinks his parents have returned, only to discover it is occupied by Japanese troops.  The trio are taken prisoner, transported to the Lunghua Civilian Assembly Centre in Shanghai for processing, and ultimately sent to an internment camp in Suzhou.  - Wikipedia

IMHO this is an outstanding movie and depicts the cost of war on children.  One of the best Steven Spielberg has directed.

 

Trailer

West Side Story 5/29/2023

I just bought the DVD of the musical "West Side Story (Steven Spielberg)" and it was and it was outstanding.

West Side Story is a 2021 American musical romantic drama film directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Tony Kushner.  It is the second feature-length adaptation of the 1957 stage musical of the same name.  It stars Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler in her film debut with Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, and Rita Moreno in supporting roles.  Moreno, who starred in the 1961 film adaptation, also served as an executive producer alongside Kushner.  The film features music composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

The film entered development in 2014 at 20th Century Fox; Kushner began writing the screenplay in 2017.  In January 2018, Spielberg was hired and casting began that September.  Justin Peck choreographed the dance sequences.  Principal photography occurred in New York and New Jersey; filming began in July 2019 and ran for two months.

West Side Story had its world premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater in New York City on November 29, 2021, three days after Sondheim's death.  The film was later theatrically distributed by 20th Century Studios in the United States on December 10, after being delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The film received critical acclaim with praise for the performances of the cast, Spielberg's direction, and the cinematography, with some critics deeming it superior to the 1961 film.  It was named one of the top ten films of 2021 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute.  The film grossed $76 million against a $100 million production budget.  Among its multiple awards and nominations, it received seven nominations at the 94th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, with DeBose winning Best Supporting Actress.  It also received four nominations at the 79th Golden Globe Awards, winning three, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for Zegler, and Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture for DeBose.

In 1957, the Jets are a gang of white youths that fight the Puerto Rican Sharks for control of San Juan Hill on Manhattan's Upper West Side.  Officer Krupke and Lieutenant Schrank break up a skirmish, telling the gangs that their conflict is pointless since the neighborhood will soon be demolished to make way for Lincoln Center.  The gangs are too proud to care, and Jet leader Riff proposes a "rumble" (fight) between the two gangs.  He approaches his friend Tony, who is on parole, for help.  Tony refuses, wishing to turn over a new leaf with the help of Valentina, the Puerto Rican owner of Doc's general store.  Meanwhile, Maria, Shark leader Bernardo's sister, is betrothed to his friend Chino, but yearns for independence.  At a neighborhood dance, Tony and Maria meet and fall in love, angering Bernardo, who agrees to Riff's terms for a rumble if Tony attends.  Tony tells Maria of his love and the couple meets on her fire escape, promising to see each other the next day.  - Wikipedia

I remember seeing the earlier version somewhere, and I had forgotten that the story is a Tragedy, because it's a story about prejudice, the tragic reliance on violence to solve the goal of misplaced pride against the love between a boy (Tony, Jets) and girl (Maria, Sharks).

This version was otherwise enjoyable.

 

Trailer