"Empire of the Sun" is such a wonderful movie!

[Josh500 1,615]

I saw this again last night, after a long long time, and I was moved to tears. I'd always known this is a great Spielberg movie, but it hit me again what a beautifully shot and profoundly moving film this is. Certainly one of the best ones, ever. From the very first scenes with the incomparabale Suo Gan to the very end with John Williams's Exsultate Justi... WOW!!! Such a tremendous journey. It's beyond me how this movie was snubbed at the Oscars...

I urge you all to watch this movie again. And if you never have seen it, it's high time!! You won't regret it!!

[Luke Skywalker 1,796]

I just bought it on DVD. i'll see when i have time to watch it.

[MSM 126]

All I know is that it has a wonderful soundtrack with a brilliant 90's style JW sound.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

All I know is that it has a wonderful soundtrack with a brilliant 90's style JW sound.

And it wasn't even the 90's yet!

[Williamsfan301 11]

My wife directs a church choir. On my suggestion, she had them learn Exultate Justi for Pentacost Sunday Mass. It was met with THUNDEROUS applause.

[Neimoidian 14]

My wife directs a church choir. On my suggestion, she had them learn Exultate Justi for Pentacost Sunday Mass. It was met with THUNDEROUS applause.

As for the movie, it's terrific indeed. I like it very much and watch it every once in a while, since I already have it on dvd. Astounding cinematography, great performance from young Bale and of course a moving score.

[ASW 0]

That's a really cool story WilliamsFan301!

I actually watched this film last night as well. It's always been a favourite of mine that I'll watch from time to time....it really is an amazing film: beautifully shot, acted, scored etc. I also watched WOTW recently (the Spielberg film) and noticed that Spielberg seemed to borrow certain images from Empire of the Sun for the ferry scene and the mob crowding around the car - right down to a shot of the characters' hands getting separated in the mob. I'm not complaining, of course, and they work well in both films, but it was nice to see where it may have come from originally.

ASW

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

I have yet to add this film to my DVD collection, but I hope to do so soon.

[Josh500 1,615]

This can certainly be termed a "hidden treasure"... both movie- and scorewise.

[Quintus 5,399]

As Spielberg fims go, I prefer Jaws, but yeah - EOTS is marvelous.

[indy4 155]

I've never connected with this as some have--then again, I've always preferred Spielberg's happier films.

[Quintus 5,399]

What are you talking about? EotS is about as hilarious as WWII gets. After Dad's Army, obviously.

[Red 75]

I've never connected with this as some have--then again, I've always preferred Spielberg's happier films.

Aren't you the one who said the ending was stupid?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

What are you talking about? EotS is about as hilarious as WWII gets. After Dad's Army, obviously.

I know you're being sarcastic, but am I alone in actually finding war movies hilarious? I don't want to be seen as a sick person, but some of the deaths are just so funny. Braveheart gets me going every time, I love it!

[Bryant Burnette 654]

What are you talking about? EotS is about as hilarious as WWII gets. After Dad's Army, obviously.

I know you're being sarcastic, but am I alone in actually finding war movies hilarious? I don't want to be seen as a sick person, but some of the deaths are just so funny. Braveheart gets me going every time, I love it!

This wouldn't have anything to do with having seen Tropic Thunder recently, would it?

Speaking of which, we had a gentleman come storming out of one of our showings of it today declaring to anyone who would listen at how "appalled" he was by the advertising we were showing before the movie. When he collected himself sufficiently to make himself clear, it turned out that he had been offended by the fake ad for the Booty Sweat energy drink that runs at the very front of Tropic Thunder. Luckily, the assistant manager who talked to this fellow didn't laugh in his face, but merely told the man that the ad was just a part of the movie, and that it wasn't on any of our other films. The guy didn't believe him! He went to the concession stand, convinced he would find us surreptitiously selling Booty Sweat and Bust-a-Nut bars and therefore be able to . . . I dunno, to feel morally indignant, or whatever. Upon finding no such products for sale, I guess he had no choice but to believe us, so he uttered a final "And the volume's too loud, too!" and stormed back into the movie.

As for Empire of the Sun, it's been one of my favorite movies since roughly 1987. I think it's criminally underseen, but maybe Christian Bale's ever-rising star will help that out a bit. It's proof positive -- alongside The Sugarland Express and The Color Purple -- that Spielberg was good at making "serious" movies even before Schindler's List. I suspect that Spielberg was always going to make Schindler's List, but I'd love to know how his career would have been affected if Empire of the Sun had been better-received.

[indy4 155]

I've never connected with this as some have--then again, I've always preferred Spielberg's happier films.

Aren't you the one who said the ending was stupid?

I said it was too sad for my tastes. My main issue with the film is just that it's too sad, which doesn't make it a bad film by any means, but it makes it a film that I probably won't enjoy (having said that, there are a fair amount of sad films that I do enjoy. I guess the subject matter has a bit to do with it also).

So not at all a bad film, but not a film that I would want to watch more than once.

[A24 4,346]

Spielberg's best film (it's the only Spielberg I can't get tired of) and the greatest kid performance of all time.

Alex

[Koray Savas 2,251]

What are you talking about? EotS is about as hilarious as WWII gets. After Dad's Army, obviously.

I know you're being sarcastic, but am I alone in actually finding war movies hilarious? I don't want to be seen as a sick person, but some of the deaths are just so funny. Braveheart gets me going every time, I love it!

This wouldn't have anything to do with having seen Tropic Thunder recently, would it?

Speaking of which, we had a gentleman come storming out of one of our showings of it today declaring to anyone who would listen at how "appalled" he was by the advertising we were showing before the movie. When he collected himself sufficiently to make himself clear, it turned out that he had been offended by the fake ad for the Booty Sweat energy drink that runs at the very front of Tropic Thunder. Luckily, the assistant manager who talked to this fellow didn't laugh in his face, but merely told the man that the ad was just a part of the movie, and that it wasn't on any of our other films. The guy didn't believe him! He went to the concession stand, convinced he would find us surreptitiously selling Booty Sweat and Bust-a-Nut bars and therefore be able to . . . I dunno, to feel morally indignant, or whatever. Upon finding no such products for sale, I guess he had no choice but to believe us, so he uttered a final "And the volume's too loud, too!" and stormed back into the movie.

As for Empire of the Sun, it's been one of my favorite movies since roughly 1987. I think it's criminally underseen, but maybe Christian Bale's ever-rising star will help that out a bit. It's proof positive -- alongside The Sugarland Express and The Color Purple -- that Spielberg was good at making "serious" movies even before Schindler's List. I suspect that Spielberg was always going to make Schindler's List, but I'd love to know how his career would have been affected if Empire of the Sun had been better-received.

No, Bryant, I've always felt this way about movies. Some death scenes are just flat out hilarious. For example, a guy gets stabbed in the nose in Braveheart, and makes a lovely noise as it happens. Cracks me up every time.

As for the Tropic Thunder incident, there are always idiots like that in theaters. My brother has been working in one for about 3 years, he does mostly booth work now at insane shifts/hours, but his last day is in a week. Anyway, he's told me some really funny stories about people. I'll share one I think is hilarious:

A guy walks out of Wanted, and he comes out in the lobby and asks to see someone. My brother comes up and asks what's wrong. The guy says "Uhh yeah, I'm seeing Wanted, and the movie started but then it switched to some other stupid movie about a guy in an office." My brother goes "Uhhh, it's the same movie, the scene changed." The guy thinks to himself with a confused look on his face and walks back into the theater.

[Ollie 1,059]

No, Bryant, I've always felt this way about movies. Some death scenes are just flat out hilarious. For example, a guy gets stabbed in the nose in Braveheart, and makes a lovely noise as it happens. Cracks me up every time.

I hate to say this but when I watch Schindler's List with one of my closest friends there is a death scene that makes us both laugh.

But there are plenty of dark scenes that make me laugh in films. I can't make it thru the torture scene in TESB without laughing, of course it doesn't help that the scene begins right after C3PO exclaiming he's been shot.

Unfortunately I have a warped sense of humor that occassionally comes out at the wrong time.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I hate to say this but when I watch Schindler's List with one of my closest friends there is a death scene that makes us both laugh.

Anti-semite!

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

Unfortunately I have a warped sense of humor that occassionally comes out at the wrong time.

The Giggle Loop

[Josh500 1,615]

I hate to say this but when I watch Schindler's List with one of my closest friends there is a death scene that makes us both laugh.

If you're talking about one of the Jew's death, you're a jerk.

If you're talking about Amon Goeth's death at the end... yeah, I agree.

[Quintus 5,399]

I was in absolute stitches when that little girl in the red coat lay slumped on the wheelbarrow, dead!!!

Methinks she needed a dry cleaners in the afterlife

[Henry B 50]

Wait, what's funny about Goeth's death? It certainly unnerved me the first time I saw it. I wonder how they filmed that.

[Red 75]

I've never connected with this as some have--then again, I've always preferred Spielberg's happier films.

Aren't you the one who said the ending was stupid?

I said it was too sad for my tastes. My main issue with the film is just that it's too sad, which doesn't make it a bad film by any means, but it makes it a film that I probably won't enjoy (having said that, there are a fair amount of sad films that I do enjoy. I guess the subject matter has a bit to do with it also).

So not at all a bad film, but not a film that I would want to watch more than once.

How is it too sad? Jim is reunited with his parents and presumably lives relatively happily ever after, the catch being that his childhood and innocence was completely stolen from him. Go watch Requiem for a Dream or Dancer in the Dark and then tell me this film's ending is too sad.

[Hitch 57]

I was in absolute stitches when that little girl in the red coat lay slumped on the wheelbarrow, dead!!!

Methinks she needed a dry cleaners in the afterlife

She's dead, Jim

Wait, what's funny about Goeth's death? It certainly unnerved me the first time I saw it. I wonder how they filmed that.

At the time, they put a noose around Ralph Fiennes' neck and kicked the chair from under him. Unfortunately, the 5-mile high bastard is still alive and now lives in London.

[Quintus 5,399]

I was in absolute stitches when that little girl in the red coat lay slumped on the wheelbarrow, dead!!!

Methinks she needed a dry cleaners in the afterlife

She's dead, Jim

Don't, you'll set me off again! *Snigger*

[Hitch 57]

I'll do my best not to

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Unfortunately I have a warped sense of humor that occassionally comes out at the wrong time.

Same with me. There's always one death scene in a war movie or battle that will just make me laugh. A lot of the deaths in Lord Of The Rings are pretty funny, especially the Olophant guy who gets hit with the spear.

[Quintus 5,399]

Don't worry, Peter Jackson was laughing too, when he put that in there.

[Morlock 11]

The bodies floating in War of The Worlds were quite funny, but that's due to ill-concieved staging.

[Quintus 5,399]

I dunno, I always thought it would've been a lot funnier if there was a long lingering underwater shot of a poor cadaver sinking slowly to the riverbed, with Williams delicately scoring every tragic second of the dead person coming to rest, in their soggy, silent grave.

That would've been hilarious!

[Hitch 57]

Now Frank Drebin killing a person....that WAS funny.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

Wait, what's funny about Goeth's death? It certainly unnerved me the first time I saw it. I wonder how they filmed that.

At the time, they put a noose around Ralph Fiennes' neck and kicked the chair from under him. Unfortunately, the 5-mile high bastard is still alive and now lives in London.

It is likelier than he just became Voldemort

[Guest macrea]

Back on topic: Empire of the Sun... what a profound and ambitious film, for me all the more special because some people just don't get it. Makes these occasional unexpected threads about it more interesting. In many ways I think Spielberg dug deeper with this film and took more risks with the medium than any other movie he's made.

[Neimoidian 14]

No, Bryant, I've always felt this way about movies. Some death scenes are just flat out hilarious. For example, a guy gets stabbed in the nose in Braveheart, and makes a lovely noise as it happens. Cracks me up every time.

I hate to say this but when I watch Schindler's List with one of my closest friends there is a death scene that makes us both laugh.

But there are plenty of dark scenes that make me laugh in films. I can't make it thru the torture scene in TESB without laughing, of course it doesn't help that the scene begins right after C3PO exclaiming he's been shot.

Unfortunately I have a warped sense of humor that occassionally comes out at the wrong time.

With all due respect, but this reminds me some of my school mates joking about the scenes from the Holocaust documentary film that we watched while visiting one of the concentration camps with my school a long time ago... We were teens then, though.

Back on topic: Empire of the Sun... what a profound and ambitious film, for me all the more special because some people just don't get it. Makes these occasional unexpected threads about it more interesting. In many ways I think Spielberg dug deeper with this film and took more risks with the medium than any other movie he's made.

From what I've heard, some criticism was attributed to the fact that Spielberg depicted the war from kid's POV as some sort of adventure. To my, that comes from little understanding of the movie and the story. Despite several imaginary scenes, the war in the movie is as harsh and brutal as it really was (at least, I assume so) and Spielberg handled it with tact and in very unsentimental way.

[Guest macrea]

The fact that the book was written that way and that it was a faithful adaptation in that regard didn't seem to count for much during the peak of the Spielberg backlash.

[Ollie 1,059]

It's funny that at the time of Empire, people (and possibly Spielberg himself) said that he wasn't mature enough to direct those types of films. Also I believe that he said he never could have made Schindler's List in the 80's.

Yet perhaps two of his best dramatic works were made during that period (The Color Purple and Empire Of The Sun)

[Hitch 57]

Becoming a father probably helped him enormously as well.

[A24 4,346]

Becoming a father probably helped him enormously as well.

That helped him to cut loose from his inner child, the very essence that made him what he is today.