I am a film critic, but almost all of the movies I watch are new releases. That is going to change. With Jeff Bayer’s Remedial Film School a notable film critic or personality will assign me (and you) one film per month. Matt Patches from Thrillist Entertainment is our guest, and he chose Empire of the Sun (currently available to rent on Amazon, iTunes and more). Each section begins with a quote from the film.
“I can bring everyone back. Everyone.” (Patches Explains): Seeing Empire of the Sun does not glow in my memory. Like so many, Steven Spielberg was the first director I admired and the first filmography I vowed to plough through. If I had to guess, I rented Empire from Blockbuster, grabbed my high school girlfriend, curled up on her basement couch, and spent two and a half hours ignoring her advances in favor of a wartime coming of age story. I’m sorry, but you don’t “chill” during Spielberg.
Empire of the Sun is a Very Good Movie, and the better you know Spielberg’s work, the more its trope-subverting nooks and crannies reward. Instead of extraterrestrials or robots, Christian Bale’s scamp, Jim Graham, the quintessential Spielberg boy, deals with the ripples of war. His ambling adventure is terrifying, and tragically beautiful. Every time I watch it, I’m reduced to my 12-year-old self, feeling as lost as this rambunctious Welsh kid. Spielberg fully realizes the smoldering, Chinese neighborhoods and the Japanese internment camps. The bullets and explosions distance themselves from Indiana Jones through the wide-eyed perspective. They have weight. The situation is impossible and true. John Williams score contemplates the operatic situation, Spielbergian hope backed by a choir of the dead. I haven’t even mentioned John Malkovich. This is a beautiful movie.
But Very Good is only enough to land at the bottom of Spielberg’s grand spectrum. Jeff, people throw around words like “lesser,” “minor,” and “miss” when they talk about Empire of the Sun. Maybe that’s OK, who knows. But to understand and appreciate our masters, we need to see these works on the same level as the classics. What separates Empire of the Sun from E.T., Jaws, Raiders, and Schindler’s List? And does it impact the quality? You tell me.
“You taught me that people will do anything for a potato.” (Bayer watches): Before we get to the film, I think it’s most impressive that you were able to squeeze in how a high school girl was trying to make out with a high school Patches, but you wouldn’t allow it. You stood strong in your movie-focused youth. I kept pushing a girl off me during Bram Stoker’s Dracula. And look at us now! Sigh.
Sadly, I can’t compare this film with Schindler’s List as I haven’t seen it. I don’t have a great excuse. After I missed its normal film window, I never felt like it was a movie I should randomly sit down and watch alone. Years ago, I decided I’d watch it for the first time with my kid, but now that I have two boys, and this article (which will probably continue for decades), it feels like the time is nigh… And this is the first time I’ve ever written that word, so big things are happening all around.
Is Christian Bale the greatest actor of all time? Sincerely. I’m asking. He’s had the most success (box office, quality, etc.) within the broadest or longest age range, right? Is that his real singing voice? Do I actually have to watch Newsies now? How many Academy Awards did this film get nominated for and then actually win? So many questions.
Another thing, this is before Bale’s inner-eye mole, which I can’t stop starring whenever he has a close up. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you probably don’t want to hear about Tom Cruise’s middle tooth either.
I’m really having a tough time registering Bale. Josh Brolin can’t go two interviews without people bringing up Goonies. But for some reason Bale doesn’t get that treatment for nailing his performance, and leading this film. With all of that said, has Bale improved as an actor? This isn’t a diss. There just seems to be so much “adult” Bale in this young performance, that it feels like he was born with it. And I never believe or say about an actor or athlete.
Jim has the wonder of the world, in insane, hard-wrenching situations. He wants to excel within his situation, no matter how dire it is. It’s respectable and a little insane. That’s the power of youth. He is in a fairy tale, and thankfully, he kind of knows it. There are glimpses, and then an over-the-top stereotypically tracking shot that showcases every possible class of people for the time period.
He watches war with such joy. You mentioned Indiana Jones and I will say that in two scenes it feels like he definitely taps into that mode. There’s the chase scene with a character constantly shouting “English Boy,” and also setting the quail traps. While I don’t feel either scene is bad, they are simply too long. Spielberg is too excited to play with the tension instead of getting back to the story at hand.
Then there are the great performances by Joe Pantoliano and John Malkovich. I wasn’t sure Pantolinao was still alive. Are you? It’s always amazing to see Malkovich before he started playing himself in films. Months back, Nathan Rabin had me watch The Dead Zone. It was obvious that this was the beginning of “Crazy” Walken. Here, Malkovich isn’t nuts yet, and damn is he good. What was the Malkovich performance that made the “crazy” leap?
I was consistently invested in this film, even when I was surprised to be at the interment camp in ’45 for a while. That has a lot to do with the scope that Spielberg and his team created. The big thing I kept noticing was the extras. So many extras. These are shots now that are filled in with CGI crowds and it rightfully feels less impressive. Plus that one particular stadium shot with the furniture, cars, and piano had me simply happy to look around at my screen. Then, suddenly, I changed from being impressed and interested to emotionally torn apart at the end. I had tears. My soul was crushed. That was the power of Bale (and Spielberg).
OK, here’s a bunch of little things. Answer or add to any or all of these random thoughts.
Ben Stiller shows up at the one hour and 17 minute mark. It took me a while to refocus.
The film is bookended with coffins getting knocked round by a big ship, and then Jim’s suitcase floating in the water. Does this mean the painful situation is dead? Do you think it means something else?
When in his idyllic childhood home, Jim opens the fridge. There are numerous desserts, and piles of meat and cheese. Is this the best-stocked movie fridge of all time? My vote is currently yes, but I have no idea what second place would be. I just never remember being so jealous of the inside of a movie refrigerator.
Was he drunk on alcoholic chocolate? If so, this is Spielberg’s biggest missed opportunity. First he had Elliot in E.T., then this could have been his “I get kids to pretend they’re drunk” corner.
In the scene when he chucks his suitcase into the water, we see a small sailboat. Why didn’t he or anybody else take that? After all, the suitcase ends up in the river at the end.
There’s a beautiful poster of Gone with the Wind, which stands out for me, because it’s another film I haven’t seen. But who has 7 hours and 25 minutes for one movie?
At the end of the film we see Christina Bale listed in the credits with, “And Introducing.” I wish there was a website that dedicated itself only to “And Introducing,” “With,” and “And” roles. Who is the greatest of all time? How do they contractually get decided? I want to know all of this instantly (without having to do the work myself).
Movie Score: 9/10
“Amatus sum, amatus es, amatus est.” (Patches responses): I know you’re a man of many questions, Jeff, and what I adore about Empire of the Sun is that it begs you to ask them. Like I said, it’s a nooks and crannies movie. From the English life embedded in Shanghai, to the actual internment camp existence, spirituality and humanity is in the details — even an overstuffed refrigerator (and one of film history’s best — need to rewatch Spanglish to confirm). I could spend all day scrutinizing the early sequences of the costume party or looping our first introduction to Jim’s prison routine, a long run through camp that bids “good day!” to its many inhabitants. Empire of the Sun is like a Where’s Waldo where the hidden figure is historical understanding.
You do have to watch Newsies, Jeff, and you do have to admit that Bale — with Philip Seymour Hoffman sadly out of the picture — is in the “top three actors currently working today” category. The electricity between him, Pantoliano (where you go, dude?), and pre-Being John Malkovich Malkovich (the one-two punch of that and Con Air sent him barreling into crazy town) recharges in every scene of this movie. But wait! Kids can’t act. They do what they’re told — or so say many skeptics. Where do you stand? Bale might be great now, but is he working on another level or following a laser pointer? Can we tell? What are the greatest kid performances and where does he fall now?
I love that the sheer amount of extras kept you absorbed, at least for awhile. Why did Spielberg even make this movie? What’s his personal connection? Do you see his recurring themes? From the profile writing I can scrounge up from back in the day, Spielberg saw a David Lean-esque epic in J.G. Ballard’s autobiography-with-a-twist novel (and then beat Lean out to direct the movie). It sounds like he loved the backdrop and loved the excuse to accurately portray the larger-than-life experience. Maybe Spielberg sees himself in Jim. If he was a 10-year-old during World War II, he may have been enamored by the white light of an atomic bomb drop, too. Maybe that’s why he nuked the fridge in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Spielberg clearly loves the P-51 plane action. I was reminded of The Wind Rises both while watching the movie again, and thinking about Spielberg. If you love epic visuals, you can be both taken and terrified of Earth’s manmade leviathans.
Throwing Ben Stiller a cameo probably made a lot of sense in 1987.
Jeff, you gave this movie a higher score than I thought you would. I think the general consensus is that Empire of the Sun misses the mark because it’s languid. I would obviously disagree; “Coffins in the water” is a great example of a meditative, gut-wrenching visual, and then circling back to it with Jim’s suitcase ties the whole thing together. To come of age is to die a little bit. On the scale of Empire of the Sun, it’s a much grander, deadlier evolution. But maybe Spielberg could have raced towards that conclusion, tightened up the plotting and weaved the themes through the entire picture. So that’s my final question to you: we’re obsessed with every little choice in the movie, but when you zoom out, is there a mosaic? And is it weird that the interment camp looks more fun than the Lost Boys camp in Hook?
“Excuse me everyone, I surrender.” (Bayer concludes): Patches, now I just want to play the Maybe game with you about every movie, and thank you for the Lean factoid. It’s funny you bring up Spanglish, because it’s the only movie in which I’ve copied a recipe. That simple sandwich Adam Sandler makes is amazing, and probably his greatest gift to cinema.
I mainly agree that kids can’t act. The best kid performances typically come from children who appear to be acting normal, only less annoying (all kids are annoying). Recently, Mud was amazing because it felt like Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland were being some version of themselves. Even with Jacob Tremblay in Room, there were moments that felt a bit too much like a performance. My hunch with Bale is that he actually just recently transported back in time, into his former self, nailed the performance, then came back to 2016. But again, it’s just a hunch.
With Spielberg, it’s so interesting to make this film after The Color Purple. You could tell he was clinging to hope and joy within this desperate world. He sometimes squeezed it in where it didn’t belong. I think people would actually pay money to stay at the “Empire of the Sun Interment Camp” for a week. I can’t think of another director who would have made this movie with the attempt of “fun.”
The thing I can’t figure out is, what is Jim like after this experience? It doesn’t feel like he’s necessarily hardened as much as someone else would be. Will he be content being taken care of once again? He’s already led a more difficult life that imaginable, but will the rest of his days bore him? Spielberg doesn’t paint the perfect picture of Jim’s arc within the film. It’s almost just like he knew in order to get through these days, we needed a plucky leader. Thankfully, Bale was the man (child).
Your Next Assignment: Guest comedian Doug Benson (Doug Loves Movies) selected Used Cars. It is available to rent on Amazon, Google Play, and iTunes. Your due date is April 28, 2016.
Today, we’re celebrating the release on Blu-ray and DVD of Les Blank’s legendary Leon Russell music documentary A Poem Is a Naked Person. And while we’re on the topic of fascinating nonfiction filmmaking, we’re also taking a look at a new list . . .
Les Blank’s long-lost documentary revels in the trippy, eccentric world of and surrounding Tulsa Sound pioneer Leon Russell, transforming what might in other hands have been a standard concert movie into a genuine work of art.
