Search - Empire of the Sun on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1987 DVD Release: 11/06/2001 Format: DVD - Soft-Matted WSE for 16x9 TV Edition: Dual Layered,Restored/Remastered Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French, Japanese, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 33 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Members Wishing: 28 Genres: Drama, War, War Drama, POW Drama, Childhood Drama See Also: Empire of the Sun

Based on J.G. Ballard's autobiographical novel, Empire of the Sun stars Christian Bale as a spoiled young British boy, living with his wealthy family in pre-World War II Shanghai. During the Japanese invasion, Bale is separated from his parents. With the help of soldier-of-fortune John Malkovich, Bale learns to survive without a retinue of servants at his beck and call. By the time Malkovich and Bale are tossed into a Japanese prison camp, the boy has picked up enough street-smarts and developed enough intestinal fortitude to regard his imprisonment as an exciting adventure. The story ends during the 1945 liberation: on the verge of manhood, the 13-year-old Bale will never again be the pampered, privileged brat whom we met in the early scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Christian Bale - Jim Graham
John Malkovich - Basie
Miranda Richardson - Mrs. Victor
Nigel Havers - Dr. Rawlins
Joe Pantoliano - Frank Demerest

Steven Spielberg's ambitious screen adaptation of J.G. Ballard's novel about a young boy who finds himself in a Japanese prison camp during WWII gets an appropriately glossy treatment on DVD. The film has been given a letterboxed transfer of 1.85:1 aspect ratio (the transfer has also been enhanced for widescreen monitors), and viewers have a choice of the original soundtrack in Dolby Digital Stereo or a new mix in Dolby Digital 5.1 (there's also an alternate French-language soundtrack in Dolby Digital Stereo). The film has been subtitled in no fewer than eight languages -- English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai -- and the film's original theatrical trailer has been included, as well as a bonus behind-the-scenes documentary, "The China Odyssey: Empire of the Sun, A Film by Steven Spielberg." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide