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Spielberg's most forgotten epic, dissected by the kid who lived it.
TMDB
64
IMDb
69

The China Odyssey: Empire of the Sun (1987)

vintage Hollywood excesschild-actor prophecywar-story archaeology

Overview

Documentary

Documentary about the making of director Steven Spielberg's film Empire of the Sun

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Content warning
behind the scenesmaking ofmovie business

Standout Aspects

Production

Spielberg built a functional POW camp in Shanghai. Functionally insane.

Acting

Baby Christian Bale predicting his entire chaotic career in one interview.

Best for:Solo: Film school dropout energy, 2am Wikipedia rabbit hole.·Streaming: Watch BEFORE Empire of the Sun, not after. Trust me.
Les Mayfield

Director

Les Mayfield

ReleasedDec 30, 1987
Runtime49m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacesteady
Intensitymedium
Tonemixed
Feelmedium

Top Cast

Martin Sheen

Martin Sheen

Narrator

Christian Bale

Christian Bale

Self

Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg

Self

J.G. Ballard

J.G. Ballard

Self

John Malkovich

John Malkovich

Self

Joe Pantoliano

Joe Pantoliano

Self

Masatô Ibu

Masatô Ibu

Self (uncredited)

Ask about The China Odyssey: Empire of the Sun

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Trivia

Bale's audition involved a spontaneous baseball bat scene he invented on the spot—Spielberg hired him immediately.

Cultural

This documentary captures peak 1980s 'white savior' filmmaking just before the genre collapsed under its own weight.

Reviews

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