Steven Spielberg’s sweeping 1987 war epic EMPIRE OF THE SUN stars a young Christian Bale as a child caught up in the horrors of World War II struggling to survive.

Based on J.G. Ballard’s best selling autobiographical novel, the film features a strong supporting cast that includes John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson and Nigel Havers as well as boasting an Oscar® nominated score by John Williams. Christian Bale gives an astounding performance in one of his first film roles as Jim Graham, a wealthy British school boy living in Shanghai who is separated from his parents in the street when the Japanese invade the city in 1941.

Alone and helpless, Jim must quickly adapt to his change of fortune. He befriends an unscrupulous and savvy American called Basie (John Malkovich) who teaches the boy a few harsh lessons in survival, however, things take a turn for the worse when they are thrown into a Japanese prison camp. The film follows Jim’s startling transformation over four years as he loses his innocence in the face of war.

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