Empire of the Sun

Based upon J.G. Ballard's harrowing autobiographical novel and adapted by playwright Tom Stoppard for the screen, Steven Spielberg's 1987 WWII coming-of-age drama is one of his darkest films, and the one most ripe for rediscovery. Christian Bale (the international Internet cult fave) stars as 11-year-old Jim Graham, a child of privilege who lives with his family in the British sector of Shanghai. Jim has a passion for airplanes and is in awe of the pilots who fly them. His sheltered and pampered existence is shattered when the Japanese army invades the city, and--in the ensuing mob exodus--he's separated from his parents, and must learn to survive on his own, first in the rubble-filled streets, and later in a brutal Japanese internment camp. John Malkovich co-stars as Basie, a cynical American who shows him the ropes. Spielberg's follow-up to The Color Purple, marking the director's own further coming-of-age, this widescreen Dolby Digital 5.1 enhanced release includes the "making of" documentary "The China Odyssey," which explores this dramatic departure for a director whose most beloved films "usually celebrate childhood and the preservation of innocence." Recommended. (K. Lee Benson)[Blu-ray Review—Nov. 20, 2012—Warner, 153 min., PG, $34.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1987's Empire of the Sun features a great transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Packaged in a 38-page digi-book, extras include the behind-the-scenes documentary “The China Odyssey” by director Steven Spielberg” (49 min.), and—on a bonus DVD—a “Warner at War” featurette on the studio's impact during wartime, narrated by Spielberg (47 min.). Bottom line: a welcome Blu-ray debut for Spielberg's WWII epic.]