FILM · 1987 · USA
Empire of the Sun
27 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
27 Interesting Facts About Empire of the Sun
Interesting Facts (23)
- #001
Eric Flynn, who plays a British prisoner of war, was himself a prisoner of war in a Japanese camp during his childhood.
- #002
During the prison camp scenes, Christian Bale wore a wig that made his hair look more solid rather than as showy as it was in the school uniform.
- #003
The film's Japanese Zero fighters are American-made Harvard trainers modified to resemble the Zero.
- #004
The film's theme song, "Suo Gân", is a lullaby sung in Welsh. Director Steven Spielberg chose it after casting the Welsh actor Christian Bale as Jim. It was sung by James Rainbird.
- #005
The B-29 bomber that passes by in a short scene was a giant radio-controlled model. It had working landing gear, bomb bay doors and wings, and an 18-foot wingspan. Six radio receivers and two transmitters were used to control the plane.
- #006
Before every take, Christian Bale would breathe heavily, run and jump up and down for five minutes.
- #007
It took the film's producers a year to negotiate with Chinese authorities to shoot in Shanghai and to be allowed to close streets for the production. It was the first American film shot in that city since the 1940s.
- #008
The portion set in the internment camp was significantly reduced. The roles of many actors, including Miranda Richardson, were reduced to almost cameos.
- #009
Tom Danaher was a Navy night fighter pilot in the Pacific during World War II and is known to have shot down the war's last Japanese bomber. He also flies one of the Japanese "Zeros" in the film.
- #010
The Welsh lullaby "Suo Gân" tells of a mother's love for her child, telling the child that she will keep it warm and safe and that nothing will threaten it. The film's story revolves around Jim being separated from his mother and father at a young age and having to face countless deadly dangers with only his wits.
- #011
Jim's flying model plane was radio-controlled, so it could perform all the movements the script required.
- #012
The fake Tudor houses preferred by the British are still there, but shooting there was impossible because about a dozen Chinese families occupied them; so houses in England's stockbroker belt in Berkshire were used instead.
- #013
The jacket Jim wears in the internment camp is a modern replica of the jacket worn by the American volunteer aviators known as the "Flying Tigers". On its back is a "blood chit" marking that identifies the wearer as an ally of the Chinese and offers a reward for helping the airman.
- #014
The boy's name, Jim Graham, is taken from the author J. G. Ballard's given names, James Graham Ballard.
- #015
Nineteen years after this film, in Rescue Dawn (2006), Christian Bale recounts an incident during World War II in which an American warplane on a bombing run passed very close by with its canopy open and the pilots' goggles looking up toward him.
- #016
David Lean initially wanted to direct.
- #017
Jim states that the only thing he remembers about his mother's appearance is that she had brown hair. When they are reunited, the first thing he does is take off her hat and feel her hair.
- #018
Filming took place in Shanghai for three weeks.
- #019
Mark Rylance was offered a small role but turned it down. Steven Spielberg came back and offered him a much larger role, but after thinking it over for a long time he turned that down as well and joined the National Theatre company for a season. He would eventually work with Steven Spielberg 25 years later on Bridge of Spies (2015).
- #020
As Jamie and his family ride in their limousine to the costume party, slowly passing through the crowd, a young Chinese youth appears at the passenger's window and says "No momma, no poppa," and later, after Jamie is separated from his parents and is alone on his bicycle, this serves as a mirror image of what Jamie will become, not only because Jamie is depicted as a homeless, parentless child but also because Jamie wears the same style of brown leather jacket with a dark collar that he will wear in the internment camp.
- #021
The tail marking of the falling B-29, the letter "P" inside a black square, indicates that it belonged to the 39th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) of the 20th Air Force of the United States Army Air Forces, which flew from North Field on Guam at the time depicted in the film. Actor Charles Bronson served as a B-29 gunner in this unit in 1945.
- #022
Early in this film, a young Christian Bale runs through the streets of Shanghai, China, trying to escape invading Japanese troops. Early in The Flowers of War (2011), a middle-aged Christian Bale runs through the streets of Nanking, China, trying to escape invading Japanese troops.
- #023
When Jamie first meets Frank, he gives his address as 13 Amherst Avenue. If you switch the numbers and add an A at the end, you get 31A Amherst Avenue, J. G. Ballard's childhood home. The road was built in 1925 in Shanghai's "Columbia Circle" district and ran through the French Concession. As of 2024, Amherst Avenue is now called Panyu Lu, but the house still stands and now operates as a dining venue called the Xinyue Club.
Behind the Scenes (2)
- #024
Steven Spielberg planned a long, continuous shot in which Jim stands on the roof of a building in the prison camp and watches American planes bomb the airfields. The shot was very complex and required a single take. He instructed Christian Bale to act excited as the planes passed and the bombs exploded, jumping up and down and running across the roof. When the demonstrations began, however, Bale became nervous and did little. Because most of the explosions were used up in this take, Spielberg (after a few gentle, fatherly words with the young Bale) improvised with several shots from different close-up angles and eventually got a more excited performance out of Bale.
- #025
This was the last collaboration between Steven Spielberg and cinematographer Allen Daviau. They first worked together in 1969 when Spielberg was a film student, on his 35 mm short film Amblin' (1968). Daviau later shot E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) and The Color Purple (1985).
Characters & Cast (1)
- #026
Christian Bale was chosen from more than 4,000 people who auditioned. Steven Spielberg had seen Bale in Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986), and Amy Irving, who appeared in the film, personally recommended Bale to her then-husband Spielberg. Spielberg had not thought much of Bale in the miniseries, but after the audition he cast him as Jim.
Deeper Meaning (1)
- #027
The production company was fined $13,500 by Chinese authorities for the pollution caused by the use of burning tires to create black smoke effects.
Related pages
- David Lean — Empire of the Sun comes up in the facts on that page
- Steven Spielberg — Empire of the Sun comes up in the facts on that page
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
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