Audio problem: When the movie begins and the choir sings, they're out of sync. After the shot of the Asian women on the benches the audio and the song are now out of control. Check the second boy to the left of Jim. He's absent minded and moves his mouth without control.
Empire of the Sun (1987)
1 audio problem
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: John Malkovich, Christian Bale, Joe Pantoliano, Miranda Richardson, Leslie Phillips, Nigel Havers
Revealing mistake: When Jim is riding the bicycle through the empty hospital, the "Frigidaires" begin falling through the roof. One bursts open, dropping its contents onto the floor. Something from inside must have landed on the camera because you can see it jerk suddenly.
Trivia: When Jim returns home after losing his parents, his nanny slaps him. The actors had practiced a fake slap and fake reaction, but Spielberg and the actress playing the nanny conspired to make the slap real when the cameras were rolling, so Christian Bale's reaction would be genuine. Therefore, Bale is really being slapped, and his shocked reaction is no act.
Question: Most adults in Empire of the Sun either dislike Jim or are openly mean to him. Why?
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Answer: I don't think anyone disliked Jim or was mean to him. Basically, he's a somewhat annoying, overly-active kid that the adults, who are in a very dire situation, simply didn't have much patience or the inclination to deal with. Also, the adults are mostly upper-class British, and in that era and before, they tended to be stricter with and more dismissive of children.
raywest ★