Empire of the Sun

A privileged British boy in Shanghai is separated from his parents when the Japanese occupy the city after Pearl Harbor and spends the rest of the war surviving in a civilian internment camp. He befriends an opportunistic American expatriate and becomes fascinated with the fighter planes of his captors.

Japan occupied the International Settlement of Shanghai following the attack on Pearl Harbor, interning thousands of Allied civilian nationals in camps for the remainder of the war under harsh and deteriorating conditions.

Based on J.G. Ballard's semi-autobiographical novel drawn from his own childhood internment near Shanghai, closely reflecting his real wartime experience.

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Cast: Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers

Positioned at December 1941 – August 1945 within the Japanese occupation of Shanghai phase of the war, as part of the Occupation of Shanghai. This is entry 54 of 150 in the chronological archive.

• Shanghai
• internment camp
• civilian
• Spielberg
• childhood

• 

  From Here to Eternity

  Summer 1941 – 7 December 1941

• 

  Tora! Tora! Tora!

  November – 7 December 1941

• 

  Pearl Harbor

  7 December 1941 – 18 April 1942

• 

  In Harm's Way

  December 1941 – 1943

• 

  Wake Island

  December 8–23, 1941

• 

  They Were Expendable

  December 1941 – April 1942