Empire of the Sun: Two-Disc Special Edition (1987) |
BUY IT |
General | Extras | ||
Category | Drama |
Main Menu Audio Featurette-Documentary - The China Odyssey Theatrical Trailer |
|
Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 1987 | ||
Running Time | 146:33 | ||
RSDL / Flipper |
RSDL (71:07) Dual Disc Set |
Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Language Select Then Ads Then Menu | ||
Region Coding | 2,4,5 | Directed By | Steven Spielberg |
Studio
Distributor |
Warner Home Video |
Starring |
Christian Bale John Malkovich Miranda Richardson Nigel Havers Joe Pantoliano Leslie Phillips Masatô Ibu Emily Richard Rupert Frazer Peter Gale Takatoro Kataoka Ben Stiller David Neidorf |
Case | ? | ||
RPI | $19.95 | Music | John Williams |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) French Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) |
|
Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | ||
16x9 Enhancement |
|
||
Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.66:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles |
English Arabic Dutch French Icelandic Italian English for the Hearing Impaired Italian for the Hearing Impaired |
Smoking | Yes |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun is based on J.G. Ballard's novel of the same name, which itself is based on the real events that took place in J.G. Ballard’s life as a young boy growing up in occupied China.
By 1941, Japan and China had been in a state of war for four years. Foreigners continued to live and work in China believing that the Japanese posed no real threat to their way of life, or the safety of their families. Portions of Shanghai were cordoned off to create the International Settlement, a safe zone for foreigners and their businesses.
Empire Of The Sun is told through the eyes of Jim Graham (Christian Bale), an 11-12 year old boy who is obsessed with aviation. His father, John (Rupert Frazer), owns a textile factory which accounts for the privileged life they lead in the British Enclave of the International Settlement. The mansion they live in, complete with its manicured lawns and a massive in-ground, provides an interesting backdrop for the early stages of the movie.
Scenes of panic-stricken Chinese citizens crowding the streets of Shanghai contrast strongly with the British upper class who have time to attend surreal costume parties. But everything suddenly changes on 7th December 1941, when the Japanese decide to invade the International Settlement. Jim is separated from his parents and is eventually befriended by two American merchant seaman, Basi (John Malkovich) and Frank (Joe Pantoliano).
All three find themselves transported to Soochow Creek Internment Camp, which is located next to a Japanese airfield. The foreigners are loosely housed according to nationality, and through his friendship with Basi, Jim finds himself drawn to the laid back Americans.
Basi is a shrewd and unscrupulous survivor who is prepared to use others for his own gain, even Jim. It isn't until events towards the end of the war unfold that Jim is able to see Basi for what he is.
The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and it is 16x9 enhanced.
The image is sharp with good shadow detail. There is no low level noise.
The colour palette is rich and varied. While the scenes of Shanghai and the internment camp are subdued, the colours displayed during the fancy dress party are vibrant.
I did not notice any MPEG artefacts or film artefacts. A hint of aliasing is evident in the form of a mild shimmer in some distant objects, such as the brickwork of the house at 9:03 and the distant buildings at 10:21. Some grain is present during the darker scenes, such as the ship's interior at 42:15 and the night scenes at 50:09.
English subtitles are provided, along with Arabic, Dutch, French, Icelandic, Italian, English for the Hearing Impaired and Italian for the Hearing Impaired. They are easy to read and accurately reflect the spoken word, though there are a few instances where some phrases have been shortened for brevity.
This is an RSDL disc with the layer change occurring at 71:07. The layer change was mildly noticeable.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
There are four audio tracks available; English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Digital 2.0 (Surround), French Dolby Digital 2.0 (Surround) and Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 (Surround). I listened to the default English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track and sampled the English Dolby Digital 2.0 (Surround) audio track.
The dialogue was clear and easy to understand at all times. I did not notice any audio sync problems with this DVD.
The musical score by John Williams contributes perfectly to the emotion of the movie which, at times, takes on a surreal, dreamlike quality.
The surround channels are used to good effect, placing the viewer amidst the crowded streets of Shanghai and reproducing some great panning effects during the many aircraft flight sequences. While the English Dolby Digital 2.0 (Surround) audio track produced a louder and seemingly more pleasing surround experience, the English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track sounded more natural.
The subwoofer is fairly quiet for most of the movie but it does come to life with the many explosions when Shanghai is invaded and the airfield bombed.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
Though few in number, the extras are a positive inclusion and well worth viewing.
The main menu follows the compulsory anti-piracy ads and it is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced. The stylised image is not animated but it is accompanied by a Dolby Digital 2.0 (Surround) audio track of the boy’s choir, taken from the opening scene of the movie.
The menu utilises the same stylised image as disc one. It is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and it is 16x9 enhanced, though there is no audio.
The Theatrical Trailer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced, and is accompanied by an English Dolby Digital 2.0 (Surround) audio track. The picture quality is very good except for the telecine wobble and some grain.
This is a fairly informative documentary that looks at the making of Empire of the Sun and the history behind the Japanese occupation of China and in particular Shanghai. It is narrated by Martin Sheen and features the author of Empire of the Sun, J.G. Ballard. Although it could have included greater detail, it does make use of some historical footage.
The documentary is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and is accompanied by an English Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. Although the image is a little soft and there is a degree of grain and aliasing, it is quite acceptable.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
The Region 4 version of this disc misses out on;
Cast and Crew Listing
Awards Listing
Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Thai Subtitles
The Region 1 version of this disc misses out on;
Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 (Surround) Audio Track
For all intents and purposes both versions are the same, unless English isn't your primary language.
If you haven’t seen Empire of the Sun, or haven’t seen it for a number of years, then now is the time. Highly recommended.
The video transfer is very good.
The audio transfer is excellent.
The China Odyssey provides an interesting insight into the making of the movie and the historical events which it is based upon.Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Pioneer DV-533K, using Component output |
Display | InFocus Screenplay 7200 with ScreenTechnics 100" (16x9) screen. Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL). This display device is 16x9 capable. |
Audio Decoder | Built in to Amplifier. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
Amplification | Denon AVC -A11SR |
Speakers | Jamo D6PEX wall mounted Speakers and Powered Sub (7.1) |