Empire of the Sun???

[HSJerry]

Hi all, this looked like a real friendly and intelligent board, so Iwas hoping you could help me with the following:

For my school, my teacher assigned us to read "Empire of the Sun" and watch the movie. Now, I didn't read the book and decided to just watch the movie. Here' s a question! How historically acurate is it? I mean, did the Australians even fight in WWII? I mean, why is that little Australian kid in so much trouble if his country isn't even in the war? I need to write a paper on this and I think I'll write about the whole "Australia not being in the war" thing. But, there are other things I can write about too, I think. This whole movie seems stupid, I probably won't watch the end. (Big bonus, it was on HBO2 so I didn't even have to rent it. I saved like 4 bucks!! Which is good, since I'm saving up for a moped. Every little 4 bucks helps!)

[HSJerry]

LOL!! Aparently, no one can explain why an Australian kid is in a movie about WWII. You think the producers would have caught that! LOL

[Rob in Phoenix]

Maybe no one here saw the movie. This is more of a Matrix or Gone in 60 Seconds kind of crowd.

These guys don't even like Grease!

[HSJerry]

Originally posted by Rob in Phoenix
Maybe no one here saw the movie. This is more of a Matrix or Gone in 60 Seconds kind of crowd.

These guys don't even like Grease!

I have to confess I never saw Grease! either. But, I do know it starred the guy who played Horshack!

[goldmember]

Originally posted by HSJerry
I have to confess I never saw Grease! either. But, I do know it starred the guy who played Horshack!

I have to admit I haven't seen Grease either!

[stunt double]

That little kid is big bad Christian Bale, our new Batman! As for the Australians not being involved with WW2, I don't know much in that respect. In the movie, he and many others were held in Japanese occupied island. That's all I remember of the film.

[Rizor]

Australian? Did we watch the same movie?

The movie is based on the "true story" of the author of the book upon which it's based, J.G. Ballard. He may have made some stuff up, but for all I know most of it happened to him. I believe Spielberg may have translated some stuff differently. Some events take place in a fantasy perspective of the kid.

The kid's English by the way. He and his parents live in China which then comes under Japanese occupation (this is why there are Japanese people in China at the end of Pearl Harbor. ;))

[HSJerry]

Originally posted by Rizor
Australian? Did we watch the same movie?

The movie is based on the true story of the author of the book upon which it's based, J.G. Ballard.

The kid's English.

Right, but they speak English in Australia too! (Are you thinking Austria perhaps?) Did you hear his accent, it's clearly Australian. I don't know about the book because I didn't read it and I didn't even finish the movie! This paper isn't going so well, right now. And it will be worse if it turns out the Australians actually did participate in WWII.

[Rizor]

He's English (as in from England) and the kid who played him (Christian Bale) is English too. :D

[HSJerry]

Originally posted by Rizor
He's Enlgish and the kid who played him (Christian Bale) is English too. :D

English from England or English the language? I know it's the English language (I did watch some of the movie!) but the accent sounded Australian to me. And the scenery certainly looked like Australia to me too!

[stunt double]

There were internment camps set up all over Australia.

[Rizor]

The kid is friggin' British (English, whatever the heck you want to call it). If you want to go ahead and say he's Australian, go ahead. It's not my paper.

[HSJerry]

Originally posted by stunt double
There were internment camps set up all over Australia.

So does that mean Australia was part of WWII?? This paper is really starting to look not so good. Maybe I should write about something else. Like why only one of the actors bothered to have an accent (the kid) but I don't know how to tie that into the book.

[HSJerry]

Originally posted by Rizor
The kid is friggin' British (English, whatever the heck you want to call it). If you want to go ahead and say he's Australian, go ahead. It's not my paper.

Yes, well it is my paper and I want a good grade! I'm thinking of switiching topics (see my above post!)

[stunt double]

I don't know if Australia as a nation was involved or its role was support, but since The Japanese had occupied most of Indo-china I'm guessing the Aussies had to be in the picture in one form or the other.

[Rizor]

Here are a few plot summaries from the internet in case you need any proof.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0092965/plotsummary

An aristocratic British youth is seperated from his family at the start of World War II after the Japanese Army invades British controlled areas of China. Reduced to living on the street and fighting for food, the youth is eventually interned in a Japanese POW camp for British civilians. Here, admiration quickly develops both for captured American pilots and the Japanese themselves. When the war ends, the boy torn from everything he knew attempts to again find his parents.


Amazon summary:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00003CX9U/103-2723027-5465469?v=glance

Roundly dismissed as one of Steven Spielberg's least successful efforts, this very underrated film poignantly follows the World War II adventures of young Jim (a brilliant Christian Bale), caught in the throes of the fall of China. What if you once had everything and lost it all in an afternoon? What if you were only 12? Bale's transformation, from pampered British ruling-class child to an imprisoned, desperate, nearly feral boy, is nothing short of stunning. Also stunning are exceptional sets, cinematography, and music (the last courtesy of John Williams) that enhance author J.G. Ballard's and screenwriter Tom Stoppard's depiction of another, less familiar casualty of war.

Roger Ebert's review:

http://suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/1987/12/268093.html

The boy's parents are wealthy British citizens who enjoy a life of great luxury in Shanghai, a life in which limousines hurry them through the crowded streets to business meetings and masquerade balls and they hardly need notice the ordinary people in those streets. Sometimes the Chinese press too close to the car, sometimes they hold up traffic, but mostly they are simply invisible - until war breaks out, and the boy's whole world is shattered.

Go do a search on the internet. You will find that he is indeed British.

[HSJerry]

Uh Oh! So what's a British boy doing in an internment camp in Australia?? This calls for a re-write of my paper!

I just noticed the camp is in China! THis is getting confusing!

[JustAnAlias]

I love that movie but its never on. The kid is english and the son of the English ambassador in China. Japanese take over he goes to a camp. Watch the end its worth it.

[Pointy Shrub]

Australians did fight in WWII and were allies of the English. The boy was English. Australia was never invaided in WWII but Darwin (in the Northern Teritory [Northern part of Australia]) was bombed by the Japanesse.

[Frizzo the Clown]

Originally posted by Rob in Phoenix
Maybe no one here saw the movie. This is more of a Matrix or Gone in 60 Seconds kind of crowd.

These guys don't even like Grease! I love Grease. And I've seen this movie. But, it was a long damn time ago, so I can't really make much of a comment on it now. Maybe if I watch it again......

[stage_tempest]

Australia did participate and fought in Europe, Middle East and Asia. In fact Australia was involved in WW2 long before the USA got involved, Australia's close ties with Great Britain ensured that the country would be involved.

Australia did have internment camps as there was a large German population in the country (the Barossa Valley in South Australia is a good example) and they were all rounded up and held in camps until the end of the war.

Australia was attacked by Japan in the Northern Territory and there was a failed mini-submarine attack launched by the Japanese in Sydney Harbour.

For information that is correct try the Australian War Memorial site it has some brief chapters on Australia's involvement in WW2
http://www.awm.gov.au/

I know its not a movie topic but I hope it clears up some misunderstandings of Australia's role. :)

[HSJerry]

Well, I'm glad that I changed my paper topic! And I'm glad it's school vacation week, so I have time to write a new paper! I'm still confused as to why they put the Austrlian kid in a camp in China. Why not just send him back to Australia? And what was the deal with everyone else? No one even tried an accent!
Anyway, my new paper is about why they put the Australian kid in an internment camp.

[flukeman]

British kid

I have been meaning to see this movie. I have snippets of the soundtrack and it's beautiful, so I'm intrigued.

Small suggestion - reading books is good, you could try it.

[HSJerry]

Originally posted by flukeman
British kid

I have been meaning to see this movie. I have snippets of the soundtrack and it's beautiful, so I'm intrigued.

Small suggestion - reading books is good, you could try it.

We're back to that again?! I thought stage-tempest did a good job of clearing up the whole "was Australia in WWII?" question.

[flukeman]

Australia did participate, yes. But from what I understand, the character himself was British! Two different things, you're confusing yourself. And I haven't seen it, so I can't say anything else on the matter.

[HSJerry]

Originally posted by flukeman
Australia did participate, yes. But from what I understand, the character himself was British! Two different things, you're confusing yourself. And I haven't seen it, so I can't say anything else on the matter.

Well, to be safe I think I'm going to refer to him either as "The Australian kid from Britan" or "The British kid from Australia". In either case, I think it would have been much easier if any of the other actors had even tried an accent, that would clear a lot of this up! I mean, everyone says what a great actor John Lithgow is (from Being John Lithgow) but he couldn't attempt a British/Australian accent in the movie. The kids accent was great, though, I really believed he was Australian/British! (Someone else in this thread fell for it too!)

[HSJerry]

Thanks to all those who helped, this paper is looking great!!! I did a whole three pages on how I was confused on whether it was about Australia or Britan, and how no one tried an accent. I even told my teacher about how you guys were confused too! Thanks again!

[ip_guru]

No one is confused here. You are combining different issues.

Movie issue: The kid is British. His family is British. He is neither the Aussie kid from Britian, nor the British kid from Australia. He is the British kid from Britian, whose family lives in China.

War issue: Yes Australia was in WWII. You could have found that info in a 2 second google search, or by reading any WWII book. Australia is not in the movie. WWII: yes, Movie: no.


Accent issue: There are some similar accents between the British and the Aussies, due to where the Aussies came from. Again a 2 second google search of reading a book.

In the movie, John Malkovich (not John Lithgow - you wrote Being John Lithgow), does not have a British accent, because..... he is not British. He is American, therefore he has an American accent.

[HSJerry]

Okay, so you straightened the war and accent issue for me! I only wish the movie had done so. If you had been a producer, I doubt you would have cast an Australian kid in the role of the British kid would you?

[Rizor]

I'm not the one for derogatory comments, but my frustration is peaking. You sir, are an imbecile.

If you are being serious, I felt the film was perfectly clear. I had no problems understanding that it was about a British kid in China during Japanese occupation or the accents. As for casting an Austalian, you obviously have no clue what an Australian accent sounds like because the actor who played him is indeed British.

[HSJerry]

Well, I've never actually been to Britan or Australia before, I have to admit. I'm still a little confused on the movie though. If the kid is British and the camp is in China, why did they even bring up Australia in the movie?? And did they make all those other guys American (John Lithgow) because they were too lazy to try an accent or what?

[eclipsedman]

My only question is do they teach reading comprehension in HS anymore?

[Neverending]

That's exactly what I was about to say. This guy is either messing around with us or he really is an idoit.

[Pointy Shrub]

*points at 13yo american kid and laughs*

you know there is a sequel to Being John Lithgow called "Being A DUMBASS!"

[Celebrindae]

Someone please tell me this guy's kidding, surely no one could possibly be this stupid.

[HSJerry]

Okay, my mom rented the movie last night and watched it with me. She said I was thinking about it too concretly (whatever that means, I think it's an insult). It turns they never mentioned Australia in the film at all!! And John Lithgow was supposed to be American (according to my mom!) I even showed her this thread and she said you guys were right all along, (but that you shouldn't have called me stupid. I was just confused) And I'm not in High School yet, the HS is supposed to stand for Home School because my mom is thinking about homeschooling me (She thinks the school is "brainwashing" me about some stuff) But she's not sure yet. Thanks again!

[Clark Savage Jr]

Originally posted by HSJerry
Okay, my mom rented the movie last night and watched it with me. She said I was thinking about it too concretly (whatever that means, I think it's an insult). It turns they never mentioned Australia in the film at all!! And John Lithgow was supposed to be American (according to my mom!) I even showed her this thread and she said you guys were right all along, (but that you shouldn't have called me stupid. I was just confused) And I'm not in High School yet, the HS is supposed to stand for Home School because my mom is thinking about homeschooling me (She thinks the school is "brainwashing" me about some stuff) But she's not sure yet. Thanks again!
I just read this thread...and kid, you have problems.

You were assigned the book to read and the movie to watch...and you didn't want to do either (that's a great way to start an assignment). You got in your head (lord knows how) that the main character was Australian, and argued with everyone on here when they told you different (and you didn't go to any official sources to check it out).

You were prepared to write a whole paper on how "the Australians weren't even in WW II"...which is a slap in the face to all the brave Australian soldiers (and thier families) who fought and died in the war....PLUS....you couldn't even open one encyclopedia and see for yourself that they were.

If this is an example of your work ethic and how well you study.....well be prepared for a lot of disappointments in life. Get used to failing grades and flipping burgers.

And by the way....John Malkovich is in the movie, not John Lithgow.

[Pointy Shrub]

Originally posted by HSJerry
my mom is thinking about homeschooling me (She thinks the school is "brainwashing" me about some stuff) But she's not sure yet.


good old paranoia!!! i love it.

[Neverending]

Poor kid. :(

[stage_tempest]

well said Clark Savage.

Listen kid the best way to write an essay is to do the work yourself, dont come here seeking the answer to be given to you. Sure we might be able to assist with clearing up a few misconceptions however you need to do some of the groundwork first.
The things teachers love the most is that someone has read/watched the book/film and even if they dont understand it has tried to draw out their own conclusions, tried to make sense of it all.
Give it a go you might be surprised at what you learn