-
Empire of
the Sun was originally developed for director David Lean.
-
Bale
received a special citation for Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor from
the National Board of Review — an award specially created for his
performance in Empire of the Sun.
-
For the
scene in which the prison camp is bombed by American planes, Spielberg had
originally staged a single, continuous take filming Bale excitedly
watching from the tower as planes passed and bombs went off. Once the take
began, Bale became nervous and stood still while thousands of dollars
worth of explosions were used up.
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The
film's theme is a Welsh lullaby entitled "Suo Gan".
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Ben
Stiller's performance as Dainty was just his second appearance in a
feature film.
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Empire
of the Sun was the first American film production to film in China
after the Maoist revolution in 1949.
-
With a
lifetime domestic box office gross of just $22 million and a budget of $38
million, Empire of the Sun remains Spielberg's least successful
film at the box office.
-
Empire
of the Sun marked the fourth and final collaboration between Spielberg
and cinematographer Allen Daviau. The two had previously worked together
on E.T., Twilight Zone: The Movie and The Color Purple.
