The China Odyssey: Empire of the Sun

1987 0h 49m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 7

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Documentary about the making of director Steven Spielberg's film Empire of the Sun

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Martin Sheen
Narrator
Christian Bale
Self
Steven Spielberg
Self
J.G. Ballard
Self
John Malkovich
Self
Joe Pantoliano
Self
Jack Dearlove
Self (uncredited)
Masatô Ibu
Self (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Les Mayfield
Writers: William Rus
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 49-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

39 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Les Mayfield, shot by Mark Zavad. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Keva Rosenfeld shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Martin Sheen and Christian Bale and Steven Spielberg carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0258494 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 7 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Les Mayfield directs. Mark Zavad behind the camera. Keva Rosenfeld cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 49-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
239 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Les Mayfield, shot by Mark Zavad. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Keva Rosenfeld shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Martin Sheen and Christian Bale and Steven Spielberg carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0258494 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 7 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.