Line #2 Trivia/EmpireOfTheSun


1	* ActorInspiredElement: "Suo Gân" was chosen for the film after the Welsh Creator/ChristianBale was cast.
2	* ActorSharedBackground: Eric Flynn plays a British prisoner. He had been in a POW camp as a child.
3	* DeletedRole: Many of the actors in the POW camp had larger parts but those portions of the film were heavily cut down from what was shot. Robert Stephens and Creator/PaulMcGann claimed they filmed larger parts of the film, but most of their scenes were cut.
4	* DuelingMovies: This came out within months of another coming-of-age film set in China during the first of the 20th Century ''Film/TheLastEmperor''. It lost all of its UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nominations to ''The Last Emperor'' too.
5	* EnforcedMethodActing:
6	** In the scene where Jamie goes back home to look for his parents, a maid he berated earlier [[TheDogBitesBack slaps him and steals some furniture.]] The look of pain and betrayal on Jamie's face was genuine since behind the cameras, the scene was practiced with a fake slap, but when it was filmed for real, Creator/StevenSpielberg told the actress to slap Creator/ChristianBale for real.
7	** Christian Bale would run around, jump up and down and breathe heavily before each take - to properly convey Jamie's excitement.
8	* MagnumOpusDissonance: Creator/StevenSpielberg considered this one of his more important, serious works, but it remains overshadowed in the public by ''Franchise/IndianaJones'', ''Film/{{Jaws}}'', ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' and ''Film/SchindlersList''. Critics such as Joseph [=McBride=] and Andrew Sarris generally agree with Spielberg and rate it as one of his very best films.
9	* NonSingingVoice: James Rainbird sings "Suo Gân" in place of Christian Bale.
10	* ReferencedBy: The 2017 TV adaptation of Creator/DavidWalliams' book ''Literature/GrandpasGreatEscape'' references various images and soundtrack elements.
11	* StarMakingRole: "And introducing Creator/ChristianBale."
12	* UnderageCasting: Not at first. Christian Bale was twelve, the same age as Jamie at the first part of the film. But then the TimeSkip means that Jamie is fifteen by the end.
13	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
14	** Creator/DavidLean originally wanted to direct before the project went to Creator/StevenSpielberg. It was Lean who suggested Nigel Havers for the role of Dr. Rawlins.
15	** Creator/HughGrant was considered for Dr. Rawlins.
16	** The airfields being bombed was planned as one continuous shot that would need to [[OneTakeWonder be done in one take]]. Creator/ChristianBale however got nervous when the explosions started going off, and didn't react as much as was needed. As most of the explosions were used on this shot, Steven Spielberg experimented with different close angles for Jamie's reactions - allowing Christian to give more excited reactions.
17	** Creator/MarkRylance turned down a part to take a role on the stage instead. He would later work with Steven Spielberg on ''Film/BridgeOfSpies'', ''Film/TheBFG'', and ''Film/ReadyPlayerOne''.

Context Trivia / EmpireOfTheSun