Interviewer: Hello Mr Spielberg. Welcome to Hollywood Review, we are so happy to have you here. How does it feel to celebrate the 30 year anniversary of your film adaptation of the book Empire of the Sun? Spielberg: It’s amazing. It was one of my favourite films to direct. Interviewer: What exactly compelled you to direct this film set in Shanghai during the Japanese Occupation? Spielberg: Well… There were a lot of things that I took into account when I was looking at a new movie to direct. The Japanese Occupation was famously brutal and I was interested in capturing that brutality on screen. But I think the reason the plot really suck out to me was because it tackled the themes of loss and family. Interviewer: Yes, I understand …show more content…
In almost all of my films like Jurassic Park, E.T., Indiana Jones, etcetera. I included elements of loss, specifically the loss of a family member. This basic structure is the key component of my movies that makes them so memorable. It’s because the loss of a loved one is relatable to the audience. It affects the audience and, hopefully, through cinematography and auditory stimulus, the audience is able to be fully immersed in disparity of loss. Overall, this makes the film more memorable and emotional. Interviewer: The film is definitely very emotional, especially with the separation between Jim and his parents. Spielberg: Certainly. When I read the book and was thinking of ways to adapt that scene into the film, the portrayal of loss was definitely a key point of consideration. Interviewer: What made you decide to portray the scene the way you did? Spielberg: Well, obviously I was inspired by the book. But at the same time, I wanted to put more emphasis on the loss than Ballard had. If you think of the scene where Jim drops his plane and because he bends down to pick it up, he lets go of his mother’s hand and thus the beginning of the war-long separation begins. In the book, Ballard focuses more on Jim’s surroundings; in the film, I focus more on Jim