Häufig gestellte Fragen (FAQ) for
Empire of the Sun (1987)

The song in question is a popular Welsh lullaby called Suo Gân which was chosen by director Steven Spielberg himself after he cast Welsh actor Christian Bale. It was performed, however, by James Rainbird.

No. The book (which the movie was based on) is a semi-autobiographical - semi-fictionalised account of Ballard's life and his experiences during the second world war. Although it is extensively based on a true story, Ballard chose to make radical alterations for many reasons, one is that he was unsure whether some of his memories and experiences were down to hallucinations.

When JG Ballard was interned, he wasn't separated from his parents and he also had a younger sister. In the book and the movie, Ballard's character was separated from his parents and one of the main stories was for Jim to be reunited with his family once more.

From the novel:

"An hour after nightfall they reached a football stadium on the western outskirts of Nantao. This concrete arena had been built on the orders of Madame Chiang Kai-Shek, in the hope that China might be host to the 1940 Olympic Games. Captured by the Japanese after their invasion in 1937, the stadium became headquarters for the war zone south of Shanghai"

The stadium was also used to store what was looted from the wealthy foreigners' homes. The treasures had no use to the Japanese therefore they were left.