In 1987, Steven Spielberg began filming an adaptation to J.G. Ballard’s autobiographical account as the young English son of a diplomat and his fight for survival when Japan occupies China during World War II. It was the first American movie shot in China since the 1930s. Spielberg had to choose among 4000 kids to play the leading role of Jamie Graham. The movie was Empire of the Sun, and the actor Spielberg chose to star in his epic movie was a thirteen-year old by the name of Christian Bale.
Bale has grown up since Empire, and the kid handpicked by Spielberg has matured into one of our generation’s finest and most daring actors. In 2000, Bale gave an unforgettable performance as Patrick Bateman in the cult classic, American Psycho. He lost almost 70 lbs to play a neurotic Trevor Reznik in The Machinist (2004). He brought back the Dark Knight with some serious attitude in Batman Begins (2005), transformed himself into a U.S. fighter pilot shot down and captured in Laos in Rescue Dawn (2007), gave what I thought was one of the finest and most underrated performances of the year in 3:10 to Yuma (2007), and took a chance playing one of the many Bob Dylan inspired characters in I’m Not There (2007) to round out the year.
His complete and sometimes frightening devotion to the characters he plays force you to pay attention to his every move and mannerism. Bale’s performances are typically accomplishments of total mind and body. As seen below, it is obvious that Bale has an extraordinary physique and astonishing discipline. When you watch him on the screen, you get the feeling that he exists through these characters, and his performance is a matter of survival. If anything, you could say that Bale is at times too serious. There is definitely an element of humor missing when I compare Christian Bale to some of my favorite actors. However, I admire and enjoy his performances because he never fails to entertain.
Christian Bale’s performance in Empire of the Sun is nothing short of amazing for an actor of any age. But again, this is a 13 year old playing the lead role in a Steven Spielberg epic. Throughout the film, Bale has to mature from a spoiled rich brat into a street smart, admirable, courageous boy who is more capable and resilient than any of the grownups around him. In the hands of a less-than-great actor this would be an impossible task, but you never doubt this transformation for a second. Steven Spielberg may be the greatest director of all time, but his ability to pick this tremendous talent out of 4000 children is just another sign of his dedication to great filmmaking and his genius. In the case of Spielberg and Bale, I guess it just takes one to know one.
Click below for a look at the trailers for Empire of the Sun, The Machinist, The Dark Knight, and an interview on the Today Show.
Empire of the Sun Trailer
The Machinist Trailer
The Dark Knight Trailer
Christian Bale Interview About The Dark Knight on The Today Show
Brilliant!!