Spielberg had long held a fascination with the Second World War, and had jumped at the opportunity to work on the project when Lean had been attached.
His favourite film as a child had been the aforementioned auteur’s Bridge Over The River Kwai, and Ballard’s story offered him an opportunity to put his own stamp on the Japanese POW story.
Spielberg’s father had worked as a radio operator as part of the China-Burma Theatre (the name used by the US army for its forces in China and Burma during WW2), and had told his son countless stories from the period during his formative years.
As a result, the conflict had become something of an obsession for the director.
“Growing up, my father regaled me with wartime stories, all of them unglamorous,” says Spielberg.
“He spoke of patriotism and the call of duty. He talked about the tedium, the typhoons, the low morale. Not the kind of things you would say would make a good movie someday.”
However, it was this nightmarish, otherworldly quality that Spielberg was keen to explore, and in Ballard’s own experiences, he found a story that chimed with the experience his father had previously described…
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Comments
Jareth64
Oct 18th 2012, 11:04
It's a forgotten gem. A brilliant film.
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kittycati
Oct 18th 2012, 11:24
I remember seeing this movie as a child...it still loved it the next time I watched it as an adult 20 years later. Not many films can do that.
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SiMan
Oct 18th 2012, 12:27
Watched it a few years back and although i remember liking it, i have to say it didn't leave much of an impact with me. Can't remember much from it. Think i'll have to give it another go soon.
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licantro
Oct 18th 2012, 13:17
This was the film that introduced me to Drama for the first time when I was just a kid, a step in growing up and because of that I remember it fondly. The way it was filmed and the way it was told it was captivating and shockingly emotional. Being 12 years old and now 35 probably helped me to understand it better since the view of war was through the eyes of also a kid, who now is such a prominent actor, Christian Bale. It's so amusing to see how Spielberg has always been so good storytelling from a kids points of view. An amazing film.
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Hadouken76
Oct 18th 2012, 18:08
Another Spielberg and Bale film please.
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