REBECCA

                                          

A young naive woman meets and falls in love with a wealthy widower, suffering over the thoughts of his dead wife Rebecca. They marry and move into his castle-like mansion where she doesn’t seem to be approved of by the servants. Who were, and still are, just as loyal to the first wife as though she were still alive. The woman feels as though she is not good enough for her husband. She believes he wishes that Rebecca was still alive and that he were married to her instead. This was released in 1940 and it starred Joan Fontaine and Sir Laurence Oliver, also directed by the terrifying Alfred Hitchcock.

      

EMPIRE OF THE SUN

Empire of the Sun is based the on J. G. Ballard’s semi-autobiographical novel depicting the time when he was a young boy living a wealthy English lifestyle in Shanghai during World War II. He was obsessed with planes and dreams of flying. It also shows how he got separated from his parents and how he tries to survive in a Japanese war camp.  Along the way, he befriends a British doctor and a Japanese fighter pilot who shares the same passion for flying. He also befriends  an American named Basie played by John Malcovich. Basie takes the boy (Jim) under his wing and plans to escape the camp.

This film shows how one must have coped with life during that time. Whether it was right after Jim and his family were separated and the boy had to live by himself with no one to take care of him. Then when he arrived at the war camp and how he and others tried to live their lives as if they had never left their original homes. Trying to make the best of things and hoping that things would go back to the way they once were.

This film was released in 1987 and was directed by Steven Spielberg. Also, it introduces the 14 year old British actor Christian Bale, who is very well known for his role as a rich playboy by day and masked crusader by night in the Dark Knight trilogy.