By the late 1930s, Shanghai had a large international settlement that included a significant British community. During the city’s capture by Japanese forces in 1937, many British civilians became prisoners of war. Steven Speilberg’s Empire of the Sun, based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by J. G. Ballard, tells the story of a young boy who becomes separated from his parents. The boy (Jamie, or “Jim”) befriends an American merchant ship captain who helps him to survive the camp and to reunite with his parents after the war ends. In this episode, James and Sean discuss this inspiring story, one of Sean’s favorites.

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