The Japanese invasion of China had been ongoing since the early 1930s, but in coordination with the December 7th attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Japanese forces moved into allied colonies on the mainland. This included the international section of Shanghai, where Jamie, the spoiled son of a British manufacturer, becomes separated from his parents in the chaos of war and has to fend for himself in a Japanese internment camp. With powerful performances from Christian Bale, John Malkovich, and Miranda Richardson, this is Spielberg at his best, portraying a seldom-depicted theater of WWII in one of his most underrated films.

Next Episode: Atonement (2007)

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