Born on this day – Danny Aiello:

 

Actor

June 20, 1933 – December 12, 2019

#JacobsLadder #Moonstruck #ThePurpleRoseOfCairo

On this day in movie history - Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

 

Once Upon a Time in America

directed by Sergio Leone,

written by Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi, Enrico Medioli, Franco Arcalli,

Franco Ferrini, Sergio Leone, Stuart Kaminsky and Ernesto Gastaldi,

based on the novel The Hoods by Harry Grey,

was released at the Cannes Film Festival in France on May 20, 1984.

Music by Ennio Morricone.

 

Cast:

Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams, Tuesday Weld, Burt Young, Joe Pesci, Danny Aiello, William Forsythe, James Hayden, Darlanne Fluegel, Larry Rapp, Dutch Miller, Robert Harper, Richard Bright, Gerard Murphy, Amy Ryder, Olga Karlatos, Mario Brega, Ray Dittrich, Frank Gio, Karen Shallo, Angelo Florio, Scott Tiler, Rusty Jacobs, Brian Bloom, Adrian Curran, Mike Monetti, Noah Moazezi, James Russo, Frankie Caserta, Joey Marzella, Clem Caserta, Frank Sisto, Jerry Strivelli, Julie Cohen, Marvin Scott, Mike Gendel, Paul Herman, Ann Neville, Joey Faye, Linda Ipanema, Tandy Cronyn, Richard Zobel, Baxter Harris, Arnon Milchan, Bruno Iannone, Marty Licata, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Estelle Harris, Richard Foronjy, Gerritt Debeer, Jennifer Connelly, Alexander Godfrey, Cliff Cudney, Paul Farentino, Bruce Bahrenburg, Mort Freeman, Sandra Solberg, Jay Zeely, Massimo Liti, Louise Fletcher, Terry Angus, Greg Anthony, Salvatore Billa, Bruno Bilotta, Matteo Cafiso, Nelson Camp, Rossana Canghiari, Scott Coffey, Doug Davis, Mark Frazer, Nunzio Giuliani, Dario Iori, Ole Jorgensen, Francesca Leone, Chuck Low, Claudio Mancini, Giuseppe Marrocco, Maria Pia Monicelli, Ron Nummi, Ryan Paris, Harry Peerce, Filippo Perego, Nicola Roberto, Gianni Sanjust, Alex Serra, Susan Spafford, Marco Stefanelli.

On this day in movie history - Moonstruck (1988)

Moonstruck

directed by Norman Jewison,

written by John Patrick Shanley,

was released in the United States on January 15, 1988.

Music by Dick Hyman.

Cast:

Cher, Nicolas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, Vincent Gardenia, Danny Aiello, Julie Bovasso, Louis Guss, John Mahoney, Feodor Chaliapin Jr., Anita Gillette, Leonardo Cimino, Paula Trueman, Nada Despotovich, Joe Grifasi, Gina DeAngeles, Robin Bartlett, Helen Hanft, David S. Howard, Robert Weil.

Jacob’s Ladder (1990) – A nightmarish final struggle:

Jacob’s Ladder (1990)

A nightmarish final struggle

Review by Jack Kost

Jacob’s Ladder (1990), directed by Adrian Lyne, released in the United States on November 2, 1990, and based on the screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin, is a rarity of the genre: an intelligent horror story.

Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) is a traumatized Vietnam veteran.

He works for the Post Office and shares a cramped apartment with his girlfriend and co-worker, Jezebel (Elizabeth Peña), in a dilapidated block in Brooklyn, New York, during the 1970s.

Suffering from PTSD, Jacob is haunted by flashbacks from his time in the war, his pain compounded by the grief of losing his son in an accident.

His waking hours are invaded by bizarre and terrifying hallucinations of a locked underground subway station, and demons that stalk him wherever he goes.

He has disorientating periods when he awakes to find himself in an alternate reality where he is still married to his wife, Sarah (Patricia Kalember).

In these sections, his son Gabe (Macaulay Culkin) is still alive.

Jacob attempts to discover the truth about his condition and uncovers a conspiracy involving a failed drug experiment.

The title: Jacob’s Ladder, is a Biblical reference, from Genesis 28:10-21, in which a spiritual staircase, flanked by angels, provides a bridge between Heaven and Earth.

In the latter part of the movie, the chemist, Michael Newman (Matt Craven), describes the enhanced drug as: The Ladder.

Afflicted with back pain, Jacob visits his Chiropractor, Louis (Danny Aiello).
Louis is also his friend and confidante.

When Jacob confides his hallucinations, Louis offers solace and reassurance by quoting the 14th-century German theologian and philosopher, Meister Eckhart:

LOUIS:
Eckhart saw Hell, too. You know what he said? He said: ‘The only thing that burns in Hell, is the part of you that won't let go of your life, your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you,’ he said. ‘They're freeing your soul’ … So, the way he sees it: ‘if you're frightened of dying and – and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But, if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth.’ It’s just a matter of how you look at it, that’s all.

Bruce Joel Rubin’s screenplay, available in paperback, is an essential read for anyone who appreciates the movie.

It provides a wealth of insight and background information on the development of the story, including the inspiration and meaning behind some of the movie’s most stunning and disturbing images, particularly the visions of the “vibrating” men Jacob glimpses.

The book includes deleted scenes, with reasons why they didn’t make the final cut of the movie.

The acting is understated and flawless.
The strong supporting cast includes excellent character actors: Jason Alexander, John Capodice, Matt Craven, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Eriq La Salle, Ving Rhames, Brian Tarantina, Anthony Alessandro, Brent Hinkley, S. Epatha Merkerson, and John Patrick McLaughlin.

Adrian Lyne, like Ridley Scott, knows how to use light to powerful and atmospheric effect.

Maurice Jarre’s soundtrack sets a melancholic and haunting tone.

So many movies rely too heavily on the jump-shock moment to compensate for lack of plot, or character development.
Jacob’s Ladder doesn’t make that mistake.
The script and plot structure have been carefully thought out.

Jacob Singer is the main character, but in no way heroic.
We feel Jacob’s pain, bewilderment, and terror.
He fights when he has to, particularly in the scene where he is abducted from the street and forcibly strong-armed into the back of a car.
Jacob’s demeanor is, for the most part, quiet, friendly and affable, making his mounting fear and vulnerability more believable.

The quieter sections of the story are emotionally involving enough to make the moments of jarring horror nightmarish and chilling, with a final reveal that is both subtle and moving.

Jacob’s Ladder succeeds on many levels: as part war story, tragedy, drama, horror, mystery, hallucinatory nightmare, and theological thriller, giving the viewer much to think about and discuss.

It’s a disquieting and unforgettable experience that improves with repeat viewings, compelling the viewer to examine reality, existence, and the question of what comes after.

Life is fleeting.
Death is a certainty.
One day, we all have to climb that spiritual ladder.
Ascend … or descend?
Heaven … or Hell?
Which direction and destination will be yours?

On this day in movie history - Léon: The Professional (1994)

Léon: The Professional

directed and written by Luc Besson,

was released in France on September 14, 1994.

Music by Éric Serra.

Cast:

Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, Danny Aiello, Peter Appel, Willi One Blood, Don Creech, Keith A. Glascoe, Randolph Scott, Michael Badalucco, Ellen Greene, Elizabeth Regen, Carl J. Matusovich, Frank Senger, Lucius Wyatt Cherokee, Eric Challier, Luc Bernard, Maïwenn Le Besco, Jessie Keosian, George Martin, Abdul Hassan Sharif, Stuart Rudin, Kent Broadhurst, Tommy Hollis, Peter Linari, Johnny Limo, Danny Peled, Seth Jerome Walker, Michael Mundra, Alex Dezen, Betty Miller, Geoffrey Bateman, Arsène Jiroyan, Peter Vizard, Joseph Malerba.