35 years ago, this Tim Robbins film was a big flop before becoming a classic! It finally comes out

Flashdance, 9 ½ Weeks, Fatal Liaison, Indecent Proposal… Behind these important successes is the director, Adrian Lyne. Since the 1980s, this British man has made a name for himself thanks to his erotic thrillers. Actors are at the height of their popularity, films are making a lot of money, which allows the filmmaker to have some freedom.

When he laid eyes on a screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin – the screenwriter of Ghost – called Jacob’s Ladder, the director saw it as an ideal opportunity to offer a more personal film. The story follows Jacob Singer, an American who returns from the Vietnam War and suffers from nightmarish visions that alter his reality.

Paramount Studios then bought the script, unhappy with the ending and Vietnam scenes, and decided to get rid of it. In the end it was the company Carolco Pictures that took over the project and offered total carte blanche to Adrian Line. The latter imagines Tom Hanks as Jacob Singer before choosing Tim Robbins.

Between horror and existential drama

The result on the screen is stunning. Jacob’s Ladder is one of the darkest American films of the 1990s, perhaps one of the best. Long out of reach, this forgotten classic has now been re-released in 4K from October 15th and will hit the big screen on December 17th, almost 35 years after its release.

Refusing to place his film into a well-defined genre, Adrian Lyne creates a work that can traumatize you as much as it can disturb you. Between horror film and existential drama, Jacob’s Ladder is etched in people’s minds thanks to its monstrous apparitions – many of which even inspired the video game Silent Hill.

The feature film is also intended to be political, conveying a clear message about the post-traumatic stress of Vietnam veterans and the experiences they went through on the front. This, of course, explains the unfortunate failure of the film upon its release. After a succession of boxes, Adrian Laine faced public rejection.

It was the worst movie that could be released at the time.

In an interview with journalist Didier Allouch, who was present at the film’s 4K release, actor Tim Robbins explains that the political circumstances of the time, and especially the Gulf War – which had begun a few months earlier – had significant consequences for its reception.

“It was the worst movie that could be released at the time.believes. People didn’t want to talk about the Vietnam veteran. They thought about reconquest. Jacob’s ladder was not suitable for the time.”

However, the failure did not improve the film. Thirty-five years later, Jacob’s Ladder continues to fascinate viewers who cross its path and enjoy rediscovery by new audiences.

Jacob’s Ladder, available in 4K and Blu-ray, is published by StudioCanal

It is scheduled to be released in theaters on December 17