Remembering Norman Jewison, the Director of Cher’s Oscar-Winning Performance in MOONSTRUCK

Remembering Film Director Norman Jewison

Renowned filmmaker Norman Jewison, the director of Cher‘s Oscar-winning role in Moonstruck, has died at age 97.

Norman Jewison peacefully passed away this past Saturday at age 97. He leaves behind a diverse body of work. Jewison’s films appealed straight across the board to viewers of several different genres from romantic comedies to serious, probing dramas. He was most prolific in the late 1960’s, the 1970’s, the 1980’s and the 1990’s.

Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger starred in Jewison’s enormously successful In the Heat of the Night back in 1967 and thirty-two years after that, Jewison directed the great Denzel Washington in his acclaimed performance in the boxing drama, The Hurricane. With that kind of track record, you would think that Jewison was king of the “heavy” dramatic motion picture but the filmmaker also made light-as-air feel good comedies such as John Patrick Shanley’s hilarious Italian story, Moonstruck which starred Cher in her Academy-Award winning part opposite a young Nicolas Cage. The film is widely known for its scene where Cher’s character slaps Cage’s and tells him to, “Snap out of it!”

Jewison had a moderate box-office success a few years after Moonstruck with Other People’s Money. That film was released in 1991 and featured Danny DeVito. Though the movie didn’t do well with critics, it co-starred the legendary actor Gregory Peck. It made $25 million at the domestic box-office and featured DeVito in top form.

A few years later, in 1994, Jewison made Only You, an old-fashioned romantic comedy which starred Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei. Though it only made $20 million domestically, it sits as one of Jewison’s most adored comedic pictures.

All bets were off in 1999 when Jewison reunited with the co-star of his 1984 drama, A Soldier’s Story, Denzel Washington. The Hurricane with Denzel made $50 million domestically and was a prestigious Oscar-bait picture that scored a solid “A” CinemaScore mark.

Jewison’s earlier work included 1971’s Fiddler on the Roof and …And Justice for All from 1979. In 1989, he helmed the Bruce Willis-starrer, In Country which featured one of Willis’s juiciest dramatic roles despite being a box-office disappointment that grossed just $3 million.

Moonstruck‘s $80 million domestic gross was huge news back in the late 1980’s and paved the way for romantic comedies which followed in the 1990’s. Sleepless in Seattle, though a bit different in style, was the type of romantic movie that probably wouldn’t have been green-lighted if hits like Moonstruck hadn’t preceded it.

Norman Jewison’s work will certainly not be forgotten as he was one of the most passionate and distinguished film directors of his generation. He made some truly memorable pictures during the time he was directing regularly and was a true one-of-a-kind filmmaker through and through.

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