Robert Zemeckis (May 14, 1952)

We watched “The Polar Express” last night (again), but this time in a six-seater private screening room. What a difference from the cinema version and/or a TV broadcast…

Most of the film takes place between 11:55 pm and midnight on Christmas Eve. In other words, time stands still for the passengers on the train (1225, for those with sharp eyes: December 25). That set me to thinking about the “Back to the Future” trilogy, and other time-warping films by Robert Zemeckis.

You may notice on the IMDb listing that his birth date is shown as May 14, 1951. That’s the same date as listed on Wikipedia. All the astrology websites put his birth date as May 14, 1952. What’s going on?

I did both dates, and decided the 1952 one fits better because his Moon is in Capricorn, the hint from the Universe that he would like to somehow control Time, like Saturn does.

At first I randomized the time, then set the clock at 10 am, due to the opposition between the Moon and the Ascendant. The overall impression is one of conflict and stress, which I think is par for the course for a movie producer. The Mars opposition to the Mercury/Venus/Jupiter conjunction in Taurus is the true dynamic of his personality. That triple conjunction is in the 10th House of Career, meaning he loves writing and directing films. The Mars aspect shows that he loves uncovering mysteries (Scorpio) in the 4th House of Home. Most of his films involve returning to one’s childhood memories.

Take a glimpse at the trailer:

The Boy Hero is unnamed. In the original book, the author’s name is presumed to be the boy’s: Chris. (In the film, only Billy, on the train, is named.) Interesting, that. It allows the viewer (and producer) to identify fully with his adventures. Maybe that’s the clue to Zemeckis’ character. He was a skeptical child (Moon in Capricorn) who just wanted to believe in Santa Claus. Does that ring a (sleigh) bell, anyone?

Hmm.