You Light Up My Life (1977)

User Rating:

4.1/10   

Director:

Joseph Brooks

Writer:

Joseph Brooks (written by)

Release Date:

31 August 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Sometimes when you reach for a dream you have to leave something behind.

Plot:

Laurie has been in show business since she was a child. Her dream is to be a singer, songwriter and actress...

Plot Keywords:

Title Based On Song

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Didi Conn	...	Laurie Robinson
Joe Silver	...	Sy Robinson
Michael Zaslow	...	Chris Nolan
Stephen Nathan	...	Ken Rothenberg
Melanie Mayron	...	Annie Gerrard
Jerry Keller	...	Conductor
Lisa Reeves	...	Carla Wright
John D. Gowans	...	Charley Nelson (as John Gowans)
Simmy Bow	...	Mr. Granek
Bernice Nicholson	...	Mrs. Granek
Ed Morgan	...	Account Executive
Joseph Brooks	...	Creative Director (as Joe Brooks)
Amy Letterman	...	Laurie
Marty Zagon	...	Mr. Nussbaum
Martin Gish	...	Harold Nussbaum

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:7 | UK:A (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) | UK:PG (video rating) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:L | USA:PG

Company:

Columbia Pictures

Trivia:

All songs sung by Didi Conn in the movie were lip-synched. The actual singer on the soundtrack album was Kacey Cisyk (often misspelled as 'Cassie Cisyk') , who also appears in the film as a bridesmaid. Debby Boone covered the title track, and her version spent 10 weeks at #1 on the U.S. pop music charts in 1977.

Quotes:

Laurie Robinson/Didi Conn: I learned something today, Pop. It was really painful, but I learned something. I learned that I have to depend on myself. I can't depend on anybody else and that's ok. You know why? Because I'm a really good person to depend on. Maybe I don't have someone that I thought I loved a lot really, but that's ok because I've got me. And I've got my work. And I've got my music. And I love that - more than anything else on this earth.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Looking Back at 'The Hills Have Eyes' (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Rollin' The Chords

What a great movie and song!

I give this movie 7 of 10 stars, but that is by standards today...in 2005. I saw this movie when I was a kid and it really impressed upon me that I could follow dreams and succeed...and I have. I am a straight heterosexual male, married and two children, but I still get choked up over the song.

Didi Conn is totally believable lip synching with the orchestra and she feels the song. I cannot even impress upon you the movement that this had in the movie...the turning point if you will...the ugly duckling bursting into a swan.

Here is what is baffling...why Debbie Boone? The original singer of the song was Casey Cisyk who also had a part in the movie (bridesmaid). Her voice seemed to PUNCH through more...she was Laurie's voice. To this day I cannot find the original voice recording by Casey and now that she has died of breast cancer...her best work lives on...on screen.

Peace!