Ice Castles (1978)

A young girl is on top of the world until a tragic accident dashes her hopes and dreams of becoming a world-class figure skater. Only with the help of those who love her can she prove to ... See full summary »

Director:

Donald Wrye

Writers:

Donald Wrye (screenplay), Gary L. Baim (screenplay),

Stars:

Robby Benson, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Colleen Dewhurst

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robby Benson	...	Nick Peterson
Lynn-Holly Johnson	...	Alexis Winston
Colleen Dewhurst	...	Beulah Smith
Tom Skerritt	...	Marcus Winston
Jennifer Warren	...	Deborah Mackland
David Huffman	...	Brian Dockett
Diane Reilly	...	Sandy
Craig T. McCullen	...	Doctor
Kelsey Ufford	...	Ceciel Monchet
Leonard Lilyholm	...	Hockey Coach
Brian Foley	...	Choreographer
Jean-Claude Bleuze	...	French Coach (as Jean Claude Bleuze)
Teresa Willmus	...	Annette Brashlout
Diana Holden	...	X-Ray Technician
Michelle McLean	...	Skater

Storyline

A young girl is on top of the world until a tragic accident dashes her hopes and dreams of becoming a world-class figure skater. Only with the help of those who love her can she prove to the world -- and herself -- that she still has the potential to realize her dreams.

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Plot Keywords:

skating | figure skater | figure skating | love | accident | 

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Taglines:

When Tragedy Struck, Love Came to the Rescue.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 December 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Castillos de hielo

Filming Locations:

Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, International Cinemedia Center

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Donald Wrye and actor Robby Benson previously worked together on the tele-movie _Death Be Not Proud (1975 )_.

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Goofs

Lexie competes in the sectionals, not wanting the judges or audience to know that she has lost most of her sight. However, there is no way she could credibly compete in the compulsory figures section of the competition, that portion which is a highly visual exercise of needing to be able to see the carvings in the ice.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[Nick pulls his truck up to Beulah's Star Ice Castle Lanes, or, depending on how you read the marquee sign, Beulah's Ice Castle Star Lanes]
Nick Peterson: Hey, Charlie.
Charlie: Hi, Nick.
Nick Peterson: How ya doin'?
Charlie: Beats the hell out of me. Hey, what are *you* doin' home?
Nick Peterson: Beats the hell out of me.
Charlie: Hey, Beulah, rack 'em up! Come on!
Nick Peterson: Howdy, Les.
Les: Hey! Nick, what the hell are *you* doin' here?
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits appear to be in black-and-white, but if you look carefully, you can see the pink face and yellow hair of Lynn-Holly Johnson as she is skating.

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Connections

Featured in I Love the '70s: Volume 2: 1978 (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Through the Eyes of Love"
(Theme from Ice Castles)
Music by Marvin Hamlisch
Lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager
Sung by Melissa Manchester

User Reviews

It Works Despite It's Shortcomings

Most will either love Ice Castles or hate it. Perhaps hate is a little harsh but it gets the point across. For a film with numerous shortcomings it has achieved somewhat of a cult following. So much so that Columbia Tristar decided to release it in DVD format several years ago.

What's wrong with the movie? For a film partially intended to appeal to the teenage crowd, it is unnecessary to have any foul language. Yet Ice Castles is sprinkled with four letter words from the beginning to the end. It doesn't advance the plot one iota and it's inclusion in the film is a mystery. Perhaps the producer thought a "G" rating would doom it at the box office and added the harsh language to get a "PG". Whatever the reason it degrades the film.

Many of the lines the actors speak seem to be more or less mumbled and hard to understand. Not sure if this is a sound problem or simply bad acting.

There is a severe lack of continuity in some scenes. For instance Lexie is first wearing a green jacket in the segment where she is learning to skate on the pond after becoming blind. Suddenly she is wearing a blue jacket in the next scene and just as suddenly goes back to the green jacket! Not to mention her being bare-headed and then is seen wearing a beige hat and then back to being bare-headed again! The producer must have been blind too!!

The original film was 115 minutes according to a New York Times review in 1979. However, the VHS and DVD versions are about 108 minutes. Where are the missing 7 minutes and why were they not included?

Nevertheless, despite these and other faults, the film works due in large part to Marvin Hamlisch's stirring music and Lynn-Holly Johnson's beautiful skating. It is a three-hankie the first time you see it and has inspired many young hopefuls to take up the sport. A must-see if you like films that turn tragedy into victory.