Electric Dreams (1984)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Steve Barron

Writer:

Rusty Lemorande (writer)

Release Date:

20 July 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Romance | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Meet Edgar. He'll make you sing, make you dance, make you laugh, make you cry, make you jealous, make you nuts.

Plot:

An artificially intelligent PC and his human owner find themselves in a romantic rivalry over a woman.

Plot Keywords:

Computer | Architect | Cello | Drive In | Scanimate

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Lenny von Dohlen	...	Miles Harding
Virginia Madsen	...	Madeline Robistat
Maxwell Caulfield	...	Bill
Bud Cort	...	Edgar (voice)
Don Fellows	...	Mr. Ryley
Alan Polonsky	...	Frank, Co-Worker
Wendy Miller	...	Computer Clerk
Harry Rabinowitz	...	Conductor
Miriam Margolyes	...	Ticket Girl
Holly De Jong	...	Ryley's Receptionist
Stella Maris	...	Woman at Airport
Mary Doran	...	Millie
Diana Choy	...	Check-Out Girl
Jim Steck	...	Removal Man
Gary Pettinger	...	Removal Man

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Finland:S | Sweden:7 | USA:PG | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay, California, USA

Company:

Virgin

Trivia:

The cello piece played by Madeline in the song "The Duel" is the Minuet #4 in G (BWV Anh.II.114) from "Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach" by Christian Petzold (formerly attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach).

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Miles tells Edgar that the phrase "A dream is a wish your heart makes" comes from Sleeping Beauty (1959), and starts to say the date as "nineteen sixty..." Edgar corrects him and says it's from Cinderella (1950), but states the date as 1949. (It's understandable that Miles gets both the movie and the year wrong, but it's less likely for a computer, unless Edgar is going by copyright date rather than release date.)

Quotes:

Miles Harding: I can't play that for her. "I want to squeeze you, lick you, pucker up and kiss you"? You make her sound like a lemon!
Edgar: But Moles, they rhyme!

Movie Connections:

Features The Love Bug (1968)

Soundtrack:

The Dream

A movie to make you miss the 80's

This movie takes us back to 1984, a time when computers were still mysterious machines which inspired notions of science fiction in the minds of average persons.

I was only 12 years old when I first saw this movie on HBO back in 1984(5?). This movie really captured my imagination. Computers fascinated me and "Electric Dreams" bolstered that fascination with a fluid plot, dazzling special effects, and a captivating soundtrack. The music, in particular is so good, I could still sing/hum the tunes for years after first seeing the movie. My favorite has to be the "Duel" song between a cello and the computer. Wild, wacky, wonderful stuff!