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:

Lynn-Holly Johnson, Robby Benson, Colleen Dewhurst

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

tights | ice castles | skating | figure skating | figure skater | 

---

Taglines:

A Genuine Miracle!

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sport

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 December 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Castillos de hielo

Filming Locations:

White Bear Lake in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$20,710,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,International Cinemedia Center,Major Studio Partners

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

For the Regional Championships competition scenes, real U.S. Figure Skating Association judges and music coordinators played themselves.

---

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.

---

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?
[...]

---

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.

---

Connections

Referenced in GLOW: Nothing Shattered (2018)

---

Soundtracks

A Fifth of Beethoven
Composed and Performed by Walter Murphy
Based on Ludwig van Beethoven's (as Beethoven's) Fifth Symphony
Courtesy of RFT Music Publishing Corp. and Private Stock Records, Ltd.

User Reviews

A Good Movie!!

While I do agree with some of the other reviewers...a lot of unnecessary cussing...I believe that is Hollywood's version of showing rough and tough small town Midwesterners, so it was easy to overlook for me. Because I was raised in small town Minnesota...where this was filmed...I can attest that in fact, some of the edgier people in the town I grew up in did talk like that on occasion, so I guess it wasn't too far from the truth. That said, I think overall, the plot and emotions in this movie are a lot deeper than what is thrown on screen before us these days!! And for the reviewer who said that continuity was off when Lexie changed caps and coats...I think you missed out on a subtle hint the director was trying to show in time passing...as Lexie also became a stronger skater with every costume change in the sequence. Obviously, she didn't do it the moment she got up on her skates, so I think you missed out. Someone also mentioned that the 'Live Televised Broadcast' was a goof because there was no audience...but it was not a goof! It was televised on live camera on Christmas Eve, according to the plot line. Did not specify it was to be before an audience. News broadcasts are always live, and they don't have an audience, either. Nor do I think Robby Benson sounds remotely from Brooklyn, but that's another story altogether. Over all, I like this film a lot! Of course, Robby Benson was my big crush since Ode to Billie Joe, so I am a bit biased, but I think even without him, it would be a pretty good piece of film work. I give it a 7 out of 10!!