Endless Love (1981)

A high school student's love for a 15-year-old girl is thwarted by parental disapproval, circumstance and accident. He burned down her family's house and was committed in a mental hospital.

Director:

Franco Zeffirelli

Writers:

Scott Spencer (novel), Judith Rascoe (screenplay)

Stars:

Brooke Shields, Martin Hewitt, Shirley Knight

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brooke Shields	...	Jade
Martin Hewitt	...	David
Shirley Knight	...	Ann
Don Murray	...	Hugh
Richard Kiley	...	Arthur
Beatrice Straight	...	Rose
James Spader	...	Keith (as Jimmy Spader)
Ian Ziering	...	Sammy
Robert Moore	...	Dr. Miller
Penelope Milford	...	Ingrid
Jan Miner	...	Mrs. Switzer
Salem Ludwig	...	Mr. Switzer
Leon B. Stevens	...	Judge
Vida Wright	...	Sonia
Jeffrey Marcus	...	Leonard (as Jeff Marcus)

Storyline

Two young teenagers, Jade Butterfield and David Axelrod, fall in love with each other. But the passion is too consuming for Jade's bohemian parents. Her parents try to stop them from seeing each other. But when this doesn't work, David burns down the house and is sent to a mental hospital. This doesn't stop him from seeing her. When he gets out, he goes to look for her and remains in love with her. But in the end, the passion for his first love is too strong and she has to leave or this love will kill both of them.

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Plot Keywords:

premarital sex | sex scene | breasts | teenage girl | sexual awakening | 

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Taglines:

She is 15. He is 17. The love every parent fears.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 July 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Endless Love

Filming Locations:

Kaufman Astoria Studios - 3412 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,163,623, 19 July 1981

Gross USA:

$31,184,024

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$32,492,674

Company Credits

Production Co:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tom Cruise's very brief appearance in the movie is critical to the movie's plot.

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Goofs

At night, as David is starting the fire, when the wind in the trees is shown, day-for-night filming fails to hide that the sunny blue sky can clearly be seen through the foliage.

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Quotes

Keith Butterfield: [sees a ramshackle hunting lodge] My grandfather built that place. Then my father let it go. I'm going to rebuild the whole thing one of these days.
David Axelrod: Yeah. It's a great idea. You're good at doing things like that. I'll help you, okay? We'll come up here on the weekends. And Jade would love it. I mean, of course, this is a place for the whole family.
Keith Butterfield: Just because you're fucking my sister doesn't mean you're part of the family.

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Connections

Featured in I Love the '80s Strikes Back: 1981 (2003)

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Soundtracks

Endless Love
Performed by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie courtesy of Motown Records
Written and Produced by Lionel Richie
PGP Music/Brockman Music (ASCAP)
Administered by Intersong Music

User Reviews

Nothing but crap!

There is one reason and one reason only to see this film: if you want to see a very _young_ Brooke Shields naked. If you're into that kind of thing, go for it. Otherwise don't waste your time or money.

The acting sucks, the writing sucks, even the lighting sucks (all of the scenes are dark no matter what time of day it was). Who cares if Tom Cruise played a bit part in it.