kathieanderson-93618 Things must have been very different back in 1978. Considering what's being revealed in the entertainment industry these days, the fact that audiences back then could regard the statutory rape of a young, innocent 16 year old girl by a powerful and amoral man in his thirties to be not only tolerable, but acceptable and even "romantic", makes me feel sad and sick inside. How anyone could consider this a "family movie" is beyond belief to me.

Chase_Witherspoon Johnson plays fictitious figure skater Alexis Winston, whose widower father (Skerritt) reluctantly allows master coach (Warren) to take her to the big city for a chance to demonstrate her unique talents and compete in the national titles. She leaves behind her boyfriend (Benson) and local skate rink owner (Dewhurst) and is soon consumed by the trappings of high profile sport and fair-weather friends, wooed by a much older newscaster (Huffman) and forced to endure the spotlight of TV in addition to her rigorous training schedule. But just as she's about to reach the heights of success, she's felled prematurely in a shocking accident that robs her of her sight, and it seems, her dream. With the aid of family and 'true' friends, she attempts an audacious comeback.Set to the backdrop of Melissa Manchester's commanding theme song ("Looking Through the Eyes of Love"), "Ice Castles" is the "Flashdance" of the late seventies, with generally strong performances by the cast. Johnson's maturity belies her age, underrated Jennifer Warren delivers a strong performance as the perfectionist coach, while Dewhurst has a couple of intense scenes to display her range, notably where she confronts Johnson in the attic where she's apparently given up on life in favour of a shallow existence of self pity.Typical feel-good movie is elevated by Dewhurst's performance and the Oscar-nominated theme song (the rest of the soundtrack isn't bad either, e.g. "Midnight Blue" and "A Fifth of Beethoven"), but probably attempts to milk too much sympathy as films of this ilk often do from the audience. One of those films you probably wouldn't seek to watch, but nevertheless find yourself engaged to the end in spite of yourself.

moonspinner55 Director Donald Wrye also penned this tearjerker concoction, a refugee from "The Other Side of the Mountain" school of script-writing. One of those "you can overcome any obstacle" dramas wherein a pretty (though not plucky) heroine finds success and love despite an incredible hardship. Real-life figure skater Lynn-Holly Johnson plays a recently blinded young woman who must be coaxed back onto the ice by boyfriend Robby Benson (who berates her like a cruel taskmaster when she initially balks). Baleful, heavy-handed treatment of the kind of material television was churning out on a regular basis in 1978 (and still today!). Johnson is attractive, and the theme song "Looking Through the Eyes of Love" is memorable, but otherwise "Ice Castles" is about as emotionally involving as a bad night at the Ice Capades. *1/2 from ****

dav07dan02 Director: Donald Wrye, Script: Donald Wrye, and Gary Baim, Cast: Robby Benson, Colleen Dewhurst, Tom Skerritt, Lynn Holly-JohnsonThis is the movie every girl who was in Junior high in the late seventies will vividly remember! The story about a young skater from a small Iowa town trying to make the Olympics against all odds and the tragedy that befalls her. Although a little sappy and often clichéd, this move is still enjoyable to watch. I know it is one of my wife's favorites and she wasn't even born yet when this film came out! Colleen Dewhurst owns a small bowling alley with a skating rink in it and she coached young Lexie. Tom Skerritt played Lexie's father. They wore both excellent in their respective parts. In my opinion, they are both very underrated actors. Robby Benson did fine as Lexie's boyfriend. He has been in many movies but I am not familiar with much of his work. As for Lynn Holly-Johnson, well she certainly has talent. She is a real skater and her looks and skating ability worked for this movie. She does get a little whiny though. In the film she did the following year, The Watcher in the Woods, one can see her limitations as an actress. I see her more as a skater than an actress. However, I have not seen her in any of her later movies.I have been to the Waverly, Cedar Falls area in Iowa where this movie was filmed and it is a beautiful area. It made a great setting for this film. I especially liked the winter scenes. This movie also had a very good musical score by Marvin Hamlisch. Of course, we all remember the theme song written by Hamlish and Carol Bayer-Sager and sung by Melissa Manchester. Donald Wrye has done many made for T.V. movies. I remember a movie done by him called Born Innocent which starred Linda Blair. Her follow up film to The Exorcist. This was a very depressing and downbeat movie. One last comment I would like to make about Ice Castles is the film's content. It would have made a great family movie but their was too much swearing and the content of the relationships would not make this film appropriate for small children. I thought I might add this because this is a film young girls would like. Evidently, Lynn Holly-Johnson was asked to do a nude scene but she refused. To bad---She was kind of cute!