Castillos de hielo

A quite sweet and well made romance sports movie from 1978. The performances in it are all pretty good, the Skating sequences are very well shot and have a beauty and energy all to themselves as well as helping to drive the narrative forward. The winter scenery is another positive to the movie, it's very well photographed. The key points from the film for me was the question of can you have it all, as well as about the overcoming of barriers and setbacks in your life. Despite coming out in 1978 the film feels fairly timeless, like it could have been pretty much made today, avoiding many features of the 70s fashion and hair which now so date a movie.

All in all very impressive.

Too often, Ice Castles gets passed off as a "chick flick" or a "popcorn movie", not worthy of serious cinema buffs. I'm glad to see that there are others out there who disagree with that, but it seems we're still in the minority.

I first saw this film at the age of seven, without any prior knowledge of what it was about, or its themes. And this, I'm convinced, is the way it should be-the hour of buildup prior to the infamous "accident" scene shouldn't seem like a buildup to a plot point, but as a natural progression of events. But because the marketing campaign of the film gave away this plot point in the trailers, people went in waiting for the accident to happen, not seeing or hearing or feeling what was going on on the screen.

It's a shame that Lynn-Holly Johnson didn't have much of a career after this film, other than the one James Bond movie and the also-underrated The Watcher in the Woods, because she makes a strong impression here with a difficult part. But even so, she is overshadowed by the truly incredible supporting performances, especially Colleen Dewhurst and Tom Skerritt. Dewhurst manages to disappear from the movie for a half-hour, and then when she resurfaces, she gets the most emotionally shattering scene in the picture, and runs with it. Skerritt plays a conflicted, troubled man who wants his daughter to be happy, but at the same time is haunted by the memory of her mother. (When you know his other movies, you know what a terrific range he has!)

A lot of attention has been drawn, especially from people looking for a "family" viewing experience, to the large amount of swearing the characters do. But it makes sense when you accept that these are blue collar, farm community folks, so it almost would seem unnatural for them *not* to swear. I, personally, found it much more problematic that Johnson's character-who is sixteen at the start of the film-seems to have an unspoken romantic relationship with an older man, the TV reporter. This aspect of the story is so underplayed that one might not notice it on a first viewing, but it troubles me to look at it now, and in a way it spoils an otherwise stellar film.

The ending that just about every review mentions is marvelous, not only in the performances, but in the unspoken talents involved too-the camerawork and editing. It has just the perfect amount of silence and pauses to milk the material for all it's worth. The editing, which in most cases is an invisible task when watching a final cut, is superlative throughout the film, but you only notice it when you start to pick it apart, as I have. In many places, if shots had gone on for two frames more or less than they do, the effect would be gone. The music is also wonderful, and the editing moves to it perfectly. (The remake, made by the same director, was an interesting exercise because it wasn't half as impactful because they were trying for a faster pace-just goes to show you how important editing is in the filmmaking process).

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.

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.

I loved this movie when it came out and I still love it all these years later-flaws and all.

First of all, the book was so great in it's depiction of competetive skating and the machinations that sometimes go on behind the scenes. That said, the movie was actually a pretty good adaptation.

But, probably the main reason I loved this movie was because I was there when they filmed many of the Broadmoor World Arena scenes. It was my home rink, and it's a blast to see old coaches, old skating friends. And to see the World Arena, which sadly was torn down a few years back. A sad day...

I remember that practice times were a mess because of the shooting schedule-some of us had our practice time in between scenes-lights and all! I remember watching the scene where the "French" skater falls in the middle of a show-and watching the skater playing that part throwing herself onto the ice, over and over again. Ouch! I remember Lynn-Holly seeming a bit nervous; Robby Benson as a bit shy, but very nice (and patient-when introduced, I couldn't remember my name!); David Huffman was very cute and Jennifer Warren was friendly, charming, modest and gorgeous! She didn't know how to skate very well and came out with some of us to learn! She became something of a rink rat while there!

Having been there for some of that, it changes one's perspective a bit, but still, I feel myself drawn into the story-and I cry at the end just like everyone else.