Ice Castles (1978) Tolerable triumph-over-tragedy schmaltz.

Theme Song:

“Through The Eyes Of Love (Theme From Ice Castles)” by Melissa Manchester and Marvin Hamlisch is a sappy ballad and fits right in here.

Interesting Dated References: Large groups of people within one dedicated social circle being totally okay with a grown-ass 35-plus-year-old man courting a 16-year-old girl. Like he’s just straight-up kissing her in public and at social functions, and no one cares

Social Context: Definitely post-The Other Side of The Mountain triumph-over-adversity via professional sports spectacle. Credit goes to the filmmakers for casting an unknown ice skater (Lynn-Holly Johnson) in the lead role. Even given the somewhat saccharine plot, things are emotionally engaging enough for Ice Castles to have had a lasting legacy, including the same director doing a remake in 2010, utilizing an unknown ice skater in a lead role once again.

Summary: Alexis (Johnson) is a small-town ice skater with big dreams. At 16 years old, she’s past prime for the industry, but that doesn’t stop her coach from trying to get her to regionals and in front of someone from a national training program.

There’s some real salt-of-the-earth shit going on here with Alexis’ dad Marcus (Tom Skerritt, Fighting Back), boyfriend Nick (Robby Benson), and coach Beulah (Colleen Dewhurst). Blue-collar bars and locales help flesh this out, resulting in the movie’s first half feeling very authentic and lived-in.

But then Alexis goes to some type of national training facility and boarding house for ice skaters and instantly falls out with the other skaters and almost everyone in her life. Thankfully, a middle-aged reporter, Brian (David Huffman) is there to sweep Alexis off her feet and romance her in front of everyone.

Caving to all the pressure, she gets hammered at a banquet. She proceeds to drunkenly ice skate, crashing into some patio furniture that was totally visible and clearly in the way, even to all of the onlookers who watched it happen.

The crash is so bad that Alexis is blinded and returns home to reconcile with her dad, boyfriend, and her old coach. Then, because it’s a triumph-over-adversity movie, she learns to skate blind with the help of her support network and goes on to compete and win. Yes, I passed over the whole triumphant-recovery aspect of the movie that quickly because it’s absurd.

Worth Mentioning:
– Some locations filmed in and around Minneapolis/St. Paul, including Williams Arena and MET Center.

– Ice Castles was filmed from March through April 1978, which means Skerrit went right from filming this to Alien, which started filming in June of 1978.

– Most of the “back home” scenes are filmed in a combination bar/bowling alley/ice rink that’s amazing. Not the modern mall “entertainment complex” type, but more so a rundown building with a bunch of additions and pickled eggs on the counter.

Poster and Box Art: It’s a good poster and has a nice type treatment and features Benson in some fresh Puma’s.