To be honest the only reason to watch Ice Castles is to enjoy Lynn-Holly Johnson's skating. Although her routines not maybe the most technically difficult. She certainly knows how to present them. She shines through as a real person, who knows what she is doing.
The other, established, actors are totally useless, Tom Skerritt, mumbles a lot, Colleen Dewhurst shouts a lot and Robby Benson's character is a complete hypocrite. Jennifer Warren & David Huffman play characters worthy of ridicule in a Jackie Collins book.
However the outdoor location scenes on the frozen lake are nice as is the score by Marvin Hamlisch, best known for his work on 'The Spy Who Loved Me.'
One particular point of interest for me was how they would treat Lynn's character's blindness. Having coached a blind swimmer and talked at length about their problem, I can vouch for the 'Looking through frosted glass' effect. N.B. this is not the only type of blindness.
As is mentioned in the trivia section Lynn was supposed to be the skating double of another actress? That didn't work so Lynn was made the lead and then pressured into doing the other girl's nude scene which she refused, repeatedly. However no one seems to know who this other girl was, but it perhaps explains the amount of cursing that other reviewers keep referring to. QED - the film was not meant to be a family weepy, but a harder exposé.
And, maybe, an excuse for the film industry to exploit a talented 19 year old athlete. Look who is the monkey now.
The other, established, actors are totally useless, Tom Skerritt, mumbles a lot, Colleen Dewhurst shouts a lot and Robby Benson's character is a complete hypocrite. Jennifer Warren & David Huffman play characters worthy of ridicule in a Jackie Collins book.
However the outdoor location scenes on the frozen lake are nice as is the score by Marvin Hamlisch, best known for his work on 'The Spy Who Loved Me.'
One particular point of interest for me was how they would treat Lynn's character's blindness. Having coached a blind swimmer and talked at length about their problem, I can vouch for the 'Looking through frosted glass' effect. N.B. this is not the only type of blindness.
As is mentioned in the trivia section Lynn was supposed to be the skating double of another actress? That didn't work so Lynn was made the lead and then pressured into doing the other girl's nude scene which she refused, repeatedly. However no one seems to know who this other girl was, but it perhaps explains the amount of cursing that other reviewers keep referring to. QED - the film was not meant to be a family weepy, but a harder exposé.
And, maybe, an excuse for the film industry to exploit a talented 19 year old athlete. Look who is the monkey now.