Heavenly Bodies often gets scoffed as a Flashdance wannabe film. It doesn’t help that one distributor released it as “Scratch Dance.” While both films feature women in legwarmers, the stories have nothing in common. Flashdance is a fantasy film. We’re supposed to believe that Jennifer Beals is a welder at a steel mill by day and a stripper at night? And the stripclub has the ability to put on massive theatrical routines with props and lighting. Beals’ ultimate goal is to become a professional ballerina by being accepted at a prestigious art conservatory in Pittsburgh. I went to NC School of the Arts. I learned from the dance students that if you’re over 18 in a ballet program, you’re learning how to teach ballet. Your chance to be part of a dance company has come to a close. Heavenly Bodies is based in reality and about the dirty world of aerobics.
Samantha Blair (My Bloody Valentine‘s Cynthia Dale) is a secretary with a big dream in her heart and a dance step in her toes. She’s been saving up to start her own aerobics workout club. She finds a space at an old warehouse and gets help fixing the place up. Heavenly Bodies looks nice with the old wood floors and the huge windows. There’s a lot of women who’d rather come to her place than the cold Jack Pearson’s Sporting Life workout gyms run by Jack Pearson (Walter George Alton). She gets a lot of attention for her gym when she gets picked to host a morning workout show on the local TV station. What she doesn’t realize is the woman she beat out for the gig is the girlfriend of Jack Pearson. This means war. Jack Pearson’s Sporting Life does not want the upstart Heavenly Bodies to destroy his empire. He’s willing to do anything to knock Samantha out of her legwarmers.
Heavenly Bodies works better for me because this is real. I can believe that Samantha would start her own aerobics gym in a rather grubby part of Toronto. I remember when they would have workout shows on TV channels. The best from this time was on Showtime featuring women doing workouts that were rather spicy. Making Heavenly Bodies even more real is that a large gym would definitely want to destroy a small gym that is viewed as a threat. Even though Heavenly Bodies has this sense of reality, it doesn’t weigh down the fun by getting too heavy. There are emotional scenes in Samantha’s life, but she works out her stress at the gym. While the ending could seem a touch farfetched, it fits with the tone of the film. If you want a fun ’80s night involving leg warmers, Heavenly Bodies will give you a better feeling than Flashdance.
The soundtrack features Bonnie Pointer, The Tubes, Gary Wright, Boy Brigade, Cheryl Lynn and Dwight Twilley. During the workout routines, you might want to crank up the volume and match Samantha’s motions. Cynthia Dale is such a ball of plucky energy on the screen when she’s in her spandex. You’ll never root as hard for a character to keep up their aerobics routine than Samantha. Like a good workout, Heavenly Bodies is a sweaty rush of endorphin charged bliss.
The Video is 1.85 anamorphic. The transfer is a 4K restoration of its original 35mm internegative. You’ll be able to feel that fabric during the workout routines. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo. You’ll feel the sound bouncing off the aerobics studio walls into your house. The movie is subtitled.
Audio Commentary with Millie De Chirico and Jeffrey Mixed are pumped up about the film. De Chirico asks how did you discover the film the first time. The first time I saw Heavenly Bodies was on Turner Classic Movies’ TCM Underground series which De Chirico programed at the time. I do miss TCM Underground and wish the channel would bring it back along with De Chirico. Jeffrey Mixed saw it first at the New Beverly. They love the leotards and leg warmers.
A Little Bit of Gold Dust (14:02) is an interview with Cynthia Dale. She started as a kid doing musical theater and TV. She spent more time on sets than school. This was the first time she was carrying the film. Her ex-brother-in-law was producer Robert Lantos so she auditioned. It wasn’t a huge, big budget film and made in 18 days. They didn’t need a Hollywood star shipped up to Toronto. She had a hometown advantage in the role. The choreography was created by her regular dance teacher. Other dancers at the studio were pals. She had to be a one take wonder because they didn’t have time for a second take. She talks about the Flashdance resemblance.
Image Gallery (3:07) includes the poster, lobby cards, press photos and the Japanese movie booklet.
Booklet has essays by Nathan Holmes and Margaret Barton-Fumo. The exciting thing is the booklet has been laid out to be The FC Channel Guide like the monthly guide to a premium channel in the ’80s. They have the schedule which includes “Charles Champlin Taks To Karen Black.” I wish I could subscribe to FC Channel like Joe Spinell.
Fun City Editions present Heavenly Bodies: Special Edition. Directed by Lawrence Dane. Screenplay by Lawrence Dane & Ron Base. Starring Cynthia Dale, Richard Rebiere, Walter George Alton, Laura Henry, Stuart Stone, Patricia Idlette, Pam Henry & Linda Sorenson. Running Time: 90 minutes. Rating: Rated R. Release Date: November 12, 2024.
