Heavenly Bodies – Fun City Editions (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Canada, 1984
Director: Lawrence Dane
Writers: Lawrence Dane, Ron Base
Cast: Cynthia Dale, Richard Rebiere, Walter George Alton, Laura Henry, Stuart Stone, Patricia Idlette, Pam Henry, Linda Sorensen, Cec Linder, Micki Moore

Release Date: November 12th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 89 Minutes 35 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"Music, workouts, melodrama, and of course lots of heavenly bodies mix, mesh, bump and grind in this contemporary story of not giving in and winning on your own terms. In the middle of it all is pretty Samantha (Cynthia Dale, My Bloody Valentine), a young mother and secretary who dreams of running her own workout club. She's on her way to getting her wish, and with it a second chance at love, when it all starts to go bad because she refuses to buckle under a wealthy competitor. When he tries to buy her out and destroy her growing business, she in turn fights back by publicly challenging him to a televised marathon workout, winner take all! And so, to the tune of driving dance music the battle of the bods is on. Samantha's happiness, success and dreams are all riding on her ability to withstand a grueling physical contest that also tests her determination, emotional strength and capacity for love." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "worldwide Blu-ray debut from a new 4K restoration of its original 35mm internegative."

Heavenly Bodies comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37 GB

Feature: 25.9 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are solid, compression is very good, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD stereo mix in English with removable English SDH subtitles. The audio is in great shape; it sounds clean, balanced, and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery with music from the film playing in the background (posters/home video art/stills/Japanese press book), an interview with actress Cynthia Dale titled A Little Bit of Gold Dust (14 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Millie De Chirico and Jeffrey Mixed, reversible cover art with legacy artwork, and a 16-page booklet (first pressing only) with The Fun City Channel Guide, an essay titled Technicolor Torontopia written by Nathan Holmes, an essay titled Heavenly Bodies written by Margaret Barton-Fumo, and cast & crew information.

Summary:

A single mother with two friends opens a workout club named Heavenly Bodies. From there, they quickly establish Heavenly Bodies, a formidable business that puts them in the crosshairs of a rival workout establishment. Everything comes to a head when the rival business buys their leases, forcing them to shut down. Not ready to throw in the towel, the owner of Heavenly Bodies challenges their rivals to a winner-take-all competition.

While watching Heavenly Bodies, a film like Flashdance instantly springs to mind. There is even a moment where the protagonist stands in front of a Flashdance poster. Though both films have similarities, calling Heavenly Bodies a Flashdance knockoff would be grossly unfair. That said, Heavenly Bodies has a strong story, making it stand out from other 1980s dance-themed films.

An engaging story driven by its protagonist makes Heavenly Bodies work so well. Cynthia Dale (My Bloody Valentine) portrays the protagonist, a woman named Samantha. Her performance is exceptional not only when it comes to dramatic moments but also when it comes to the dance sequences. That said, her performance is so phenomenal that it overshadows the rest of the cast.

Besides being part of a 1980s dance-themed film cycle, Heavenly Bodies also has some elements in common with Rocky. Both films are about underdogs, and they both have protagonists whose determination helps them overcome physical pain. When it comes to the dance sequences, they are extremely well executed and intense. And though there are likely moments where a stunt double stands in for Cynthia Dale, the way that Heavenly Bodies edits the dancing makes it look like she does most of the heavy lifting.

Everything about Heavenly Bodies screams 1980s, notably the soundtrack and the look of the film. Its fast-moving narrative is sure to get your heart pumping and the blood flowing. And though the dancing side of the protagonist's life is the main focal point, the narrative does a superb job balancing career ambitions with personal life. Ultimately, Heavenly Bodies is one of the better films to emerge from the 1980s dance theme film cycle.

Heavenly Bodies gets an excellent release from Fun City Editions that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer