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. An infectious, effervescent and escapist dramedy, with a non-stop, high-energy soundtrack, it’s no wonder that HEAVENLY BODIES has become a beloved cable, home videocassette and midnight movie cult classic. Out-of-print for over 30 years, the film now makes its worldwide Blu-ray debut from a new 4K restoration of its original 35mm internegative.
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Video Quality
Heavenly Bodies debuts on Blu-Ray courtesy of Fun City Editions with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio that is derived from a 4K restoration of the 35mm Internegative. The colors are impeccably saturated with deep, natural hues coming through with first-rate accuracy. There are plenty of bright costumes and flourishes in the production design and lighting to make this a visually sumptuous experience. Black levels hold up favorably with no moments of crush or banding spotted. Highlights likewise never struggle with blooming.
The presentation maintains the natural textured film properties free of ugly DNR or other digital nuisances. Everything appears to be faithful to its intended appearance yet refined to avoid any clumpy grain frozen in the background. Skin tones are natural and consistent across the ensemble with distinct features such as pores, perspiration, and makeup easily observable in closeup. Image stability and clarity are grand with textures of the clothing and set design showcasing resolutely. Ostensibly all instances of print damage such as nicks and scratches have been eradicated. Fun City Editions always finds hidden gems to give A+ treatment.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that executes every nuance of this narrative with an assured hand. We did not experience any sonic stumbles or signs of age-related wear such as hissing, sibilance, or distortion. The star of this show is the music, and this release includes the complete theatrical soundtrack emanating with the utmost strength to fill the room. Dialogue plays well with this with every exchange coming through clearly in all environmental circumstances. This track delivers a more-than-satisfying experience on all fronts for this lively feature. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Film Historians Millie De Chirico and Jeffrey Mixed provide an entertaining and informative commentary track in which they discuss the legacy of the feature, the scarcity of the feature, the careers of the talent involved, the influence of Flashdance, the evolution of the screenplay, and much more that is worthwhile.
- A Little Bit Of Gold Dust – Video Interview with Cynthia Dale: A new 14-minute interview with the actress in which she talks about her background in performing, getting the role in Heavenly Bodies, working with her real-life dance teacher on the film, her feelings about her character, the rushed nature of the production, comparisons to Flashdance, and more.
- Image Gallery: A three-minute slideshow of stills and marketing materials.
- Booklet: There is a bound booklet included featuring the essays “Technicolor Torontopia” by critic Nathan Holmes and “Heavenly Bodies” by Margaret Barton-Fumo that explores the production, the themes, the reception of the film, the music, and much more that is enlightening.
Final Thoughts
Heavenly Bodies is an absolute blast that will completely satisfy your desire for cheesy ‘80s goodness if you can get on its wavelength. You have beautiful performers dance-exercising their way into your heart with every hip gyration feeling like a matter of life and death. This has no real basis in reality, and we would have it no other way. Cynthia Dale has enough charisma to keep you glued to the screen even with numerous bland white men failing to conjure a spark. Dale lights up the screen and radiates joy through the high-stakes finale. Fun City Editions has delivered a Blu-Ray featuring a top-tier A/V presentation and a nice assortment of special features. We could not ask for more. Recommended
Heavenly Bodies will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 12, 2024.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Fun City Editions has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
The “bland white men” comment seems out of place and rude when it comes to this review. Imagine if I said that of an asian, black or hispanic cast when it came to critiquing a movie.