The Canadian answer toFlashdanceis coming to home video for the first time in decades. As revealed on social media by Letterboxd,Heavenly Bodies, the 1984 film that brought jazzercise to the streets of Toronto, will be released on Blu-ray for the first time ever by boutique physical media distributor Fun City Editions. The film will also screen this Saturday, April 20, at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood; the screening will be hosted by formerTCM UndergroundcuratorMillie De Chirico.
Fun City Edition’s Blu-ray release ofHeavenly Bodieswill feature an all-new transfer restored from the 35mm internegative, and will also include the film’s biggest selling point: its incredible 1980s soundtrack, which includes tracks fromThe Tubes,Sparks,The Pointer Sisters’Bonnie Pointer,Gary Wright, andCheryl Lynn. The film was written and directed by character actorLawrence Dane(Bride of Chucky), in his only directorial credit. It was produced by legendary Canadian producerRobert Lantos, whose credits includeJoshua Then and Now,Johnny Mnemonic, and a number of films byDavid CronenbergandAtom Egoyan.
What’s the Plot of ‘Heavenly Bodies’?
Heavenly BodiesstarsCynthia Dale(Moonstruck) as secretary and single mom Samantha Blair, who has a dream to open up her own aerobics studio. She and two friends lease an abandoned warehouse and transform it into the health club Heavenly Bodies. The club soon becomes a massive success, and they even get hired to train the players of a local football team; Samantha falls in love with Steve (Richard Rebiere,Happy Birthday To Me), one of the players. Unfortunately, trouble looms in the form of Jack Pearson (Walter George Alton, the star ofMystery Science Theater 3000favePumaman), the owner of the biggest health club in town, who eliminates the competition by buying the warehouse and terminating Heavenly Bodies' lease. The only way Samantha can save her livelihood is by challenging Pearson’s club to a workout marathon for the ownership of the warehouse! It was the ’80s, folks.
After starring in so-called “Canuxploitation” films likeHeavenly Bodiesand the classic Canadian slasherMy Bloody Valentine, Dale became known to Canadians nationwide as lawyer Olivia Novak on the successful CBC dramaStreet Legal. She continues to be a familiar presence on Canadian TV, recently guest-starring on the long-running Victorian-era detective seriesMurdoch Mysteries.
Fun City Editions has not yet set a release date for their Blu-ray release ofHeavenly Bodies. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
