Electric Dreams ** (1984, Lenny Von Dohlen, Virginia Madsen, Maxwell Caulfield) – Classic Movie Review 12,226

Director Steve Barron’s 1984 science fiction romantic comedy musical film Electric Dreams stars Lenny Von Dohlen, Virginia Madsen, and Maxwell Caulfield. The movie features music from Giorgio Moroder, Culture Club, Jeff Lynne (Electric Light Orchestra), and Heaven 17.

It is Steve Barron’s feature film directorial debut after making  more than 100 music videos. Written by Rusty Lemorande, it follows a love triangle between a man, a woman and a personal computer in San Francisco.

Lenny Von Dohlen stars as shy architect Miles Harding who employs his computer Edgar (Bud Cort’s voice) to woo his music-fan of a neighbour by playing music through the wall. But the computer wants the woman for himself.

The clever premise proves hard to develop into a full-length rock-video feature but it does provide a considerable modicum of time-capsule entertainment thanks partly to Giorgio Moroder’s electric music score (along with the hit title track, ‘Together in Electric Dreams’) and an iconic soundtrack featuring music from prominent popular musicians of the time.

The credits dedicate it to the memory of UNIVAC I (Universal Automatic Computer I), the first general-purpose electronic digital computer design for business application produced in the US.

Barron took the script to UK Virgin Films, who agreed to finance in four days. Two months later, filming began in San Francisco. Studio work was done in London at Twickenham Studios. The film was presold to MGM.

Virginia Madsen recalled: ‘It was such a lovefest that I now believe that every movie should be like that. I had a mad, crazy crush on Lenny Von Dohlen. We were head-over-heels for each other. Nothing happened, and I admit it: I wanted it to happen. He’s still one of my best friends.’

Barron said: ‘The fact that there’s so much music has to do with the success of Flashdance. This film isn’t Flashdance 2. Flashdance worked because of the dancing. It didn’t have a story. Electric Dreams does.”

Barron recalled: ‘Electric Dreams was definitely an attempt to try and weave the early 1980s music video genre into a movie.’

It runs 112 minutes (theatrical) or 92 minutes (video).

RIP Lenny Von Dohlen (December 22, 1958 – July 5, 2022). He appeared in many stage, TV and film roles, but is probably best known as architect Miles Harding in Electric Dreams, and as the orchid-loving agoraphobe Harold Smith in the TV series Twin Peaks and spinoff film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

He is survived by his daughter and his partner, playwright James Still.

Maxwell Caulfield plays Bill.

The cast are Lenny Von Dohlen as Miles (Moles) Harding, Virginia Madsen as Madeline Robistat, Maxwell Caulfield as Bill, Bud Cort as Voice of Edgar, Don Fellows as Mr. Ryley, Miriam Margolyes as Ticket girl, Giorgio Moroder as Record producer, and Koo Stark as Girl in Soap Opera.

Boy George from Culture Club visited the set and, as a fan of Harold and Maude, got Cort’s autograph.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,226

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