VIDEO ARCHIVES NOTES: This movie was discussed on the November 26, 2024 episode of the Video Archives podcast. 

Gilbert Cates is mostly known for producing the Academy Awards, but he also made several movies. Written by Garry Michael White and Fred Weintraub from a story by Paul Heller, this was novelized by Danielle Steel.

Rich college student Michael Hillyard (Stephen Collins) and much poorer Nancy McAllister (Kathleen Quinlan) are in love and leave a piece of costume jewelry under a rock, making a promise that they will always be in love as long as it remains undisturbed.

Michael tells his mother Marion (Beatrice Straight), who as you can imagine is upset. He decides to elope, taking along his friend Ben Avery (Michael O’Hare) to be the best man. However, all three are in a car crash, with Michael being put into a coma and Nancy’s face being destroyed. His mother makes her a deal, that she will pay for her surgery from Dr. Peter Gregson (Laurence Luckinbill) as long as she never gets in touch with her son again. She thinks Michael will find her, but his mother tells him that she is dead.

Nancy changes her name to Marie Adamson and becomes a photographer while Michael designs skyscrapers. They end up meeting and he doesn’t recognize her, yet feels drawn to her. But she’s dating the doctor who fixed her face! The drama! This is a soap opera, a throwback to women’s pictures and totally ridiculous yet it isn’t boring.

Video Archives has picked this movie and Ice Castles, both movies that had theme songs by Melissa Manchester that were nominated for an Academy Award in the same year.