Electric Dreams

"Meet Edgar. He'll make you sing, make you dance, make you laugh, make you cry, make you jealous, make you nuts."

1984 1h 36m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 220

RomanceScience FictionComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Miles Harding buys a state-of-the-art computer that starts expressing conscious thought and emotion after an interaction with spilled champagne. Things begin getting out of hand when both Miles and Edgar, the computer, fall in love with beautiful neighbor Madeline Robistat.

“Meet Edgar. He'll make you sing, make you dance, make you laugh, make you cry, make you jealous, make you nuts.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Shout! Factory Amazon ChannelSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

YouTubeRent

Fandango At HomeRent

Amazon VideoBuy

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Lenny Von Dohlen
Miles Harding
Virginia Madsen
Madeline Robistat
Maxwell Caulfield
Bill
Bud Cort
Edgar (voice)
Don Fellows
Mr. Ryley
Alan Polonsky
Frank
Wendy Miller
Computer Clerk
Harry Rabinowitz
Conductor

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Steve Barron
Writers: Rusty Lemorande
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 40% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

42 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Steve Barron, shot by Alex Thomson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Giorgio Moroder. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter Honess shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Lenny Von Dohlen and Virginia Madsen and Maxwell Caulfield carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Meet Edgar. He'll make you sing, make you dance, make you laugh, make you cry, make you jealous, make you nuts.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Steve Barron directs. Alex Thomson behind the camera. Giorgio Moroder scores. Peter Honess cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 40% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
242 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Directed by Steve Barron, shot by Alex Thomson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Giorgio Moroder. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Peter Honess shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Lenny Von Dohlen and Virginia Madsen and Maxwell Caulfield carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Meet Edgar. He'll make you sing, make you dance, make you laugh, make you cry, make you jealous, make you nuts.".
9IMDB entry: tt0087197 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 10 themes, including "artificial intelligence (a.i.)", "computer", "love triangle", "architect".

The technical file

Cinematography: Alex Thomson
Original score: Giorgio Moroder
Editing: Peter Honess
Production design: Richard Macdonald
Makeup / hair: Peter Robb-King
Sound: Jay M. Harding
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.78:1 (16:9)
Status: Released
Budget: $5,500,000
Box office: $2,193,612
Return: 40% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Electric Dreams (1984)

Also by

Steve Barron

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2025-12-07
★ 6/10
Romcom featuring Virginia Madsen and a sentient home computer Shot in the fall of 1983, this is worthwhile to see Madsen in her winsome youth and to get a glimpse of what early home computers were like a dozen years before they were a common electronic appliance. Lenny von Dohlen works well as the Clark Kent-like protagonist. You could say this is the fun, cute version of “Demon Seed” from seven years earlier. Of course, the idea of a sentient computer taking over the situation can be traced back to “2001: A Space Odyssey.” It runs 1h 36m and was shot in San Francisco, except for Miles and Madeline's apartment scenes, which were shot in the studio in Twickenham, just southwest of London. GRADE: B-

Production companies