by journalist Stephen MacLean, who had grown up in a Melbourne pub where his mother used to work; he also worked as a child actor. He pitched the idea of making an Australian musical to David Elfick who commissioned a script. The first choice for director was Graeme Clifford who pulled out to make Frances (1982). Gillian Armstrong became involved, attracted by the idea of making a film so different from her first, My Brilliant Career. The budget was originally $250,000 but Elfick says it went over by a couple of hundred thousand dollars. Lead actors Jo Kennedy and Ross O'Donovan were cast despite their limited experience because of their chemistry during auditions. Production designer Brian Thomson is best known for his work on The Rocky Horror Picture Show and its theatre production as well as its follow-up feature film Shock Treatment. Music The film spawned a soundtrack album, which includes the hit single "Body and Soul" sung by Jo Kennedy. The song was written by Tim Finn of Split Enz and had originally appeared as 'She Got Body She Got Soul' on the band's 1979 album Frenzy. Jo Kennedy's version reached number 5 on the Australian charts in May 1982. The film also featured music by The Swingers (whose leader Phil Judd had previously been a member of Split Enz) and who perform on screen at key moments. The other members were Wayne Stevens (aka Bones Hillman, credited as Dwayne Hillman), and Ian Gilroy. The closing credits include the name Phil Judd as sound recordist. It is not clear whether this refers to the musician or to Phil Judd, an audio engineer who specializes in movie soundtracks. Charts Reception Box office The film was classified NRC (Not Recommended for Children) which limited promotion options. Clips from the film were forbidden to be shown on the TV show Countdown despite the fact that clips from Hollywood NRC-rated films screened on the show. Starstruck grossed $1,541,000 at the box office in Australia, which is equivalent to $4,484,310 in 2009 dollars, which is equivalent to $5,613,523.05 in 2020 dollars. Awards Starstruck received three AFI Award nominations, for Best Achievement in Costume Design, Best Achievement in Production Design and Best Original Music Score. Home media The film was released on VHS and on DVD in 2005, but has long been out of print in Australia. In 2015 the Australian National Film and Sound