Tuesday, August 30, 2011

XANADU 1980

8/8/80. These cryptic numbers jumped out at me from posters, billboards, and newspaper ads all over Los Angeles during the summer of 1980. Was it apocalypse? Armageddon? Well, yes and no. The numbers represented August 8th,1980: the theatrical release date of the roller disco movie musical, Xanadu 
The tale of a legwarmer wearin', sundress rockin', rollerskatin', glow-in-the-dark muse (the heavenly Olivia Newton-John) who comes to earth to inspire a disillusioned artist (the uncomfortable-appearing Michael Beck) and retired bandleader (the ever-charming Gene Kelly) realize their dream of opening a roller rink/disco/nightclub; Xanadu is like nothing I've seen before or since. It's a law unto itself.  
The cast of Xanadu recreates the reaction of the nation's film critics in the summer of 1980

Widely panned on its release, the detonated bomb that was Xanadu had a catastrophic effect on the screen careers of its promising young stars, temporarily decimated the musical legitimacy of its composers, and single-handedly lay waste the roller-disco fad; all in one fell swoop. Yet, like a phoenix rising from the ashes (or a zombie that refuses to die even after you've fired a bullet into its brain), Xanadu has gone on to become a genuine camp/cult classic and is perhaps the most beloved bad film since Valley of the Dolls (which, by the law of averages, really should have been turned into a stage musical by now).
Olivia Newton-John is Kira
Gene Kelly is Danny McGuire
Michael Beck is Sonny Malone

Given the lengths to which the film's participants and Universal Studios have gone to distance themselves from it over the years, many would be surprised to learn that back in 1980, Xanadu was released with the kind of massive advertising blitzkrieg usually only afforded sci-fi & action films. Ostensively poised as the next Grease (a film I absolutely loathed that surprised everybody by becoming the largest grossing film of 1978), Xanadu was almost obnoxiously ubiquitous.  

Not that I'm complaining, mind you.
On the contrary, the glut of TV specials, radio promos, magazine articles, comic books, merchandising tie-ins, and cross-promotions mirrored my own excitement when I learned that my favorite rock group of all time (The Electric Light Orchestra—the preferred band of all the stoners at my high school) would actually be collaborating with Little Miss "Have You Never Been Mellow", Olivia Newton-John (arguably the most white-bread singer on the charts next to Debbie Boone).

This was before the days of pop stars changing their images with each new album release, so the prospect of the new-and-improved, 1979 model ONJ of "Totally Hot" (the terrific album that prompted a music critic to cite: "The tight pants Olivia wore at the end of Grease must have gone to her head") cutting loose in an original movie musical scored by a band known for its deliriously theatrical bombast, had me thinking that Xanadu had the potential to be another cinematic mind-blower like Ken Russell's film of The Who's Tommy. To say I was stoked to see Xanadu is a monumental understatement. I was so excited I practically gave myself a nosebleed.
Starry Eyed
One of the things I liked most about Xanadu was its sweetly optimistic vision of the 80s as a multi-generational, cross-cultural utopia where differences are accepted and originality encouraged. Lady Gaga would be proud.

I saw Xanadu on opening night at Mann's Chinese Theater with an audience that apparently hadn't read the reviews telling them that they weren't supposed to be having a good time. The theater was packed and the air was full of the excitement of attending an event. Every musical number was met with thunderous applause, catcalls and whistles greeted various names during the closing credit crawl, and (probably for the first and last time) only the intentional humor got laughs. 
As for me, I had passed through the looking glass somewhere around the time Gene Kelly, age 67, danced on an oversized pinball machine, displaying a beatific smile and the same effortless grace of that young man who made his screen debut in For Me & My Gal (1942).
I don't know what hit me (perhaps I was kissed by a muse myself), but I left the theater that night a different person from the one I was when I went in.


WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS FILM
It's ironic that the dominant design motif in a movie as unwieldy as Xanadu is the sleekly economic elegance of Streamline Moderne. Real and studio-enhanced examples of Streamline Moderne architecture appear throughout Xanadu, as befitting the film's blending of music and design styles from the 40s and 80s.
Both critics and audiences were at a loss to figure out what Sonny Malone's dream of being a serious artist had to do with the opening of a roller-disco nightclub. The script drops the ball in making this clear, but close inspection of the film reveals that Sonny's artistic dreams come imaginatively true in his designs for Xanadu.
The model of the Hollywood Bowl "Muse" fountain in Sonny's apartment...
...becomes a fountain for real-life muse, Kira, to dance in front of in the realized Xanadu of Sonny's dream
One of Sonny's earlier discarded sketches (top) is realized as a modernist Greek column (behind Beck in the photo above) in his final design for Xanadu.
The Streamline Moderne appliances in Sonny's apartment (top) find whimsical expression in Xanadu's metallic chairs (center) and the oversized waffle-iron stage that Ms. Newton-John is perched on above.

PERFORMANCES
Save for Gene Kelly's, there are no performances to speak of in Xanadu, so I'd rather not waste space by bashing the leads. There are plenty of sites online for that. What I would like to address is the matter of onscreen chemistry (or the lack of it) which provides Xanadu with many of its unintentional laughs and much of its homoerotic subtext. First off, not since Can't Stop the Music has a film worked so strenuously to establish the heterosexuality of its hero.

Perhaps the filmmakers thought Kira's neutered sexuality (until the smoking-hot finale where she sings something like 28 songs in succession) and Sonny's penchant for tight jeans and skimpy shorts, made Xanadu even gayer than it already was (not possible really, but let's go with that); so within the film's first half-hour, we have every third line of dialog reminding us that Sonny is a babe-magnet who's irresistible to women. Friends offer to fix him up, women flirt outrageously, and for the really slow-witted, an annoying co-worker (just the sort who would be the first to be killed off were this a horror film...which it kinda is) just comes out and flatly makes a comment to that fact. Later, when Sonny meets up with a buddy whose van he painted, the friend is given insipid post-dubbed dialogue relating to the sexual allure of mini-van murals --Hey, and the chicks love it!"-- calculated to dispel all viewer suspicion that muscular guys in short shorts roller skating along the Venice boardwalk are anything but skirt-chasing, sexually hyperactive heteros. 
Real Men Roller Skate
What throws a monkey-wrench into all this over-emphatic machismo is the fact that Beck and Newton-John exhibit zero screen chemistry, while Beck's scenes with Gene Kelly fairly crackle with magnetism and unintentional sexual innuendo. While everybody was making sure that every female in the cast was hailing Sonny Malone as some kind of roller-skating Super Fly, someone failed to notice that they gave Gene Kelly too many lines that make him sound like a genial sugar-daddy on the make. As Beck and Kelly develop an across-the-generations friendship, Kelly has one line after another where he's comparing business partnerships to marriage or sex. And wouldn't you know it, Michael Beck and Gene Kelly have an easier, more natural screen rapport than Beck has with his fluorescently glowing love interest.
Sonny and Danny, moments before yet another ill-timed interruption from Kira

THE STUFF OF FANTASY
It's no accident that Xanadu's soundtrack album took on a life independent of the failure of the film. The music by John Farrar and Jeff Lynne is some of the best ever composed for a musical. "All Over The World" is a lasting favorite (it always makes me feel happy inside) and the much-anticipated (by me) teaming of ONJ and ELO on the song "Xanadu" makes for one of the best pop singles to come out of the 80s. The unique musical qualities of each artist seem to bring out the best in both. ELO's soaring, overreaching orchestrations have always cried out for a voice as ethereally sensual as Olivia's, and Lynne manages to get her to shed some of the saccharine from her voice to deliver a solidly virtuoso pop performance. Nobody could maneuver the rhythmical twist and turns of this elaborately arranged piece the way Olivia Newton-John does. I think it's the best vocal performance of her career.

THE STUFF OF DREAMS
August 8, 1980, is a date that has more significance for me than the release of a lovably awful musical that nevertheless captured my heart and imagination back when I was a young student filmmaker hoping to break into the movie business.

8/8/80 represents the day I decided I was going to become a dancer.

A revelatory decision made all the more astounding when taking into account that, after studying film for nearly 4 years and being exposed to some of the greatest cinematic works ever created, the motion picture that inspired me to change the course of my life at age 22 was none other than that much-maligned muse of a musical, Xanadu. (This should give hope to producers of flops the world over.)  Maybe it was the music, the choreography, the visual style, or maybe the film's theme about the importance of following your dreams...who knows? It makes me ask myself: is the emotional experience of seeing a "good" film more valid than the emotional experience drawn from seeing a "bad" one, and should it matter so long as they make us feel something? Whatever the reasons, I left the theater that night convinced that there couldn't be a life more blissful or fulfilling than a life spent dancing.
The dancers beckoned, and I said YES!
Briefly summarized, I wound up quitting film school and threw myself into several intense years of dance training. Never looking back, nor regretting the decision, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I have been a professional dancer for over 25 years now and I'm happy to say that it has far exceeded my expectations of what I thought it could bring to my life. I never before believed that dreams could come true like they did in the movies. And like it or not... Xanadu is the film I have to thank for it all. Although I must confess that I wasn't as happy about that fact as I am now. Until about the year 2000, it really wasn't "cool" to say you liked Xanadu. Whenever anyone would ask me about the Xanadu license plates on my car, I would lie and say it was in reference to Citizen Kane. Such disloyalty!

I'm in my 50's now and still dancing. And I only hope that should I be lucky enough to make it to my 67th year, my heart contains even a glimmer of the joy that Gene Kelly's smile radiated in that pinball sequence that still knocks me for a loop after all these years. It's funny.. who'd ever guess that one of the worst films ever made would lead me to my very best life? Worst film ever made? Don't you believe it.
You Have To Believe We Are Magic
*Footnote: To coin the title of another Olivia Newton-John hit, in an odd "Twist of Fate," I was invited to appear and tell my story in the retrospective documentary "Going Back to Xanadu" included as a special feature on the 2008 Xanadu DVD release. Talk about full circle. Me on the DVD of the movie that changed my life, talking about how it changed my life! You can't tell me that a muse didn't have a hand in all this...Magic indeed!
I participated with Don Fields of the Xanadu Preservation Society in the "Xanadu" 40th Anniversary podcast via "Stuck in the '80s."



Copyright © Ken Anderson 2009 - 2013

33 comments:

  1. Hello again Ken,

    Thank you for writing a serious and appreciative review of "Xanandu". It's too easy to just say it was a bad flop like everyone else has.

    When I was a teen I heard the song "Xanadu" playing on the radio and proceeded to buy the cassette (remember those?) of the soundtrack. Ever since then it has been one of my favourite movie soundtracks and I play it now and then. Great pop songs!

    I wanted to see the film when it was released but it seemed to disappear from the cinemas quite quickly, but I got to see it on video and I loved it. I saw it again a few years ago and as a film it doesn't really hold up, but the musucal numbers are fun and the end musical number still gives me chills. Olivia is at her most fabulous there! The screen caps you include really show this.

    I want to love the film as much as much as I love the soundtrack but there are two things which keeps this film from being one of my top favourites: the plot (or lack of) and Michael Beck. (I laughed when you wrote how they tried to make him seem like a babe magnet!)
    Other than that, I can understand why this film has become a camp classic.

    I'll have to see it again soon. I liked what you wrote about how it shines with optimism for the 1980's. I didn't know that there was so much publicity for the film before it was released! It was great to read that this film had such positive impact on your life and that you became a dancer because of it!! Wow.

    I wonder why there wasn't a better script. Is it explained in the documentary in the special edition dvd? I'll have to get it and see you in it! It's great that they asked you to comment about Xanadu!

    I love that you write that Olivia "sings something like 28 songs in succession"! Do you know if some of those songs that weren't on the soundtrack were ever released somewhere else? I love that Olivia tries to be a bit punky in her leopard print miniskirt!

    -Wille

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  2. Hello Wille
    You're right when you say that "Xanadu" as a film just doesn't hold up, that that doesn't mean that it doesn't lay claim to myriad other delights, not all of them mired in camp.
    The huge level of hype attendant its release (especially here in Los Angeles) is at direct odds with most people's memory of it as a flop that quickly disappeared. Xanadu was one of those post-Grease films that thought it could market itself to success.
    The problems with its screenplay could probably be attributed to the route the film took to being made. Conceived as a simple roller boogie movie, when mega star ONJ became attached, the Hollywood machine lurched into action and decisions and rewrites were made to accommodate cast additions(Kelly), departures (Andy Gibb's initial involvement at least indicate that Sonny would have a song or two), and having an eye on being a bigger hit than Grease. (For behind the scene details, I suggest the wonderful "Xanadu Preservation Society" website. Absolutely EVERYTHING you might want to know about this film is there. Click the "info on all things Xanadu" link at the bottom of this post).
    As for the music, I few lot of songs that weren't on the Xanadu soundtrack ( That country western song, the punk song, and her Big Band rendition of You made me love you)wound up appearing on some ONJ music collection at some time but I don't know which one. A fan gave me a disc of these songs and so i have them on my ipod. If you're interested, drop a line to my email and I can send you the mp3s.
    Glad you enjoyed my post, and I'm happier still that you took the time to comment!

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  3. Thank you Ken for all the information! Fascinating to read that Andy Gibb was attached! It would have been so much better with him in it.

    I will check out the site that you mention. I'm glad that Xanandu still has so many fans. I hope new ones discover it! I would love to hear those songs not on the soundtrack in full versions!!!

    -Wille

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  4. Thanks Ken!! Keep Dancin, and every now and then..put in the DVD of this wonderful movie in just for fun. As for me, I'll keep spereading the word no just how good this movie can make you feel.

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    1. Thank you! I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but so many people I've introduced to this film echo your sentiments...the movie is a lot of fun and makes you feel good.

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  5. It really pains me that Olivia was blamed for everything that was wrong with this movie, as she did not write (or REWRITE) the script, and that Michael Beck blamed her for the end of his acting career...the fact of the matter is that she kept right on working after "Xanadu", and kept right on working after her WORST FLOP "Two Of A Kind" with John Travolta (which had the controversy surrounding Olivia's character saying "sh**", I might add! And Gene Hackman didn't lose his status for playing the voice of God.) Olivia bashed no one after "Xanadu" flopped, instead she emphasized the thrill of dancing with Gene Kelly, and thanked concert tour audience members who enjoyed the movie. Pure class she is. And even though her music today isn't Billboard Chart material, she still is arguably one of music/entertainment's reigning icons. Sad that most of her co-stars in "Xanadu", including ex-hubby Matt Lattanzi, didn't take notes on how she's kept her career going in the 34 years since that (entertaining) cinematic mess.

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    1. So sorry for the late response...not sure how i missed your comment. Yes, one of the enduring complaints of many actors (Faye Dunaway, Karen Black, Raquel Welch, and Barbra Streisand come to mind) is how, because they are "out front" they tend to get saddled with the entirety of the blame for a film's lack of success. Especially when in many instances they are doing their job and have no say in editing, writing or the casting of co stars.
      It must be a vulnerable position to be in.
      Happily, they usually have been paid a bundle (so i can't cry too hard on their behalf) and, if they are lucky and/or talented, they tend to bounce back and recover.
      And sometimes, the sweetest revenge must be to see a film that was once branded a flop, become embraced in later years as a cult favorite.
      Although I don't know your name, thank you for your comment and apologies for not seeing it when it was first posted!

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  6. As usual, you are SPOT ON! Great post, Ken.

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    1. Thom, As I often say, I don't know where you find the time to read so many of my posts, but I am flattered as hell that you do, and that you have the generosity to drop a line with a nice compliment. much appreciated, my friend. Thanks!

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    2. I have plenty of time -- I'm unemployed! And your posts definitely make that time a little more enjoyable.

      (When I read this, I actually thought it was a new post but now I see it's from a few years back! I've no doubt that your sentiments are the same now, if not more so!)

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  7. Spot on review, Ken!

    Xanadu wasn't a fine film with a nice, tight script, Oscar caliber acting and deep, hidden meaning within the lines... it was just fun, and if you tried to make it anything else, you were looking too far - reaching too hard - you just didn't get it. It might not have been a great movie, but it was a great time, and that was the point.

    Keep on dancing, and thanks for a wonderful review!

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    1. Thank YOU!
      Yes, "Xanadu" even in its conception, merely wanted to entertain. Personally, given how many cooks had their hands in the making of this stew, i'm grateful it turned out as well as it did. You sound like a fan of the film and I'm pleased you enjoyed my write-up!

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  8. Dear Ken: Hi! Another "very late to the party" post here.

    My husband and I watched "Xanadu" last night--his first time ever, my first time since August 1980. I recall that, seeing it as a 15 year-old, it was my favorite movie of all time. Then, when it was shown on TV a few years later, I found it unwatchable!

    My reaction after last night's viewing was, it wasn't the atrocity I was expecting! :) The script is incredibly clunky, much of the plotting doesn't make sense, the ELO songs are second-rate (and I say that as someone who was a big fan of theirs in the 1970s), and Michal Beck did nothing for me (not even when his shirt briefly flew open while he was skating down the sidewalk in his red short-shorts).

    But there were elements of the movie that really did work for me. The other half of the soundtrack, Olivia's songs, were melodic and appealing (I remembered them all from when I had the soundtrack LP). And Olivia herself was an appealing presence, not charismatic maybe but sweet and likeable. And Gene Kelly gave a truly charming performance, not "pushy" as he sometimes was in his younger days but relaxed and at moments even self-effacing.

    Above all, though, was the sense at times that there were some people of craft involved in the making of the movie. And interestingly enough, there were knowing references to moments from movie musicals from the classic film era. In the animated segment, the girl fish clearly was modeled on the goldfish in the "Nutcracker" segment of "Fantasia." The dance number on the soundstage to "Suddenly" seemed inspired by "You Were Meant for Me," the soundstage number from "Singin' in the Rain." Gene Kelly's hitting the bumpers in the giant pinball and flags popping out was reminiscent of a similar moment with Fred Astaire in an amusement gallery in "The Band Wagon."

    The camerawork during the "Suspended in Time" number was notable, too. I recall when I first saw the film that number seemed very intense and involving to me; in fact, I was disappointed when I later purchased the soundtrack to find that the song itself was pleasant but not much more. But I realized watching the number again last night that it was the camerawork that made it so effective; it starts with a full-figure shot of Olivia and in one continuous take, ever so slowly zooms in to a head-and-shoulders close-up. I've seen that type of filming done in classic musicals (if memory serves, it's done in the Alice Faye movie "Stowaway" for her song "One Never Knows, Does One") and it's similarly spell-binding there.

    When you replied to my recent post on "Everyone Says I Love You," you asked what is it for me that makes old musicals "work" and more recent ones not as effective. I think you were exactly right when you pointed out that modern young audiences tend to take a more removed or detached emotional stance toward movies, and so reject films with a more direct emotional appeal. To me, classic musicals are all about that direct emotional appeal, with songs and dances that communicate messages such as "I love you," "You're my friend," and "I'm incredibly happy!" Perhaps that direct emotional appeal feels false or embarrassing to modern-day audiences.

    I think one number in "Xanadu" captures very well the emotions of the classic musical, Kelly's and Newton-John's duet "Whenever You're Away from Me." The song itself is engaging (maybe more in the music than the lyric!) but the staging was enchanting. These two charming people, dancing with grace and spirit, just to give pleasure and enjoyment to the audience! And despite her later comments about her terror during the filming of the number, Olivia looks relaxed and natural and seems to be dancing quite well. The number was magical, and that magical feeling is what I love about classic musicals!

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    1. Hi David
      Such terrific observations! Particularly the parallels/homages to old musicals you cite. Its very illuminating of the whole "rewatch" phenomenon that as time goes by, an unchanged movie has the power to change through our perceptions.

      Your fondness for the genre is evident in your explanation of what makes some musicals "work" for you, and I loved your description of the "Whenever You're Away from me" number.
      In fact, it was just a lot of fun hearing how a film you saw at 15 looks to you now. I hope your husband enjoyed it as well.
      Reading your comments reminded me how much of an ELO fan I was (am), and how much I loved it when songs from this album were on heavy rotation on the local radio stations.
      Thanks for visiting these older posts and sharing with us your (re)discovery and sharing of these films with your husband.

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  9. Hi, Ken -

    My DVD of Xandau is pre-2008 so I only got around to seeing the "Going Back to Xanadu" feature on a library DVD tonight. When you popped up, I thought, "Is that "lecinemadreams" Ken Anderson? And sure enough it is!

    I was 15 the summer of 1980 and going to movies in theaters the most I ever had up until then. (A total of 60 films that year for me in cinemas, although a good portion of those were double bills of older movies at revival houses.) I almost went to see Xanadu, but I suppose the bad reviews scared me away. I did get the soundtrack album though, because I was just getting into ELO at that time. (Even though I never was and never have been a stoner!) ONJ was the prettiest woman in my eyes, and had Xanadu stayed around in Seattle theaters for a few months longer I probably would have gone to it. So I didn't see it until it was broadcast on TV around 1984.

    I have always liked Xanadu. I took it to be a sweetly daffy film that is really well-made and entertaining. A few years later, I got interested in MGM musicals and I can now see various references to them in X (aside from the obvious one, of course - Gene Kelly.)

    Mark

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    1. Hi Mark
      Ha! Yes...participating in that "talking heads" documentary was fun. Too bad (maybe) you didn't see XANADU when you fifteen, which seems about the perfect age to appreciate the film with an eye not-too critical.
      You really saw a lot of films in 1980! Because that was when I was living on my own, working, and going to school, I think I saw relatively few films in the early 80s.
      Your description of it is pretty much on point. Unlike some "bad" films that are either moronic or inept, XANADU is largely harmless and has its heart in the right place. People may not like it, but at least it isn't offensively dumb like a PORKYs film or the remake of WHERE THE BOYS ARE. And of course, if one is at all into ELO, ONJ, or Gene Kelly...it has pleasures to spare.
      Nice to hear from you, Mark!

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  10. This great quote from Michael Beck always stuck with me:

    "The Warriors opened a lot of doors for me, which Xanadu then closed."

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    1. That IS a great quote! And accurate, unfortunately.

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  11. Hi Ken,

    I first read this post years ago, so how did it ever slip my mind that you were a big ELO fan? (That, and a certain screenplay we've been talking about has mostly ELO on its soundtrack, along with some Supertramp and 10cc. Gotta love that mid-to-late 70s MOR :)

    Anyways, I watched it today on your recommendation, and what I got wasn't nearly as snark-worthy as I was expecting (though quite a bit is there, don't get me wrong). The dialogue in the first scene between Sonny and his co-workers is so expository and sticks out a lot worse if one has studied screenwriting. (Though it was nice to see James Sloyan play the irritable boss before he played one in Keith Michell's episodes of "Murder, She Wrote".)

    Speaking of dialogue, it was so weird to see Danny and Sonny introduce themselves by name in their third or so scene together. You'd think that topic would come up in the earlier diner scene! Also, the conversation when Sonny hitches a ride to Big Al's van comes out so fast, it's wonder people don't talk about it more.

    At the end of the day, what keeps me from disliking it more is that it's less desperate and over-the-top ("Can't Stop the Music" comes to mind), but rather more like a schoolkid doing a class presentation. The effort is definitely there, and it has talent and creativity, and the story in concept set a bar that what we got just didn't live up to, but you feel like a jerk for snarking on it too much.

    Other observations:

    * The "All Over the World" montage was spot-on in predicting 80s fashion.

    * Wilfrid Hyde-White and (Mercy Croft herself) Coral Browne have two of the better performances of the movie, especially considering that they're never onscreen.

    * ONJ and Gene Kelly come out pretty much unscathed compared to Michael Beck, who has the misfortune of having the bulk of the clunkier dialogue.

    * As someone with a short attention span, I appreciated that the first act or so didn't drag, but then the movie seems to stop for most of the musical sequences. Not being a musical expert, I can't think of what could be done pacing-wise to improve that.

    * Nowadays to me (even speaking as a fan), ELO seems to straddle the line between hipster (in a good way) and ingrained in popular culture (similar to Toto and "Africa" but not quite). Jeff Lynne (or his label) has been pretty cool with having his songs show up in many films and commercials.

    The music and dancing are undeniably the best parts of the movie, so it's no surprise you were so inspired. How fun it must have been to talk about something you love, for that very thing itself :D

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    1. Hi! Sorry it took so long to get to this one, so nice of you to comment on an older film, and I like to keep (relatively) on top of these things. Yes, indeed, I am an ELO fan. If you are too, I suspect you are eagerly awaiting the release of the new album next month.
      When it come sto XANDU, I think there are two ideal times to see it: 1) when you are a child around 8 to 11 - they seem to love it. 2) if you see it for the first time long after all of what was so contemporary about it has faded into nostalgia. The artificiality of the film feels very retro, naive, and charming from a distance. It's a movie that time has been somewhat kind too.
      That often happens with movies that were megaflops, they have such a reputation of being awful, that when you see it, you're surprised it's not nearly as awful as you'd been lead to believe.
      It was great fun reading your impressions of the film. So many points well-taken -- especially about it not being aggressively over the top, and the way the musical numbers aren't as blended into the narrative as they could be. I think the film cried out for someone who understands how musicals are constructed. Always felt like they threw away the song "Magic" by having it played almost like background music during her introduction scene.
      Thank you for reading this and sharing your first XANADU contact with us!

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    2. Hi again Ken. "Magic" was a long-standing staple of the in-store music package at my job. Playing in a big-box store, though, it sounded a lot more airy and ethereal as a result, which I think would have suited the film better, especially in the scene "Suddenly" is played in. Also, the title song's been stuck in my head for forever since watching this film.

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    3. Hi Chick
      Sometimes takes me a while, but I usually find new comments on old posts sooner or later.
      As usual, your observations and impressions are ones that I can relate to and mirror my own feelings.
      Back in 1980 before the film's release and MAGIC was on heavy rotation, I too found myself somewhat disappointed at how unimaginatively the song was presented in the film. It was the first big single from the movie, and given that it offers plot exposition and character motivation, I was surprised that the lovely tune with the great, dreamlike arrangement was more or less thrown away as a "sung over" melody in the background of a scene.
      And I know what you mean about the addictive quality of the song XANADU. That's quite a catchy hook Jeff Lynne came up with.

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  12. It's hard to believe that today makes 40 years since the release of this movie. School was out, so I was on my own. While I didn't see this on release day, I remember going to see it several days in a row, probably weekday matinees, as it certainly wasn't crowded. Obviously the relentless optimism spoke to me and apparently I'm a sucker for a 'let's put on a show!' storyline.

    Ken, I have to say it makes me smile to read this movie was the catalyst for you to find a mission in life, that is such a wonderful gift to have, let me make a virtual toast to you.

    Reading further on this site, I only have one question, when is your autobiography coming out? ;-)

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    1. Hi Max
      You remembered the Anniversary! Glad to hear you were one of those who had the opportunity to see it in a theater at a time when it was regarded as a major flop.
      It's nice that today there are screenings and audiences applaud and cheer and sing along, etc., but I harbor a nostalgia when this was MY movie alone; back when no one else paid any attention to it.
      Thanks for the Anniversary toast! It's still quite remarkable that THIS film had the power to change the course of a life...and so much for the better. I guess one DOES have to believe in magic.
      Cheers, Max...a fellow Summer of 1980 XANADU viewer. There weren't many of us!

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  13. My first introduction to Xanadu was one July afternoon in 1980 when I was working an odd job painting yard signs for a guy in his backyard. In his nearby shed he must’ve had a stereo system set up, because he went in holding a 45 rpm single of a song I hadn’t heard before and started repeatedly playing it. That song was Olivia Newton-John‘s “Magic” and I was instantly taken with it. I knew then exactly what I was going to spend the money I earned on after I left. Until I bought the single and examined the sleeve, I had no idea it was connected to a film. Once I found that out, I knew I was going to go see that movie when it released.

    When the movie did come out, I eagerly went to see it, only then realizing that other songs I’d heard on the radio were from the film as well. Perhaps I was at the right age ( I turned 17 that August ) or it was because I had just started tentatively coming out to a few friends near that time, or because I was involved with a group who religiously went to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” so I was well aware of the power of images aligned to music - perhaps it was all of the above. Whatever the reason, the movie just appealed to me ( Despite the fact that I was crushed that they used my favorite song as background music - I kept watching, hoping it would be given a grander showcase in the movie... alas, no. ). I went at least 5 or 6 times during it’s original theatrical run, bought the soundtrack album ( And there was another minor disappointment, that my favorite show piece, “Dancin’” was so much shorter and arranged less dynamically on the vinyl ) and when the opportunity arose after I got my first VHS player the next year, made sure I made a copy from a rented VHS ( I couldn’t afford to buy a copy. Back then, a commercial VHS copy cost $89.99!! ).

    Years later, when the prices dropped, I bought a legal VHS, and when the soundtrack finally hit CD in the early to late 90’s I ended up buying four different countries' releases looking for the best sounding version. Then, of course, DVD. Then the remastered DVD, and so on up to the Blu-ray.

    Sometimes I ask myself why I still love this movie so much. Even as a teenager I could tell that there was something... off about it... that it wasn’t a particularly good movie, but it didn’t seem to matter so much to me then, or even now. Thanks to recent posts about it’s 40th anniversary, I’ve gotten the fever again. I’ve listened to the soundtrack repeatedly in the last few weeks, searched for articles on the web and made my partner suffer through the movie once again ( I usually pull it out once every couple of years ).

    Watching it this time, I found it kind of surprising that I empathized much more with the Danny McGuire character than I ever had in the past. My heart broke and my eyes welled up at the conclusion of the “Whenever You’re Away From Me” duet ( easily the best scene in the film ). I think that maybe it’s because, at this point in my life, I am in a similar place that Danny is in the movie. I’m looking back on events and people from 40 years past with a wistful nostalgia and sadness for things left unfinished.

    Maybe there are some unappreciated depths to this movie after all. You just have to be at right place, at the right time in your life to recognize them.

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    1. Hi
      I’m so glad you shared your person XANADU history! It’s always interesting how a person comes to find themselves attached to a film. It seldom follows any kind of rhyme or reason, simply a series of emotional responses that sort of coalescence into an experience that becomes unforgettable.
      The one thing XANADU seemed to get right was in releasing of several singles before the film’s release. ONJ’s “Magic” had to have been responsible for a great many attendees (like you, I think the film serves that particular song very poorly. It’s too good to be used as background music).

      Reading of your progressive immersion in XANADU serves as a bit of a timepiece catalog, revealing the various now-outmoded methods by which people came to their pop entertainments (radio, 45 singles, LPs, VHS, copies…) your love for XANADU extended through a vast arena of technological advancements. It’s amusing to think back to when VHS films were SO expensive!

      It's a testament to something indefinable in the film that sustains interest and emotion after so many years. I recently participated in a 40th Anniversary XANADU podcast, and the other speakers involved felt very much like you: the film’s theme about chasing your dreams appeals us in our youth; the themes of nostalgia speak to us now.
      You expressed beautifully what XANADU has come to mean to you over the years. Imperfections and all…it’s not every film that can still touch us entertain us, and maintain a sort of relevance after so many years. Thanks again for adding your story to the comments section here. A very moving and fitting tribute to the film in this Anniversary year.
      Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment so personally and meaningfully. Cheers!

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  14. I could never bring myself to watch this movie, because like you, I was a huge ELO fan in high school and this movie kind of wrecked the band, even though the soundtrack sold millions. They became uncool and that was it. Jeff Lynne mostly turned to producing for years, until ELO became one of the great "reunion bands" of the last couple of decades.

    Funny note, in 1997 I went to see Boogie Nights, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and over the closing credits as each actor gets his name and character listed (Mark Wahlberg as Dirk Diggler, Julianne Moore as Amber Waves...) PT Anderson plays ELO's "Livin' Thing." My eyes started to well up and by the end of the credits I was openly sobbing. My date was like: "Why are you crying? It's a movie about porn stars!!"

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    1. ELO music can do that!
      I've never seen it, but a friend of mine saw one of those Marvel Universe movies (an Avengers thing, I think) and he told me he got all goosebumpy when they played it in the film.
      I only recently found out that XANADU is Jeff Lynn's only #1 composition, and that he ranks it as one of his favorites. (And I love the use of music in Boogie Nights).

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  15. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 opens with a dorky little alien wandering around a planet, bopping to the tune of ELO's "Mr. Blue Skies" while everything around him is blowing up and humungous alien creatures are inches away from devouring him and each other. It's on youtube as a stand-alone. You have to see it.

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    1. Well, now! Thanks for cluing me in on that one. Just saw it, and had I seen THAT in a movie theater with booming sound, I probably would have found myself getting teary-eyed. Wow!
      I loved that! And NOBODY plays "Mr. Blue Sky" so it was a double treat.

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  16. I find it fascinating that you wrote this review in 2011 and in 2020, people are still commenting on it. Let's add one more comment for 2021. I remember vividly when this film came out (Olivia Newton-John was really at the height of her popularity) Now I didn't actually get to see it until it was broadcast on television a few years later but absolutely loved...the beginning... with that great song "I'm Alive" being sung by ELO while all the painted muses come to life. I also really enjoyed "Suspended in Time" (who wouldn't love to have ONJ singing that song to them!). And, of course, the song "Xanadu" is just a fun zippy song to listen to. The rest of the movie, meh. It's kind of weird that so much effort would put into creating a "roller disco." As I've mentioned before, I grew up in a rural area where we didn't have even have "discos" so my jaw dropped when I realized what "Xanadu" actually was. And the sight of Gene Kelley on roller skates is one of those "burned into my brain" moments that I'd kind of like to scrub away if I could. I haven't seen the movie for decades but I have the album downloaded on my phone and I listen to all the songs all the time.

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    1. Hi Ron
      Thanks for adding your own memories of XANADU to this (as you mention) surprisingly still-alive comments section. Your feelings about it mirror that of many: they remember all the hype and ONJ's post-GREASE popularity, perhaps the chart-topping ELO songs, but many only saw it when it was broadcast on TV. And what with disco crash-diving so swiftly as a trend, the perhaps too up-to-the-moment topicality of XANADU was lost (here in LA it's very weird to think back to when roller-skating was HUGE. I mean huge. If you were to open a roller disco you would be making money hand-over-fist. For about a year. Then the trend died so swiftly, a movie like this felt dated the moment it opened. The film also leaves a great many people with that "meh" feeing. The songs endure, however, so the film has a longevity no one could ever have foreseen.
      Also, I take it you never saw Gene Kelly on roller skates in 1955's "It's Always Fair Weather"? Now THAT was something! Cheers!

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  17. Xanadu is a great movie. Xanadu is a great example of a movie that people should watch themselves and judge without any preconceptions like I did when I first saw it in the 1990s on television a good 17 or 18 years after release in the theaters. I had never seen it before and never heard any publicity about it. It seemed totally forgotten. Unlike Saturday Night Fever or Grease which were well-known. I saw it first time and loved it. The music numbers were great. choreagraphy, dancing, acting and special effects were all first-rate. Olivia Newton John looked great and did everybody else. This is a fine movie for a musical and delivers. I honestly couldn't find anything wrong with the movie. I liked it a lot and could not understand why others could not understand like I did. Anyway maybe because I like an upbeat film with great music and dancing that does not have violence, rude aggressive people or horror situations. Our real world has plenty of that. So at least for 2 hours I can escape this world and go into a more pleasant world. Maybe thats why I like it so much. Its great escapist entertainment. I wish I saw it on its first release in a darkened theater rather than on a small television screen 17 years later, even though I would have been about 6 or 7 years of age. I still would have enjoyed it. This is a movie that I would enjoy even more twenty years from now if I am still alive. Which is rare there are not many movies I would enjoy after many years. Xanadu is different, which is why as far as I am concerned to me this movie is a timeless piece of art.

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