Xanadu (1980)

A struggling artist living in Los Angeles meets a girl who may hold the key to his happiness.

Director:

Robert Greenwald

Writers:

Richard Christian Danus, Marc Reid Rubel

Stars:

Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly, Michael Beck

1 win & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Olivia Newton-John	...	Kira
Gene Kelly	...	Danny McGuire
Michael Beck	...	Sonny Malone
James Sloyan	...	Simpson
Dimitra Arliss	...	Helen
Katie Hanley	...	Sandra
Fred McCarren	...	Richie
Renn Woods	...	Jo (as Ren Woods)
Sandahl Bergman	...	Muse #1
Lynn Latham	...	Muse #2
Melinda Phelps	...	Muse #3
Cherise Bates	...	Muse #4 (as Cherise Bate)
Juliette Marshall	...	Muse #5
Marilyn Tokuda	...	Muse #6
Yvette Van Voorhees	...	Muse #7

Storyline

In Los Angeles, artist Sonny Malone reluctantly returns to his job at Airflow Records - his job to do poster-sized exact renderings of album covers for on-site promotions, the renderings to be as close to the originals as possible - as he could not make a living as a freelance artist, where he could truly use his artistic vision. On his first day back at Airflow, he gets sidetracked by the thoughts of a young woman who literally roller skates into him. What he is unaware of is that their initial encounter and subsequent encounters are not by accident as she, Kira, a muse, was awakened by his lamentations about his art, she sent to help him achieve his artistic vision. This day, Sonny also meets aging Danny McGuire, a former big band musician turned construction company owner, he who wants to return to his roots by owning a live music venue. Danny initially and Sonny also do not know that their meeting is not by accident as Sonny will soon discover that Kira was part of his past. Sonny...

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Plot Keywords:

dancer | muse | disco | roller skates | roller disco | 

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Taglines:

Where time stops and the magic never ends.

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Genres:

Fantasy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 August 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Xanadu

Filming Locations:

Pan-Pacific Auditorium - 7600 W. Beverly Boulevard, Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,471,595, 10 August 1980, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$22,762,571

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (London premiere Print) Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Apart from the title track, none of Electric Light Orchestra's songs were composed specifically for the film but had, in fact, already been written as potential ELO recordings by Jeff Lynne, before the band were approached by the film's producers.

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Goofs

In the opening shots of the "All Over the World" sequence, outside the entrance to the clothing boutique, the mannequin furthest from the camera shouts out counts to keep the dancers together. The only audio heard at that point is the prerecorded song, but his lips are very clearly moving.

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Quotes

Sonny: I want to know more about you.
Kira: You already know enough about me. Any more and you're going to get a headache.
Sonny: Are you living with someone?
Kira: Yes. I told you I live with my sisters.
Sonny: I know. In an apartment on the second floor. All right, then. What's your last name?
Kira: Same as my mother's and father's.
Sonny: And what's that?
Kira: Which one, my mother's or my father's?
Sonny: Either!
Kira: The same as mine!
[...]

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Crazy Credits

"THE END" comes up on the screen, in big old fashioned letters, before the end credits.

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Alternate Versions

The 1994 VHS release shows the MPAA rating as "GP," but all other releases show the rating as "PG."

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Connections

Referenced in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

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Soundtracks

Dancin'
Performed by Olivia Newton-John and The Tubes
Words and Music by John Farrar
Arranged by Kenneth Shroyer and Richard Hewson (uncredited)

User Reviews

"If you build it, SHE will come"

First of all, I really need to ask, WHAT ON EARTH WAS SO BAD ABOUT THIS MOVIE?!?!? This was quite simply the Moulin Rouge! of the 80's. The acting may have been a little cheezy, but it wasn't all that great in Moulin Rouge! either. People need to understand that this is a MUSICAL and musicals aren't necessarily known for their great acting performances. They are noted for their brilliant choreography, songs, and stage settings, which I felt both "Moulin Rouge!" and "Xanadu" contained. Moreover, the story in "Xanadu" wasn't all that incoherent and reminded me a lot of "Field of Dreams" when Kevin Costner is inspired by a voice from an invisible muse to build a baseball field. So, while some of the criticism of this film is justified, I feel much of it is not and it took way more of a beating than it should have. One has to remember that there have been many films made which were raked over the coals by critics, yet the films became enjoyed by many later on.