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:

pantyhose | 1980s | 1940s | roller skate | dancer | 

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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:

Xanadú

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

The roller disco scene included 60 dancers.

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Goofs

Several times in the art studio scenes, Sonny's paint pallet is replaced with few paintbrushes and vice versa.

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Quotes

Sonny: [about Kira] What do you mean she doesn't exist? I'm looking right at her, she's on the Nine Sisters album.

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Crazy Credits

Opens with the 1930s-era Universal logo, with an airplane circling a globe; then it becomes a 50s-era passenger plane, then the Concorde, then the fourth time around as it becomes a spaceship. Instrumentals of "Whenever You're Away From Me" and "Xanadu" play under this, with musical styles matching the period of each aircraft.

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Connections

Featured in The O'Reilly Factor: Episode dated 1 February 2008 (2008)

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Soundtracks

All Over the World
Performed by Electric Light Orchestra
Words and Music by Jeff Lynne

User Reviews

Kissed by a Muse

Out of all the movies that I loved from my childhood, none of them entranced me more as Xanadu starring Olivia Newton-John. I was four when it was released in theaters and being that age, music and visuals are a really big thing to a kid. That is something that Xanadu definitely had! Even if the music and special effects are out of date now, the style of the film is truly inspiring. I wont waste my time with the Xanadu haters.... But the people that love the film know what I'm talking about. Yes, it's not Oscar worthy material but who cares? There is an entire generation of fans that love it for its simplistic magical wonder. The soundtrack is one that I've always rocked out too... I've owned it on record, tape, CD, and even 8-track!! You cant go wrong with the talent of ONJ or the creative ethereal sounds of the Electric Light Orchestra. The film has entertained me now for 25 years and it will for the rest of my life. It's movies like this that bring back great memories and take you back to a time when innocence wasn't such a bad thing. XANADU FOREVER!