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Xanadu

  • 19801980
  • PGPG
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
5.2/10
13K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (1980)
Theatrical Trailer from Universal Pictures
Play trailer1:56
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Fantasy
  • Musical
  • Romance

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

IMDb RATING
5.2/10
13K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Robert Greenwald
  • Writers
    • Richard Christian Danus
    • Marc Reid Rubel
  • Stars
    • Olivia Newton-John
    • Gene Kelly
    • Michael Beck
Top credits
  • Director
    • Robert Greenwald
  • Writers
    • Richard Christian Danus
    • Marc Reid Rubel
  • Stars
    • Olivia Newton-John
    • Gene Kelly
    • Michael Beck
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 343User reviews
    • 60Critic reviews
    • 31Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 10 nominations

    Videos1

    Xanadu
    Trailer 1:56
    Xanadu

    Photos302

    Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (1980)
    Olivia Newton-John at an event for Xanadu (1980)
    Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (1980)
    Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (1980)
    Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (1980)
    Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (1980)
    Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (1980)
    Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (1980)
    Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (1980)
    Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (1980)
    Gene Kelly and Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (1980)
    Gene Kelly and Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (1980)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Olivia Newton-John
    Olivia Newton-John
    • Kiraas Kira
    Gene Kelly
    Gene Kelly
    • Danny McGuireas Danny McGuire
    Michael Beck
    Michael Beck
    • Sonny Maloneas Sonny Malone
    James Sloyan
    James Sloyan
    • Simpsonas Simpson
    Dimitra Arliss
    Dimitra Arliss
    • Helenas Helen
    Katie Hanley
    • Sandraas Sandra
    Fred McCarren
    Fred McCarren
    • Richieas Richie
    Renn Woods
    Renn Woods
    • Joas Jo
    • (as Ren Woods)
    Sandahl Bergman
    Sandahl Bergman
    • Muse #1as Muse #1
    Lynne Latham
    • Muse #2as Muse #2
    • (as Lynn Latham)
    Melinda Phelps
    • Muse #3as Muse #3
    Cherise Bates
    • Muse #4as Muse #4
    • (as Cherise Bate)
    Juliette Marshall
    • Muse #5as Muse #5
    Marilyn Tokuda
    • Muse #6as Muse #6
    Yvette Van Voorhees
    • Muse #7as Muse #7
    Teri Beckerman
    • Muse #8as Muse #8
    Marty Davis
    • Male Guardas Male Guard
    Bebe Drake
    Bebe Drake
    • Female Guardas Female Guard
    • (as Bebe Drake-Massey)
    • Director
      • Robert Greenwald
    • Writers
      • Richard Christian Danus
      • Marc Reid Rubel
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    In Los Angeles, artist Sonny Malone reluctantly returns to his job at Airflow Records--doing poster-sized exact-as-possible renderings of album covers for on-site promotions--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 thoughts of a young woman who literally rollerskates into him. He's unaware that their initial encounter and subsequent encounters are not accident: she is Kira, a muse who was awakened by his lamentations about his art and sent to help him achieve his artistic vision. Later that day he meets aging Danny McGuire, a former big-band musician turned construction-company owner who wants to return to his roots by owning a live music venue. This meeting too is no accident; Sonny soon discovers that Kira was part of Danny's past. Sonny and Danny achieving their dreams is threatened by Kira knowingly breaking the rules. —Huggo
    • dancer
    • muse
    • disco
    • roller skates
    • roller disco
    • 69 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The Music, The Film, A Place Where Dreams Come True. [UK]
    • Genres
      • Fantasy
      • Musical
      • Romance
    • Certificate
      • PG
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to Dame Olivia Newton-John, the script was written during filming.
    • Goofs
      When Sonny first sees the auditorium that eventually becomes Xanadu, the letters on the roof of the building that spell out auditorium are missing the A and R. Later when Kira takes him to the auditorium, the T is missing. In the following scene, when Sonny and Danny arrive at the auditorium, the T is back. Finally, when Sonny and Kira are slow dancing in front of the auditorium before it transforms into the finished Xanadu exterior, the T is missing again.
    • Quotes

      Kira: A place where nobody dared to go / the love that we came to know / They call it Xanadu / And now, open your eyes and see / what we have made is real / We are in Xanadu / A million lights are dancing and there you are, a shooting star / An everlasting world and you're here with me, eternally / Xanadu / Xanadu / now we are here in Xanadu / Xanadu / Xanadu / now we are here in Xanadu / Xanadu, your neon lights will shine for you, Xanadu / The love, the echoes of long ago / you needed the world to know / They are in Xanadu / The dream that came through a million years / That lived on through all the tears, it came to Xanadu / A million lights are dancing and there you are, a shooting star / An everlasting world and you're here with me, eternally / Now that I'm here, now that you're near in Xanadu / Now that I'm here, now that you're near in Xanadu, Xanadu.

    • 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.
    • Alternate versions
      The original theatrical release uses the 1963 Universal logo at the end and then shows the PG rating slide. The 1994 VHS release (while retaining the Universal logo at the end), strangely replaces the PG rating slide with a GP rating slide (the original name for the PG rating from 1969 to 1972). The 1999 DVD restores the proper PG rating slide, however the 1963 Universal logo is removed. The 2008 DVD restores both the 1963 Universal logo and the original PG rating slide, making it a more accurate representation of the original theatrical release.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Midnight Special: Episode #8.33 (1980)
    • Soundtracks
      I'm Alive
      Performed by Electric Light Orchestra

      Words and Music by Jeff Lynne

    User reviews343

    Review
    Top review
    Give XANADU a Chance!
    XANADU is one of the most critically and commercially panned films in Hollywood history, a 'Nouveau Art' musical with Art Deco themes, a weirdly conceived animated interlude, and performances of such widely varying caliber that a viewer might wonder if the actors were all reading from the same script! But all that being said, I would like to offer a minority opinion, and say that I didn't find the film THAT terrible, and there are some aspects of it I actually enjoyed...

    First and foremost, it offers the legendary Gene Kelly, in his last musical, as charming and wonderful as ever. As retired musician/businessman Danny McGuire, Kelly has the film's best moments, including a 'classic' song-and-dance scene with Olivia Newton-John and some silly but endearing 'post-disco' routines with the talented young dancers of the cast (including future CONAN star Sandahl Bergman). Seeing him on roller-skates again, leading everyone around the club he builds, to the music of the Electric Light Orchestra, makes one realize just how irreplaceable he is. Kelly could do it all, and with style!

    The premise of the film, of a Muse coming from Olympus to inspire an artist, is far-fetched, but had been done on film several times in the past (ONE TOUCH OF VENUS, with Ava Gardner and Robert Walker, and DOWN TO EARTH, with Rita Hayworth, are the examples most often cited), and while Olivia Newton-John is oddly cast in the role, she tackles it gamely, with a smile and a wink, and isn't THAT bad. On the other hand, Michael Beck, best-known as the gang leader in cliched but powerful THE WARRIORS, is totally miscast as the artist she falls in love with. An actor with limited range and no singing or dancing talent, Beck lacks the charisma to pull off the role (one wonders why British pop star Cliff Richard, who voices Beck's animated duet with Newton-John, 'Suddenly', wasn't utilized to play the part).

    While the film often veers off in bizarre directions, the 'Battle of the Bands' scene between popular 80s rockers, the Tubes, and a 'Tommy Dorsey/WWII'-style orchestra (as Beck and Kelly envision what the 'look' and 'sound' of their club, XANADU, should be), actually works, and is fun to watch. The entire score, by Barry De Vorzon and John Farrar, and Jeff Lynne (with ELO) is terrific (and made the soundtrack album a hit).

    Sure, the ending is hokey, but it was also the same ending of ONE TOUCH OF VENUS and DOWN TO EARTH, so XANADU can't be totally faulted!

    All in all, XANADU isn't the WORST film ever made, and if you give it a chance, you might find it a guilty pleasure!
    helpful•169
    18
    • cariart
    • Sep 13, 2003

    FAQ1

    • Is there a connection between this film and the song by Rush? If so, why was the Rush song not used in this movie?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 8, 1980 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Xanadú
    • Filming locations
      • Pan-Pacific Auditorium - 7600 W. Beverly Boulevard, Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Universal Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $20,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $22,762,571
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $1,471,595
      • Aug 10, 1980
    • Gross worldwide
      • $22,762,571
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 36 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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