Xanadu
Fun musical about roller-boogie artists features hits xanadu and magic. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 08/12/2003 Starring: Olivia Newton-john Gene Kelly Run time: 96 minutes Rating: Pg
A wimpy remake of an already anemic movie (the 1947 Rita Hayworth vehicle Down to Earth), this glitzy musical from 1980 improbably stars Olivia Newton-John as a heavenly muse sent here to help open a roller-derby disco. Gene Kelly is mixed up in this well-meaning but goofy effort to…
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Last updated: December 16, 2009, 6:15 am
Xanadu Customer reviews:
Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 305
(Martha Loeb, 2009-11-27) I love Gene Kelley. And Olivia Newton John does an incredible job in this film too. I know this movie was made in the 70's, but what a great movie to look back and really enjoy movies that I do not really see made these days. Gene Kelly was so special in this movie, his character was a very heartfelt person and incredibly musical too. What a fantastic look back in time !!!!
(Wade S. Pennell, 2009-11-13) I could care less what the darn critics say about this movie!! I think it was great! I think with success of saturday night fever & then grease. They just expected too much out of hollywood?! BUt even so this was done well. I cant help but wonder two things? would it have done better as a tv release. & if its so bad why has it been rerealesed so many times?
(Bill Loguidice, 2009-10-28) First off, let me get this out of the way; this is not a particularly great film. The story is what we would call a mash-up today and the acting is only decent, but the music, effects and earnestness of the production make it surprisingly enjoyable. If you watch the post mortem from many of the principals in the extras on the DVD, you'll understand the "why" behind many of the issues with the film--particularly its script. For instance, one of the key things they literally accidentally left out was that the mural was actually painted by the lead character. This explains a lot and why the muses happened to focus in on him. It also explains the re-appearance of several of the muses throughout the film, which you wouldn't necessarily pick up on the first time around (and this may or may not have been intentional, i.e., they may just have used the actresses on hand, but it does work in context regardless). The reason I say in the subject line that it gets better with age is because this is practically a snapshot of the transition of the "hip" subculture from the late 70's disco era into the early 80's punk era (and the fact that lots of those locales in Southern California no longer exist also make the outdoor scenes rather compelling). It's amazingly stylized and would certainly seem garish and too over-the-top if so much time hadn't passed. The fact that it mixes in movie musical and sound stylings from the 40's through the 60's only makes it all the better. Having a basic understanding of Greek Mythology, the concept of Xanadu and the muses, musical movies, and Gene Kelly himself, goes a long way to providing further appreciation for this very unusual film. (Yeah, it's odd you have to work a bit to really enjoy the film, but the payoff is generally worth it.) It also features a very unusual Don Bluth animation sequence, which is sort of an interesting pre-cursor to what he would do with Dragon's Lair (at least it reminded ME of the same style and theme). Again, not worth the price of admission on its own, but its yet another interesting bit of trivia attached to a film filled with such things. As for the real reason to get this film - the soundtrack CD that is included - I paid $13.99 for this combo pack and it looks like Amazon now lists it for just $10.99, so you can think of it as getting a discounted classic soundtrack and a movie thrown in. Even if you end up hating the film (understandable), you get the wonderful soundtrack, with Olivia Newton John at her best and a suprisingly good "supporting" cast, like ELO (if you don't find "I'm Alive" kind of uplifting in a sugary kind of way, I feel sorry for you). If that's not value, I don't know what is.
(Steve A. Chambers Sr., 2009-10-25) Not a real popular video, more of a cult classic. But, I enjoy the feel good storyline and have enjoyed my purchase. Really love the music.
(Dawn M. Olvera, 2009-10-15) The dvd was in great condition. I was glad to find this classic at a good price.