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I like "Xanadu" and will not assume the guilt. For those of you that don't know about this 1980, borderline-"cult" movie, Olivia Newton-John stars as Kira, a muse & daughter of Zeus, that comes down to earth to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny Malone (Michael Beck). Kira literally flies down from heaven, zooms up to him from behind on a sidewalk by the sea. She kisses him, then flies back to the sky with a smile on her face. Ahh, Kissed by a muse.
While the meandering artist is whining around in the beginning, he walks up to a gentleman playing a clarinet on a rock by the ocean, as a woman in a blue bikini walks along the ocean. The man is a wealthy, nostalgic gentleman (Gene Kelly) who becomes interested in partnering with the artist to open a club. Soon Kira is hanging around him and hoping to inspire him to open up a roller-disco with a 1940s & 1980s flair out of a strange, unique, abandoned, wrestling building. I've read that this film was made for $21 million and made about $11 million (domestically) during its run. Of course international and later video revenue are never spoken about, neither is the album soundtrack which produced chart-topping, pop hits. But "Xanadu" was scathed & buried by critics topped with an epitaph of its abomination to the artistic qualities of the film industry. Cool, huh? Isn't that one way cult films get cult status? Who knows? Why do critics bee-aaoootchhhh & gripe about "Xanadu?" Granted it's not a masterpiece, & a few elements are somewhat defenseless... * Some of the dialogue isn't very bright; 1/2 way through the film Sonny is asking Kira questions about where she's from etc. Rightly so, because we have no idea either. Radiating her Olivia-ness and megawatt smile, she looks at him and says out of the blue, "You know enough about me already, anymore and you'll get a headache." What the &*$%?.... *One of Olivia's songs (Suspended in Time) is one L-O-N-G closing in close-up to her. Granted the song is pretty, Olivia is beautiful, but the lack of different shots almost makes the number a repetitive snoozer. *And the musical numbers, though great fun, eclipse the plot (the plot?), rather than support it. *The very end (after the finale...) is curiously limp. (Meaning just the part when the waitress offers Sonny a drink....) But what did people expect with this movie? "On Golden Pond?" Ok, now I'll resist the urge and finally say that this film is a guilty pleasure. Grrr, I'll admit my guilt. "Xanadu" essentially tries to have fun, and that is the essence of the film. It's really kind of a date movie on a strolling, summer night. No heavy drama, just light, colorful and fun.  Olivia Newton-John is a beautiful woman. She seems to enjoy herself, working hard to entertain, during "Xanadu's" lavish (for 1980), CGI-less, production numbers. |
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She and her fellow muse sisters are painted on a blue-violet mural off a street, and come alive (literally surrounded by an aura) dancing from it near the beginning. The dancing sisters are expressive, happy, sexy, & it's just kind of pretty. They wear these layered, peasant looking dresses that are low-cut and whip around their legs in a breeze. (Critics hated the scene and the dresses.) The other dancers and extras look like they are having the time of their life, smile big and perform with all they've got. Some of the extras that perform next to Olivia clearly know and are flattered by her presence, & it's cute. 
Critics always say, "Poor Gene Kelly..." being in this film. Their condemnation is in itself so sad; Kelly dances on fabulous sets, wears a classic suits & ties, and looks like he is having a blast. His screen time is generous, respectful and classy. As Alex Forest said, "Is that so bad?" Anyway, during a nostalgic fantasy, Kelly dances with Newton-John in a large ballroom with grace and class to a (newly written by John Farrar) warm 1940s duet. He and she exchange flirting glances, smile and easily share warm chemistry. One of my favorite numbers is when a 1940s stage and 1980s stage blend together and each song harmonizes by its end. It's kinda cool. The music is crazy, & the dancers were energetic, extremely limber, charged with enthusiasm. Critics hated this scene the most. Xanadu went to low depths with this. (Say what?) Sounds like "Xanadu" is similar to some kind of snuff film, eh? An abomination to filmmaking? Cool. After critics take the corn cobs out of their asses, perhaps they can see clearly that "Xanadu" never really took itself so seriously. Whew. Got that out of my system. |
DVD in Widescreen 
| Laserdisc in pan & scan
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Picture
The DVD is presented in its first widescreen, 1.85:1 ratio transfer from an from an anamorphic transfer. Notice the differences between the laserdisc and DVD (above). The film is far cleaner than any other presentations. The aspect ratio often reveals more visual information on the sides, which is a treat. Colors are more discreet, and less bleeding is evident. Contrast is better and blacks are surprisingly deeper than I expected though not consistent (or dead-on like current films). Shadow detail isn't that great, but obviously much better than previous presentations (the picture at the very top shows shadow problems of Newton-John smiling big & reaching out her hand). But sometimes, upon close viewing, DVD reveals such good resolution that sometimes you can see an actor's pores. Nicks, hair-fuzz, and wear abound at times to disappointment. It's sad that this transfer wasn't touched up before the anamorphic transfer. (During the yellow, pie-slicing removal during the "All Over the World" number is revealing of this). The film has aged ok, but DVD certainly exploits any limitations. Nevertheless, this is a very satisfying transfer from Universal's film stock, & a true improvement over previous presentations. |
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The audio is a definite improvement. The original surround sound is 4.0 meaning that surrounds aren't split, but are more discrete nonetheless, as is the center channel (though mono with limited range). The surrounds were very aggressive during musical numbers, yet dead to the world during quieter dialogue scenes. Still, DD 5.1 remix would've been cool. Bass was nicely evident, but it didn't go too low. An overemphasis on midrange was evident sometimes (the first song, "I'm Alive" suffered from this terribly, but so did the laserdisc...source material problems?). High frequencies weren't as present as could be. Though dialogue sounded fine and natural. Yet overall, the music is stronger, noticeably more discreet sounding than ever and makes every effort to fill your viewing room. Very pleasing mix for a 1980 film and surely enjoyable by fans of this "cult" movie.
DVD Extras Essentially, all that is given is some production notes, cast bios and 2 theatrical trailers. Not much else. ...Back in 1980, there was a 1/2 hour special on the making of "Xanadu" that would've sure been welcomed. Overall, a fun film, that's far less presumptuous than reported, and simply a showcase, musical/ fantasy film that is colorful and dreamy. Any fan would benefit for the copy, mostly for the widescreen ratio (never before seen since theatrical run), an anamorphic print and the new, more discreet Dolby Digital 4.0 surround. Lace-em up, & enjoy yourself. P.S. Someone at Universal did a dirty little trick. On the inside sleeve of the DVD, Newton-John is shown dancing - cowboy style - and her eyes are rolling with an exaggerated fashion. It strongly suggests manipulation.... Oddly, it reminds one of the film "Jaws" (also from Universal Pictures) where the billboard sign of the woman was vandalized, and a shark fin roughly painted behind her with the caption of her exclaiming, "Help, shark!" (or whatever). Maybe a critic commissioned the joke. |
