| | | A Fantasy. A Musical. A Place Where Dreams Come True.
Features: DVD, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, English, Dolby, Dolby Surround Sound
Xanadu is a look at the future and a loving remembrance of the way things were in the heyday of Hollywood. The musical score includes the hit songs "Magic," "I'm Alive," "All Over the World," "Suddenly," and the title sone "Xanadu." Olivia Newton-John will dazzle your senses with her luminous beauty and fabulous voice. She and Gene Kelly star in this mesmerizing musical fantasy. The '40s meets the '80s in Xanadu, a very special love story and the first lavish, old-fashioned musical to utilize today's music.
"A campy guilty pleasure, this typical '80s musical...is a disco-thumping, roller-boogeyin' lark." Find-A-Video
"Great tunes fill this flavorful bubble gum movie." Gerry Shamray, Sun Newspapers of Cleveland
Editor's Note
A young album-painter learns a lesson about daring to dream when he is kissed by a magical muse. Throwing caution to the wind, he partners up with a wealthy former jazz musician to start-up a roller disco nightclub, but finds that one of his dreams might be too lofty--even for the powers that be. A modern musical featuring the musical talents of Olivia Newton-John, Electric Light Orchestra, the Tubes, and Cliff Richard, with a touch of cartoon from animator Don Bluth.
Plot Summary
Zeus, worried about the fate of a young painter, chooses one of the nine muses who preside over the arts to inspire the artist to greatness. So the lovely goddess Kira descends to earth and encourages her ward to open a disco roller skating rink. First, she locates a clarinet player whom she inspired in the 1940s, and convinces him to return to music by funding the rink. Then the three transform an abandoned building into a neon-lit, rock and roll heaven. But now that the painter's dream has come true, the time has come for Kira to return to Mount Olympus. The only problem is, the two have fallen in love, and do not want to part. But that's what will have to happen unless they can convince the gods that love is the ultimate dream.
| Features | Dolby Digital Surround | | FrenchTrack | | Theatrical Trailer | | Web Links | | Widescreen Format | | Production Notes | | Cast/Filmmakers' Bios | | Film Highlights |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Universal |
| Release Date: 8/12/2003 |
| Running Time: 96 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1980 | | Catalog ID: 20410 | | UPC: 00025192041020 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
"[T]he ELO-fueled songs are as awesome as ever." -- Grade: B 07/11/2008 p.57Find-A-Video 0 of 10
A campy guilty pleasure, this typical '80s musical... is a disco-thumping, roller-boogeyin' lark.
ReelViews 8 of 10
How, one might ask, does one begin to defend Xanadu? To start with, by looking at it without any pretensions and seeing it for what it is. Conventional wisdom decrees that Xanadu is a horrible film. In a sense, conventional wisdom may be correct, but it ignores one key ingredient: viewed in the right frame of mind, this movie can be a lot of fun. Age has done for Xanadu what it has done for many critically reviled motion pictures that time has not forgotten: allowed us to look at it a little more kindly and appreciate it for its glorious badness...There are two likely reactions to Xanadu, both of which are valid. One is to turn it off midway through because the headache is getting too severe. The other is to laugh and hum your way through it. Newton-John brings warmth and appeal. Kelly brings a touch of class and a reason for lovers of the great MGM musicals to smile. And Beck brings great hair. Don Bluth gives us a magical little animated sequence...Xanadu may not achieve its director's original lofty ambitions but, by failing so spectacularly, it has become much more. Had the film been a modest financial and creative success, it would likely be forgotten today. As it is, however, "Xanadu" has become more closely associated with this film than with all the other aforementioned things combined. - James Berardinelli
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