Xanadu!

I watched a few movies over and over growing up, and one of them was Xanadu.

It was a box office flop and not quite on par with the Merchant Ivory caliber of film, but it was entertaining as hell to me as a six year old, and ever since I’ve had a soft spot for it. The premise of the film was a muse coming from Olympus to inspire an artist, (much like One Touch Of Venus or Down To Earth), and was a dizzying marriage of a Nouveau Art musical and Art Deco design.

First, you’ve got Olivia Newton-John. If you didn’t have a crush on her growing up in the late 70’s / early 80’s, you were not of this earth, and probably not on it either. Girls wanted to be her and boys wanted to do her, and as a pop songstress she was both talented and wholesome – a combination you’re unlikely to find today.

The great Gene Kelly, even though relegated to a secondary role in the film, was wonderful to watch. He is like a sweet grandfather or something soothing, like a warm glass of milk. Yes, one of old Hollywood’s greatest song and dance men equal to a dairy product in my book.

And, oh, the roller skating and clothing -- an indelible stamp of the times on the film. The music spans about 40 years in it’s breadth, but everything has a touch of that disco / new wave flavor – including what I consider the first true mash up – “Dancin’”, with Olivia N-J vs. The Tubes. This movie should be put in a hyperbolic chamber and preserved for eternity so that this can be presented as a lighter look at that time.

Here’s the final eight minutes of the movie, but I feel you owe it to yourself to watch the whole thing. It will be part of my weekend (seriously).