Who would have ever thought that Xanadu, the 1980 movie musical that famously helped inspire the first-ever Golden Raspberry Awards, would turn into a cult favorite with a devoted fanbase that also inspired a hit Broadway musical? Famously reviled when it was released, it’s easier today with 21st century eyes to enjoy the film’s mix of 1940s plotting and new wave roller disco musical energy.
Kino Lorber has reissued the film on 4K Ultra HD disc, and it looks, and perhaps more importantly, sounds better than ever. The classic hits from ELO and Olivia Newton-John are richly delivered with punchy bass on a disc that includes both surround sound and two-channel stereo mixes, both of which also deliver clean, audible dialogue.
For those who don't recall, Xanadu features seventies superstar Olivia Newton-John as Kira, a muse that comes down from heaven to inspire struggling artist Sonny (Michael Beck) to achieve his dream. And what's that dream? Why, opening a roller disco with former swing-era musician Danny McGuire, played by the legendary dancer Gene Kelly. It's not commonly known, but Kelly is sort of reprising his role from the 1947 film Down To Earth, the plot of which was used as the basis for Xanadu. (So could this be called a sequel?)
Some remember Xanadu as a colossal flop, some love the film in all its cheesy glory, but even fans like me can acknowledge Xanadu is a film of missed opportunities. To begin with, there's that paper thin plot, but as Patricia Kelly (widow of Gene Kelly) notes on one of the disc’s special features, many musicals have been built on less.
Several of the musical production numbers are nicely staged, including a bonkers trip through a clothing store set to ELO’s “All Over the World,” a cute animated sequence (produced by Don Bluth) featuring the soaring ballad "Don't Walk Away," and Newton-John’s solo number “Suspended In Time,” where the camera holds steady on her for the entire length of the song, illuminated by an animated outline and background. Few performers can carry off such a feat.
Other songs are dealt a bad hand by the production team. "Magic," also sung by Newton-John, was at the top of the Billboard charts when the film was released in 1980, but in the movie it's relegated to cavernous-sounding background music as ONJ skates around a set representing the derelict Pan-Pacific building in L.A. "I'm Alive" is a great piece of power-pop by ELO, but on screen it comes off a little anemic as ONJ and her fellow muses dance against a static backdrop on a dead-end street. And Gene Kelly always was disappointed with the film's final number, because the cameraman framed him too tightly, cutting off his legs during a big roller-skating sequence! (Kelly was a fantastic skater – see "I Like Myself" from the 1955 musical It's Always Fair Weather).
This is one of the only discs I've seen in which the film's director, producers, and choreographers spend as much time on the disc’s documentary feature addressing the film's faults as they do sharing what they love about the movie. Director Robert Greenwald, now known more for muckraking documentaries like Outfoxed and Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, freely admits the script was weak to begin with, and "never got fixed." Patricia Kelly says Gene Kelly was enthusiastic about the film's concept, but felt that it just "didn't come off." And Kenny Ortega, one of the film's two choreographers along with Jerry Trent, recounts how the team threw everything but the kitchen sink into the final number, "Xanadu," and kept going until "there's no more money, and there's no more time, and I can't find anything more, this is it."
In addition to the short documentary, Kino Lorber's new video release of Xanadu features four (!) commentary tracks on the disc, featuring writer Samm Deighan, wherein she illuminates hidden or missed elements in Xanadu that connect it to Hollywood history, literature, and mythology. Deighan’s commentary track was my favorite of the bunch; the other three feature historians David Del Valle & Krystov Charles, film producer Jennifer Clymer with writer Nathaniel Thompson, and the film’s director Robert Greenwald, who remembers fondly his time spent working on the movie and admires many elements, but also doesn’t look back with rose-colored glasses at what he saw was a rushed production with an unfinished script.
Perhaps it's the nostalgic factor of re-visiting the leg-warmed early 1980s, or maybe it's the music, or maybe we're just rooting so hard for those kids to build their dream and get together, I can't help but forgive the film's faults. It's also helpful to hear the enthusiasm in everyone's voices as they remember the film's production in the "Going Back to Xanadu" feature on the disc. Kenny Ortega is especially fun to watch as he recounts how Gene Kelly got involved with the project, and how Kelly himself choreographed his duet with ONJ, "Whenever You're Away from Me." When you watch that number you can still see a little of the old Gene Kelly magic, despite him being in his late sixties at the time of filming.
Other special features that are new to this 2025 release of Xanadu include a series of radio ads and television commercials, and a “sizzle reel” produced by Universal in 1980 to get exhibitors excited about the movie. It’s basically a 20-minute version of the film.
Xanadu is not likely to make anyone's list of the greatest musicals of all time, but the success of the 2007 Broadway show, and frankly our sold-out screening last summer for Texas Public Radio, clearly indicates there's still an audience out there for this fluffy, goofy fantasy. The soundtrack is a big hook, and this new 4K Ultra HD disc from Kino Lorber is a beautiful tribute to the talent of the late Olivia Newton-John, who by all accounts was one of the nicest megastars in the world. We could all use a little more joy today.
A portion of this review was adapted from a previous piece written in 2008. Disclosure: using the Amazon link embedded in this article will support Texas Public Radio.
