Summer Camp at the Plaza Theatre: Xanadu
July 22, 2008 at 9:50 am by David Lee Simmons in A&E, Events
There are Twinkies with more depth. There were probably better ways for Gene Kelly to finish off a big-screen career. There was never an opportunity for Olivia Newton-John to show off leg warmers.
But there’s no denying the musical power of the soundtrack to 1980’s Xanadu, which screens tonight at 9:30 p.m. as part of the Plaza Theatre’s Summer Camp series. Directed by (believe it or not) Robert Greenwald — more recently known for his politically charged documentaries such as Outfoxed and Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price — Xanadu sluggishly tells the story of a frustrated artist, Sonny Malone (Michael Beck) who inadvertently summons a roller-skating muse, Kira (Newton-John), just as his befriending an aging Hollywood hoofer (Kelly) leads to a partnership in a nightclub.
Xanadu’s moral is writ large — believe in magic — and so is the cringe-worthy acting by Beck and Newton-John. That’s probably the main reason why the movie was so critically panned; it had the dubious honor of earning seven Razzie Awards, winning one (Greenwald, for Worst Director … bless his heart). There’s no denying the film’s earnest charm as it pays tribute to the old Hollywood musical tradition with a very awkward updating (and with special effects that would make Ed Wood blush).
But the pop-musical sweep is just as remarkable (in a good way) thanks to the work of the Electric Light Orchestra’s Jeff Lynne, who penned the double-platinum-selling soundtrack. This is no more evident than on the recent re-release of the movie on DVD in a two-disc “Magical Musical Edition” that also includes a CD of the soundtrack. The disc features both ELO and Newton-John at the top of their rock and pop games, respectively. ELO’s rock-opera emotions are in full sway on hits like the gold-selling “I’m Alive,” “Don’t Walk Away” and my personal favorite, the infectious “All Over the World.” Newton-John, who never had much vocal muscle, stays within herself on sweet numbers like “Magic,” “Suddenly” (the duet with Cliff Richard) and the closing, title-track duet with ELO. (Let’s just politely overlook “Dancin’,” the cloying duet with the Tubes.)
The special DVD includes a featurette about the making of the movie, which includes Greenwald’s explanation about why the script was such a mess (”It never got solved”) and the recruitment of Gene Kelly and getting him to dance (he initially resisted the idea, oddly). What becomes clear is how badly the crew wanted to make an old-fashioned Hollywood musical with a modern spin. (Indeed, the dancers seem to outnumber the entire crew, and it was a surprisingly diverse one at that — including the poppin’ and lockin’ Chain Reaction crew.)
Another little nugget is the animation sequence courtesy of Don Bluth, who’d just deserted Walt Disney that same year (it shows) and had begun his own work.
Here’s a look at the closer, “Xanadu,” which actually features some pretty impressive choreography by Kenny Ortega (who later charted Dirty Dancing) and Bobbie Mannix’s now-dated costumes (those zoot suits and leg warmers were just coming into back then).
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July 22nd, 2008 at 2:37 pm
I just remembered why I had a crush on Olivia Newton John.