Ep1151: Xanadu (1980) - Movie Review
Ian and Jeff strap on their skates and venture into the heady neon-glow of Xanadu!
Robert Greenwald's 1980 musical fantasy stars Olivia Newton-John as Kira, a muse and daughter of Zeus, who seeks to inspire a struggling L.A. artist named Sonny Malone (Michael Beck). As romance blooms, Sonny meets a former magician-turned-construction-magnate named Danny McGuire (Gene Kelly), who dreams of opening up a nightclub--and who may have crossed paths with Kira during his days as an enlisted entertainer during World War II.
This syrupy cult classic was recently brought back to stunning life on 4K, and the guys look back at Xanadu with a reverence that surprised them both. Wade through the cheese and the at times iffy filmmaking, and you'll see a truly moving story about the push-and-pull of independent artists and the end of the Mass Media Artist as Tactile Craftsman era.
This episode is part movie review, part continuation of Ian and Jeff's ongoing discussion about the role of Artificial Intelligence in the arts. Whether you love or hate Xanadu (or have no idea it ever existed), there's a veritable buffet of food for thought in this loving look back!
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Show Links
Watch the Xanadu (1980) trailer.
Order the new 4K UHD of Xanadu from Kino Lorber.
Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists.
