11.11.2010

xanadu

In honor of Laney's birthday...

the year: 1980

the genre: musical


the cast: Gene Kelly (Danny McGuire); Olivia Newton-John (Kira); Michael Beck (Sonny Malone)


the plot: The Greek muses incarnate themselves on Earth to inspire men to achieve. One of them, incarnated as a girl named Kira, encounters an artist named Sonny Malone. With the help of Danny McGuire, a man Kira had inspired forty years earlier, Sonny builds a huge disco roller rink. (And if THAT doesn't intrigue you, I don't know what will.)


don't miss: the dance number between Gene Kelly and Olivia Newton-John. It was filmed after production for the movie had finished and it became clear the filmmakers had not given their audience the one scene the movie required: Gene and Olivia dancing together. Gene Kelly choreographed the dance number. His conditions for doing it included a closed stage that included only himself, Olivia Newton-John, a cameraman, a choreographer he had befriended, and two others.


watch for: the sun rising in the Pacific - oops!


count: how many Xanadu dancers there were for the Roller Disco scene.


listen for: "I've been known to twinkle a toe or two."


did you know: Danny McGuire was also the name of Gene Kelly's character in Cover Girl.


extra bonus points: if you know the famous one sentence review that this film received.



also listen for: "Kid can you imagine it?" "Imagine what?" "A bandstand. Right over there in that corner. And a big band, like in the 40's." "Nah, nah, nah. Bandstands went out with running boards. Over there. A great rock 'n' roll band. This is the 80's!" "Real smooth dancers... wild trombone... the band decked out in tuxedos." "Six guys wearing electric orange... synthesizer... heavy precussion... electric guitar."



3 comments:

Laney said...

I GOT A SHOUT OUT!! Yay me ;) The soundtrack really is the one redeeming value of this movie. And all that glitz and glamor! It's making me laugh just thinking about it. Blaine secretly LOVES it!

Millie Motts said...

For sure!

Answer: The famous review?
"Xana-don't!" :)

Erika said...

It's like a Who's Who of 80's fashion faux pas. A train wreck you can't stop watching...