Xanadu (film)
Xanadu one is American Musical - film director Robert Greenwald . It appeared in 1980; its main characters are Olivia Newton-John , Michael Beck and Gene Kelly . The film opened in German cinemas on October 9, 1980.
action
The film tells the story of a summer love romance between the young artist Sonny Malone (Beck) and Kira (Newton-John), a muse who has been temporarily called into earthly existence .
Sonny paints enlarged album covers that are used for advertising in shops. On one of the covers, he discovers a beautiful woman (Newton-John) whom he had recently met in the park. While searching for her, he meets the aging orchestra musician Danny McGuire (Kelly). While Danny lost track of his muse in the big band era, Sonny hasn't found his yet.
Sonny continues his search for the woman from the record cover on roller skates . He meets her several times, the two fall in love, but the woman does not reveal anything about herself apart from her first name Kira. She helps Sonny to find a building for Danny, who is now friends with him, that can be converted into a dance hall. On closer inspection, an old Art Deco- style sports hall turns out to be a dream property for this project and Danny wins Sonny as a business partner. At Kira's suggestion, the dance hall is named Xanadu (the name of the summer residence of Kublai Khan from a poem by Coleridge ).
Shortly before the pub opens, Kira Sonny confesses that she is a muse and that she has to go back to Helikon, the legendary place where she is at home. She overcomes the pain of separation and makes her announcement come true. Sonny doesn't want to come to terms with the sudden loss of his dream woman and tries to find ways to see her again while roller skating. By racing head-on towards a wall on which the muses are depicted, he arrives at Helikon. Zeus does not want to let his daughter Kira go; Mnemosyne tries to persuade him to allow the young woman at least one guest stay on earth.
It seems that Mnemosyne prevails: At the spectacular opening evening of the dance hall, Kira is the star in the middle of a glamorous roller-skating show. At the climax she stands on a pedestal from which she finally ascends into the sky. Sonny, who had watched the show with delight, is now depressed. Did he just dream everything? Danny tries to cheer him up and orders him a drink. In the waitress ( Newton-John ) he recognizes his muse Kira.
background
Xanadu is based in large part on the plot of the musical comedy A Goddess on Earth (1947) with Rita Hayworth .
The film flopped at the box office, received mixed to negative reviews, and was the inspiration behind the creation of the Golden Raspberry Awards to recognize the worst films of the year. On the other hand, the soundtrack with music by Olivia Newton-John and the Electric Light Orchestra was very successful . It sold seven times platinum worldwide, making it one of the most successful film scores ever.
Awards
Xanadu received the 1981 Razzie Award ( Golden Raspberry ) for Robert Greenwald for worst director; He was also nominated in the categories "Worst Actor" (Michael Beck), "Worst Actress" (Olivia Newton-John), "Worst Song", "Worst Film" and "Worst Screenplay". In 2005 he was also nominated for the special award “Worst Musical of our First 25 Years”.
Oliver Kalkofe presented Xanadu in his series The Worst Films of All Time .
Reviews
“A mixture of an old Hollywood musical with a new sound and modern choreography, sound strengths and light effects like a disco. Well staged, but burdened by penetrating kitsch breaks. "
“What Robert Greenwald offers as a staging on his screen debut does not go beyond organizational measures. This fabric, which needs the magic of happy rapture, is coarsely woven. Jute instead of shimmering silk. No trace of atmosphere. The athletic dancer of advanced age, Gene Kelly, looks downright chic in the midst of this lanky environment. On every local roller-skating rink you can see more talented runners than the youthful troupe who mimic exhilaration here. "
"But but! What other film can come up with Olivia Newton-John as a roller-skating lightbulb? "
“'[…] The efforts of Gene Kelly and the songs of the Electric Light Orchestra […] are of little help to the weak film .' (Rating: 1½ stars = moderate) "
"[...] When Olivia Newton-John and Michael Beck suddenly turn into cartoon characters in a love scene, the sweetness of which even Disney would have embarrassed, the climax of the kitsch nonsense is reached. And a low point in the history of the musical. "
On July 10, 2015, the film was shown as part of the Tele-5 series The Worst Films of All Time .
Web links
- Xanadu in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ronald M. Hahn , Volker Jansen, Norbert Stresau : Lexicon of Fantasy Films. 650 films from 1900 to 1986 . Heyne, Munich 1986, ISBN 3-453-02273-4 , pp. 568-569.
- ↑ Ronald M. Hahn , Volker Jansen, Norbert Stresau : Lexicon of Fantasy Films. 650 films from 1900 to 1986 . Heyne, Munich 1986, ISBN 3-453-02273-4 , p. 569.
- ^ Lexicon "Films on TV" (extended new edition). Rasch and Röhring, Hamburg 1990, ISBN 3-89136-392-3 , p. 944
- ↑ FilmtipPrograms , Time, October 17, 1980