I must confess that I am in love with Olivia Newton John. I fell in love with her and her music as a kid after watching Xanadu! The late 70's and early 80's seemed to be the golden age of musical movies. They just don't make em like they used to anymore. There is something about this movie that tugs at the heart strings. Maybe I was at a very impressionable age, seeing how Star Wars, which was released in the same era and had such an influence on my life. Maybe it was the fantastical premise of the story. Maybe it was the unforgettable music. Either way I still get goosebumps listening to the soundtrack. I feel like Gene Kelly's Danny Mcguire in the movie!
But we are getting ahead of ourselves. The movie has a very simple premise. Olivia plays a muse who is sent down to earth to inspire artist Sunny Malone, played by Michael Beck. Sonny is a struggling album cover painter who is trying to find his purpose in life. After encountering Kira, and finding her on a cover , he becomes obsessed with finding her. Kira appears to Sonny a few times and even at the studio he works in. They spend a lot of time together and eventually fall in love. Kira even introduces Sonny to her favorite place, which would later become Xanadu. While at the beach, he bumps into a former musician Danny Mcguire. The both of them share something in common, they were both touched by the same muse. Kira brings them together as big band meets rock and Xanadu is born. Interwoven into this is a forbidden love story between a mortal and a muse.
Olivia's haunting pipes gives an almost supernatural feel to songs like Magic, Suspended in Time and Suddenly, a duet with Cliff Richards. Olivia also gets to showcase her versatility when she does rock and country number at the end of the movie. ELO further contributes to the musical palette of the movie with such memorable tunes like I'm Alive, All Over the World and Don't Walk Away. And who can forget the main theme Xanadu. Grease may have been the word back then, but mine would always be Xanadu.
This blog post is dedicated to the memory of Olivia Newton John.
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