What a trip this movie is. I was equally fascinated and obsessed with Xanadu as a child. We had Showtime and so I got to see it over and over. I watched it so many times that my parents began to forbid me from watching it. I'm not sure what they were afraid would happen. Maybe they thought I would start dreaming about becoming a rollerdisco queen or something. When I see it nowadays, it seems silly and very dated. Think of the once pioneering technology of Tron compared to the CGI wizardry of modern-day films like The Lord of the Rings. And yet there was something strangely magical and addictive about all the neon lights and cheesy musical sequences. This movie captivated me like no other at the time. I loved Olivia Newton-John, so I saw this movie through the rose-colored glasses of a child. As a result, I would go on to love Flashdance, Footloose, and other such dance films. I dare you to watch the final scene and not get sucked into dancing and singing along with the title song!
What's more, I just realized something very interesting. We were watching Xanadu tonight and something struck me about Olivia's character name, Kyra. I have always thought this was a pretty name and couldn't remember where I had first heard it. In college, I knew a girl by that name and can't recall ever meeting anyone else by the same name. Well, when I got pregnant with my daughter, I wanted to name her Kyra. My husband wasn't crazy about it, so it eventually ended up getting extended to Kirsten. I had never considered the origin of my fascination with that name and now having seen Xanadu for the first time in years, it all makes sense to me now. Wierd how we remember things long ago forgotten. I am always on the hunt for obscure movies I saw as a child and Xanadu is a great find for me. Next up, Hawk the Slayer and All Summer in a Day (a Ray Bradbury short film).
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