The title pretty much says it all, this is a making-of special for the 1980 cult flick that's reputed to be a ginormous bomb - but which has actually been an never-ending cashcow for Universal Pictures. Back in the days when movies were predominantly marketed to video stores with a price tag of $100, Universal wisely marketed "Xanadu" to the general public for $10-$20, so it's never been difficult to obtain... unlike this awesome syndicated TV special, which has been consistently omitted from home media releases.
"Making Xanadu" includes what you'd expect; there are interviews with Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly, songwriters Jeff Lynne, John Farrar, and others. However, the real highlight is the unexpected - there's a bird's-eye-view of an alternate ending (in my opinion, it's superior) and a good look at the original version of "Suspended in Time," which was re-shot and pushed back later in the movie prior to the film's release (I don't think anyone would disagree that this scene looks superior either). Unfortunately, the final four minutes are kind of a letdown, as they wasted time chronicling the film's wrap party, where Olivia and other stars hopped around on the dance floor at the Xanadu club.
If you're a fan of the movie, this special is essential viewing... so it REALLY sucks that it's not legally available; all we have are multi-generational VHS dubs that fans have uploaded to You Tube.
