The Blues Brothers (1980)

Director:

John Landis

Writers:

Dan Aykroyd (written by) &
John Landis (written by)

Release Date:

20 June 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Music | Musical

Tagline:

They'll never get caught. They're on a mission from God.

Plot:

Jake Blues, just out from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and brother Elwood were raised.

Plot Keywords:

Younger Brother | Catholic | Brothers | Catholic Church | Couples

Awards:

1 win

Cast

John Belushi	...	'Joliet' Jake Blues (as Jake)
Dan Aykroyd	...	Elwood Blues (as Elwood)
James Brown	...	Reverend Cleophus James
Cab Calloway	...	Curtis
Ray Charles	...	Ray
Aretha Franklin	...	Mrs. Murphy
Steve Cropper	...	Steve 'The Colonel' Cropper
Donald Dunn	...	Donald 'Duck' Dunn
Murphy Dunne	...	Murphy 'Murph' Dunne
Willie Hall	...	Willie 'Too Big' Hall
Tom Malone	...	Tom 'Bones' Malone
Lou Marini	...	'Blue Lou' Marini
Matt Murphy	...	Matt 'Guitar' Murphy
Alan Rubin	...	Alan 'Mr. Fabulous' Rubin
Carrie Fisher	...	Mystery Woman

Runtime:

133 min | USA:148 min (extended version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (magnetic prints) | Mono (optical prints)

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Finland:K-11 (DVD rating) | Brazil:Livre | UK:AA (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

22 W. Van Buren Street, The Loop, Downtown, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The exteriors and many interiors at Daley Center were shot on location, including the shot of the Bluesmobile plowing through the courthouse lobby. In a 1998 interview for Universal, John Landis credited mob help for getting permission from the Cook County Board of Commissioners for this (alluding to the Board being mob-controlled at that time).

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: During one of the verses in "Sweet Home Chicago," Elwood's backing vocals are heard, even though he is on the stage catwalk dancing.

Quotes:

Elwood: This is definitely Lower Wacker Drive! If my estimations are correct, we should be very close to the Honorable Richard J. Daley Plaza!
Jake: That's where they got that Picasso.
Elwood: Yep.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'Blues Brothers 2000' (1998) (V)

Soundtrack:

SOOTHE ME

Nitro and Glycerin

A musical comedy action fantasy should not work, especially when one considers that it is the first SNL skit-to-screen adventure (which, history has shown us, is a decidedly mixed bag). But this one does. Two of the best car chases in cinematic history bookend the film, and in between there are show-stopping musical numbers, raw humor, Illinois Nazis, and a seriously disgruntled ex-fiancee. And it all makes perfect sense in the context of the universe created by Aykroyd (who co-wrote), Landis (who directed), and Belushi (his barely contained zeal provides the battery pack for this film).

Jake (Belushi) and Elwood (Aykroyd) are the former front men of a broken down blues band (actually a stunning collection of blues talent) which disbanded after Jake was arrested several years before. Upon his release, he discovers that his boyhood orphanage home is about to be foreclosed upon for non-payment of property taxes. Beaten up by a nun, sung to by James Brown, and touched by God, Jake sees the light and seeks to put the band together for one last show -- a charity benefit to save the orphanage.

Their journey takes them from James Brown to Aretha Franklin to Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker to Cab Calloway. The movie showcases the overwhelming talent of singers, musicians, and genres long out of vogue with popular musical tastes. Indeed, this movie is a vehicle for giving these performers a chance to shine -- to bring their music back to the masses and ultimately into pop-culture immortality (to go along with their more prestigious musical immortality).

This film is guaranteed to make you tap your feet, laugh out loud, gasp as both a mall and and entire fleet of Chicago police cars are destroyed, and believe in the magical powers of an old cop car. Like I said, it's a musical comedy action fantasy.

And it works.