search

The Blues Brothers

The Blues Brothers

The Blues Brothers was way ahead of its time. Part slam-bang musical, part offbeat comedy, part chase picture and part road comedy, The Blues Brothers is an immensely enjoyable, truly original film that plays almost like a concert experience brought to the big screen. There are several wonderful cameos from musical blues legends including Ray Charles, James Brown and Aretha Franklin, among others, and the film spotlights two of SNL's most enigmatic players, Dan Aykroyd and the late, great John Belushi.

It's hard to imagine The Blues Brothers as a Saturday Night Live movie, but it is (the second most successful, just behind Wayne's World). And in many ways it's the best film of the bunch, filled with timeless comedy, a fun story and interesting characters that grow far more intriguing as the narrative progresses. The film does play a bit offbeat, but its irreverent style lends to the film's amusing quirkiness.

Even stranger is director John Landis' track record. After tickling our funny bone with the hilarious cult comedies Kentucky Fried Movie and Schlock (if you haven't seen either film, see them), he went on to make Animal House, The Blues Brothers and American Werewolf in London – all in a row. Impressive. Sadly, outside of the '80s, the rest of Landis' career is a little more spotty.

But Landis was at the top of his game with this comedy/musical hybrid. The film, while incredibly overlong (even more so in the extended cut), is surprisingly well paced, with plenty of gags as well as some long-winded, but fun, musical numbers, some of which may drag the film down for folks not in love with the blues.

The Blues Brothers will always stand as one of the great comedies of the early '80s. It never ceases to be funny, and it's filled with love, spirit, awesome action sequences (the chase in the mall is particularly impressive), memorable moments and great music.

The Blues Brothers sings its way to Blu-ray complete with two cuts of the film – the 133-minute theatrical cut and the extended 148-minute cut. If you're a diehard fan, you'll want to check out the extended cut. It's a bit meandering, but enjoyable nonetheless. Sadly, this disc skips out on a DVD copy or Digital Copy of the film. Including the film's less-adored sequel, Blues Brothers 2000 would have been a neat addition as well.

Other extras include three featurettes previously found on the original DVD. There's an hour-long look at the making of the film, another retrospective that runs just 15 minutes, and a look at comedian John Belushi. While this featurette is billed as the "ultimate portrait" of the late actor, the 10-minute running time doesn't quite do the man's legacy much justice. The disc also includes the usual BD exclusives, from BD-Live connectivity, the Ticker and pocketBlu. As an added bonus, the disc is D-Box enabled.

Even better, this Blu-ray release features a fresh, remastered 1080p/AVC transfer approved by director John Landis. I've never been blown away by any transfer this film has received. The Blues Brothers has always had sort of a junky look to it. It's unrefined, gritty and, well, filled with the blues. But that's kinda the film's charm. So how does Blues fare on Blu? Well, pretty damn great. The film still retains its gritty charm and soft, sometimes hazy images, but this is easily the sharpest, cleanest, brightest version of this film out there. It's bold, filled with detail and texture. And it's occasionally quite striking, especially close-ups. The encode is spotless, too, with nary a compression artifact or distortion in sight.

But there's a catch, and it's a big one. The extended cut features nearly 18 minutes of bonus footage, and from the looks of it, this footage was not nearly as polished as the rest of the film. The disc warns audiences of the this fault, but does little explain the situation. I'm guessing there was some sort of problem with the stock. Or perhaps someone else cleaned this footage up. Or it's even possible this footage was upconverted from the original DVD master. I have no idea. Regardless, the result is an overcooked, ugly palette with heavy blown-out contrast and an ugly green tinge that plagues every moment. So, quite sadly, be prepared to notice when the film switches between the theatrical footage and extended footage.

Audio is presented in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and it's an uproarious listening experience surprisingly rich with atmosphere, crisp dialogue and thumping bass. The musical numbers are absolutely delightful, with impressive, organically mixed surround cues and clean, energetic front audio. However, yet again, the extended cut isn't quite as clean. Dialogue succumbs to a few high-end crackles and distortions in this deleted footage. This is either some sort of upconversion or the best this footage can look and sound.

The Blues Brothers is a comedy/musical treat seasoned with some truly performances, enjoyable musical numbers and several awesome car chases. Sure the story's a little light, especially considering the 133-minute running time, but there's enough memorable moments to keep audiences entertained.

— R.L. Shaffer, IGN.com

The Blues Brothers

Sat April 20, Muenzinger Auditorium

USA, 1980, in English, Color, 133 min, 1.85 : 1

Director: John Landis, Writer: Dan Aykroyd, John Landis, Cast: Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles

recommend

Tickets

10 films for $60 with punch card
$9 general admission. $7 w/UCB student ID, $7 for senior citizens
$1 discount to anyone with a bike helmet
Free on your birthday! CU Cinema Studies students get in free.

Parking

Pay lot 360 (now only $1/hour!), across from the buffalo statue and next to the Duane Physics tower, is closest to Muenzinger. Free parking can be found after 5pm at the meters along Colorado Ave east of Folsom stadium and along University Ave west of Macky.

RTD Bus

Park elsewhere and catch the HOP to campus

International Film Series

(Originally called The University Film Commission)
Established 1941 by James Sandoe.

First Person Cinema

(Originally called The Experimental Cinema Group)
Established 1955 by Carla Selby, Gladney Oakley, Bruce Conner and Stan Brakhage.

C.U. Film Program

(AKA The Rocky Mountain Film Center)
First offered degrees in filmmaking and critical studies in 1989 under the guidance of Virgil Grillo.

Celebrating Stan

Created by Suranjan Ganguly in 2003.

C.U. Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts

Established 2017 by Chair Ernesto Acevedo-Muñoz.

Thank you, sponsors!
Boulder International Film Festival
Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts

Looking for a gift for a friend?
Buy a Frequent Patron Punch Card for $60 at any IFS show. With the punch card you can see ten films (a value of $90).

We Want Your Feedback

Cox & Kjølseth
: Filmmaker Alex Cox & Pablo Kjølseth discuss film topics from their own unique perspectives.

Z-briefs
: Pablo and Ana share Zoom-based briefs on what's currently playing at IFS

Search IFS schedules

Index of visiting artists

Mon Apr 1, 2024

Hot Shots! Part Deux

At Muenzinger Auditorium

Sat Apr 20, 2024

Super Mario Bros.

At Muenzinger Auditorium

more on 35mm...