normal
bold
narrow
normal
bold
The Blues Brothers

The Blues Brothers

Universal Studios (Jun 20, 1980)
Comedy | Musical | Revenge
USA | English | Color | 02:28
25th Anniversary Edition
Blu-ray
R (Restricted)
025192073007
| 2 discs
Region A
Keep Case

After building up the duo's popularity through recordings and several performances on Saturday Night Live, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd--as "legendary" Chicago blues brothers Jake and Elwood Blues--took their act to the big screen in this action-packed hit from 1980. As Jake and Elwood struggle to reunite their old band and save the Chicago orphanage where they were raised, they wreak enough good-natured havoc to attract the entire Cook County police force. The result is a big-budget stunt-fest on a scale rarely attempted before or since, including extended car chases that result in the wanton destruction of shopping malls and more police cars than you can count. Along the way there's plenty of music to punctuate the action, including performances by Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, and James Brown that are guaranteed to knock you out. As played with deadpan wit by Belushi and Aykroyd, the Blues Brothers are "on a mission from God," and that gives them a kind of reckless glee that keeps the movie from losing its comedic appeal. Otherwise this might have been just a bloated marathon of mayhem that quickly wears out its welcome (which is how some critics described this film and its 1998 sequel). Keep an eye out for Steven Spielberg as the city clerk who stamps some crucial paperwork near the end of the film.--Jeff Shannon




After the release of Jake Blues from prison, he and brother Elwood go to visit "The Penguin", the last of the nuns who raised them in a boarding school. They learn the Archdiocese will stop supporting the school and will sell the place to the Education Authority. The only way to keep the place open is if the $5000 tax on the property is paid within 11 days. The Blues Brothers want to help, and decide to put their blues band back together and raise the the money by staging a big gig. As they set off on their "mission from God" they seem to make more enemies along the way. Will they manage to come up with the money in time.
Written by Sami Al-Taher




Fresh out of the slammer, Jake Blues, along with his brother Elwood, visit the Catholic home where they both grew up. They find out that it will soon shut down because of lack of funds and support. One misguided spiritual revelation later, they go in search of reuniting their old blues band and raise the $5000 to pay off the home's taxes. As they go on their way to perform in the perfect big-paying gig for the group, their adventure takes many unexpected detours and encounters with zany characters, the police, revenge-seeking militant groups, angry country singers and psychotic former girlfriends.
Written by Marielle




SYNOPSIS

A prisoner is roused and escorted through Joliet Prison in Illinois. Is he on his way to the gallows? No, he's up for "standard parole". His personal items are returned to him, including a broken watch and prophylactics. The prisoner is released -- it is Jake (John Belushi). He meets his brother Elwood (Dan Akroyd). These are the Blues Brothers. Elwood has shown up in a used Plymouth police car after having traded in their old Cadillac for a microphone. Demonstrating the power of the car, with its cop tires, cop suspension, and 440 cubic-inch powerplant, Elwood convinces Jake that this is the new Bluesmobile.

They go see the Penguin, head nun at the Catholic orphanage they grew up in. She explains that they need $5,000 to pay taxes, or else the orphanage will be closed.

They meet up with their old friend and father figure Curtis (Cab Calloway) who advises them to "get yourself to church". They go to a Baptist church, where Reverend Cleophus James (James Brown) delivers an uplifting sermon. Jake "sees the light" realizing that he must put the Blues Brothers Band back together in order to raise the $5,000. Now they are on a mission from God.

The Bluesmobile gets pulled over. Through SCMODS (State County Municipal Offender Database System), the officers learn that Elwood has numerous outstanding traffic tickets and moving violations. The police intend to impound the car, but Elwood takes off, leading to a car chase. The Blues Brothers get away (destroying a shopping mall in the process), but now the Illinois authorities are searching for them.

A mystery woman (Carrie Fisher) blows up their apartment building, but they walk away from the rubble (as do the cops who were just about to apprehend them).

Trying to find their old band members, who have since taken other jobs, they visit a boarding house where one of the members had previously stayed. The lady doesn't remember where he went, but at the last minute she finds a business card with "Murph and the Magictones" on it. They find Murph and the Magictones playing at a Holiday Inn lounge. Murph and the others agree to rejoin the Blues Brothers Band.

Jake and Elwood visit the swanky Chez Paul restaurant, where another band member is maitre'd. The brothers behave offensively while eating a meal, tossing food and offering to buy women. Promising that they'll be back to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day at this restaurant until he joins them, the maitre'd reluctantly agrees.

John Lee Hooker plays outside a soul food restaurant. Inside the restaurant, the brothers meet Matt 'Guitar' Murphy and 'Blue' Lou Marini. Matt's wife (Aretha Franklin) sings "Think", warning Matt to think about it before leaving the restaurant they own. Matt and Lou quit, and the band is complete. The band's first stop is Ray's Music Exchange. The proprietor Ray (Ray Charles) shows off the action in a keyboard, singing "Shake A Tail Feather". The band buys $1400 worth of instruments, on an I.O.U.

The Blues Brother's first gig is at Bob's Country Bunker, where the Good Old Boys are scheduled to play. Passing themselves off as the Good Old Boys, the Blues Brothers manage to play both types of music (Country and Western). They earn $200, but drink $300 worth of beer. They skip out, chased by the late-arriving Good Old Boys and Bob. They get away when the pursuing truck is t-boned by cops who have spotted the Bluesmobile. The cop deadpans, "boys, you are in big trouble".

The mystery woman fires a flamethrower at Jake and Elwood in a telephone booth, blowing up nearby propane tank. The brothers, still on their mission from God, emerge unscathed. In a sauna the next day, Jake and Elwood have a business meeting with promoter Maury Sline (Steve Lawrence) who agrees to book the Palace Hotel Ballroom for them tomorrow night.

Proclaiming "I hate Illinois Nazis", Elwood uses the Bluesmobile to force Nazis to jump off a bridge. Now they've gained another set of enemies, who vow to find them and kill them.

The word goes out on the streets -- Jake and Elwood swipe an enormous air-raid siren, strap it to the roof of the Bluesmobile, and use it as a loudspeaker to make announcements thoughout the city about the upcoming concert. They run out of gas. The local gas station is also out of gas. Elwood flirts with a chic lady (Twiggy) while waiting for the tanker truck to arrive.

The Blues Brothers Band play their concert at the Palace Hotel, beginnning with "Minnie The Moocher" as they wait for Jake and Elwood to arrive. Having heard about the concert, the authorities lead by Burton Mercer (John Candy) stake out the joint, planning to apprehend them after the show. Jake and Elwood sneak past the cops and join the band. The crowd is unmoved at first but are soon cheering. The band plays so well that a producer for a major record company offers them $10,000 cash as an advance on their first recording session. Jake and Elwood accept the offer and keep $5000, asking the producer to send $1400 to Ray's Music Exchange and to give the rest to the band. The brothers take off through a trap door in the stage while the band plays on.

The mystery woman confronts them in an underground tunnel, firing an automatic weapon at them. Pleading for his life, Jake removes his sunglasses for the first time in the film. She melts, smiles "oh, Jake", and kisses him. He pushes her to the ground, saying "let's go".

The police begin realizing the brothers are making their escape. Jake and Elwood are in the Bluesmobile with 106 miles to get to Chicago, a full tank of gas, a half pack of cigarettes, at night, and they're wearing sunglasses. An epic car chase begins as the Blues Brothers head towards Chicago to pay the taxes. Numerous police cars tumble off an embankment, and one ends up in a truck. As they approach the city, all authorities are alerted and "the use of excessive force is approved" in their apprehension. The chase continues in Chicago, reaching speeds of 110 mph on Lower Wacker Drive. Dozens of police cars continue to pile up. Hearing chatter on the police radios, the Nazis spot the Bluesmobile and give chase. The Bluesmobile stops at the edge of a highway overpass under construction, but the Nazis tumble over the edge. Jake and Elwood arrive at Daley Plaza just in time, as their car literally falls apart.

The police buildup continues absurdly, with National Guard units, helicopters, and SWAT teams getting involved. Jake and Elwood hastily make their way to the Cook County Assessor's Office, barring doors and sabotaging an elevator on the way. Hundreds of troops are in pursuit. They pay the taxes. The moment the tax receipt is handed to them they are handcuffed, surrounded by countless troops with pointed firearms.

The Blues Brothers Band play their next concert in prison, beginning with "Jailhouse Rock".


Cast View all

Tom Erhart Prison Guard
Gerald Walling Prison Guard
John Belushi Joliet Jake
Walter Levine Prison Guard
Frank Oz Corrections Officer
Dan Aykroyd Elwood
Kathleen Freeman Sister Mary Stigmata
Cab Calloway Curtis
Alonzo Atkins Choirmaster
James Brown Reverend Cleophus James
Chaka Khan Choir Soloist
Southern California Community Choir Choir
Armand Cerami Trooper Daniel
Steven Williams Trooper Mount
Stephen Bishop Charming Trooper
John Landis Trooper La Fong
Kristi Oleson Sales Girl
Gary McLarty Man in Toy Store
Carrie Fisher Mystery Woman
Joe Cuttone Lloyd
Layne Britton The Cheese Whiz
John Candy Burton Mercer
Toni Fleming Mrs. Tarantino
Murphy Dunne Murph
Steve Cropper Steve 'The Colonel' Cropper

Personal

Owner Kerry & Dawn
Location Movies-04
Storage Device TD 02
Purchased Sep 09, 2005
Quantity 1
Seen Apr 10, 2020
Added Date May 17, 2015 05:39:02
Modified Date Apr 17, 2024 00:46:03

Edition details

Screen Ratios 1.85 (16:9) Anamorphic
Audio Tracks Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Surround - English
Dolby Surround - French
Dolby Surround - Spanish
Subtitles English | French | Spanish
Layers Dual side, Dual layer
Edition Release Date Aug 30, 2005

Notes

VersionRun Time
Extended Version2:28
Theatrical Version2:13
  • The Collectors' Edition on DVD runs 18 minutes longer than the original release and includes the following expanded or newly added scenes:
    • The two Joilet guards come to get Jake in his cell and have trouble waking him up.

    • One additional line from Frank Oz as he rattles off Jake's material possessions.

    • An additional line for the Penguin regarding missions: "I'll be sent to the missions... Africa, Latin America... Korea."

    • Jake and Elwood discuss getting the money for the mission honestly outside of the Triple Rock Baptist Church.

    • The "The Old Landmark" number is considerably longer, incorporating more dance sequences and extra verses.

    • After the demolition derby in the shopping mall Elwood parks the Bluesmobile in a hiding place beside an electrical power box. (John Landis explains that Aykroyd thought this would show how the car gets its incredible endurance, but also goes on to explain that it never did make any sense, so the scene was cut.)

    • A few extra lines of dialog when Elwood and Jake rest in his apartment.

    • When the cops come to arrest Jake and Elwood in the motel, they first stop at the registration desk and intimidate the manager. They also greet Sam, who seems to be known by everyone.

    • An entire sequence with Elwood boosting chemicals from his day job, then quitting the job to become a priest, is restored.

    • After the above sequence, Jake and Elwood study a cigarette box with "the last known address of Bones Malone and Blue Lou Marini".

    • After getting the new address of Bones Malone, Elwoods thanks Ms Tarantino before leaving.

    • Jake has an extra line of dialog while pep-talking Murph and the Magictones at the Holiday Inn ("Now, who here at this table can honestly say that they played any finer or felt any better than they did when they played with the Blues Brothers?")

    • One line of dialog for Henry Gibson is restored for the Illinois Nazis scene at the bridge, with regards to the swastika ("The sacred and ancient symbol of your race since the beginning of time!")

    • The "Boom Boom" number is much longer, with extra shots of John Lee Hooker laughing and arguing with his band. Jake and Elwood watch for a moment then enter the Soul Food Cafe.

    • "Think" has extra verses and shots of dancing.

    • When the band arrives at Bob's Country Bunker, Bob hands the request list to Bones Malone, who looks at it blankly.

    • The "Theme from Rawhide" and "Stand By Your Man" numbers are slightly longer.

    • The original Picwood preview included another musical number, "Sink the Bismark", but that footage has been lost.

    • More lines of dialog for Maury Sline in the steam room scene, mostly regarding to the old gigs having been turned into (gay) discos.

    • When Jake fills up the tank for the Bluesmobile, he overfills it and gas spills over. When they peel out from the station, Elwood flicks a cigarette out of the window and causes the station to explode. (Landis now says he doesn't remember why this particular scene was cut.)

    • Before the sound-check Curtis (Cab Calloway) explains to the band that they need to do it for the kids, since the Blues Brothers will use the money raised from that concert to pay the taxes for a church. The look on the faces of the band after they hear it is priceless!

    • The "Minnie the Moocher" number is considerably extended.

    • As Jake and Elwood sneak into the show, Elwood takes the chemicals that he stole from the show and sneaks them into the tires of the cop cars.

    • Both the "Everybody Needs Someone to Love" and "Sweet Home Chicago" numbers are extended.

    • When Jake and Elwood sneak out, the gas in the cop cars tires reacts and causes the tires to explode on some to delay the police.

    • An alternate line of dialog for Carrie Fisher in the sewer when she confronts Jake, about how her father "used up her last favors" with the Mafia for her wedding. In the original release it was changed due to complaints of the Italian-American community.

    • The lengthy climactic chase to (and through) Chicago features many extra lines and shots of racing autos.

    • The "assault on Daley plaza" and the Assessor's Office scenes also feature extra lines and shots.

    • The "Jailhouse Rock" number is slightly longer.

    • As the prisoners riot at the end of the film, there is a brief shot of riot-geared police guards racing into the mess hall that has been added. It changes the end of the film subtly.

    • The "cast of characters" and end credits are extended to accommodate the new footage.


  • Similar to Animal House and American Werewolf in London, the 5.1 remix on the Blu-ray release replaces many of the old sound effects like car crash sounds, gunshots, and explosions.

  • When the extended version was created in 1998, a 5.1 remix was created that contained a bunch of alterations. Some of the cues were re-arranged and re-edited to accommodate for the added scenes and a bunch of sound effects were replaced with more modern ones. It even goes as far as to use an alternate vocal recording for Sweet Home Chicago during the stage performance scene. The movie was re-released on DVD in 2005 and for the first time on the format contained the original theatrical version as well. This DVD had only the original stereo mix for the theatrical version. However, when the blu-ray release came out, Universal integrated the 5.1 remix into the theatrical version and as a result, songs are now miscued, the sound effects replacement is still there, and there are some audio edits that are obvious whenever a scene from the extended version wasn't present in the theatrical version. In addition to that it still contains the alternate vocal take for Sweet Home Chicago. The original stereo mix isn't included as a second option for this version on the US blu-ray release.

  • With exceptions of pay-per-view networks that air the original theatrical format, most TV prints removed strong profanity usage (leaving some of the milder language intact) and brief shots of nude girl pics. Some TV airings removed Jake Blues' line "It's not my fault, I swear to God!"

  • The film was originally intended to be an old-fashioned roadshow attraction. The original cut of the film had an intermission and may have run as long as three hours. Landis was asked to cut the film after premiering a lengthy director's cut (of an answer print) at the Picwood Theatre in West Los Angeles. That version has been lost. Landis originally tried to restore the original cut several years ago, but found that Universal had thrown out all the outs, trims, negatives, and mix tracks. Landis and George Folsey Jr. restored 18 minutes from another preview print on an AVID for the Collectors' Edition, and correctly timed the picture so that Stephen Katz's photography looks as it was intended to look.

  • Some network TV prints omit the Universal globe logo at the end, and replace the Universal Studios logos with the "Ask Babs" byline at the end of the closing credits with scenes from their "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" number followed by the Universal Studios Globe Logo.





What is the music playing in this scene?
In chronological order:
  1. Somebody Loan Me a Dime: Performed by Fenton Robinson (Playing in the background while Jake is being released from Prison)

  2. She Caught the Katy: Performed by The Blues Brothers Band (Playing in the background while Elwood picks up Jake from Prison)

  3. Shake Your Moneymaker: Performed by Elmore James (Playing in the background while Jake and Elwood are with Curtis at the orphanage)

  4. The Old Landmark: Performed by James Brown and James Cleveland's Southern California Community Choir (The song Reverend Cleophus James performs in the Triple Rock Baptist Church)

  5. God Music: By Elmer Bernstein (Playing in the Church when Jake "Sees the Light")

  6. Soothe Me: Performed by Sam and Dave (Playing in the Bluesmobile when Elwood is pulled over by the police)

  7. Hold on, I'm Comin': Performed by Sam and Dave (Playing in the Bluesmobile during the first police chase, in the mall car parking lot)

  8. Can't Turn You Loose: Performed by The Blues Brothers Band (Playing while the Bluesmobile drives through the Mall)

  9. Peter Gunn Theme: Performed by The Blues Brothers Band (Playing while Elwood takes Jake to his home)

  10. Let The Good Times Roll: Performed by Louis Jordan (The record Elwood puts on when he is at his apartment with Jake)

  11. Anema e Core: Performed by Ezio Pinza (Playing in the background at Mrs Tarantino's house)

  12. Quando, Quando, Quando: Performed by Murph and the MagicTones (Murph and his band play this at the Holiday Inn)

  13. Just the Way You Are: Performed by (unknown) (The music playing in the background at the Holiday Inn)

  14. Die Romantiker (Op 167) by Josef Lanner: Performed by (unknown) (The music playing in the background during the entire Chez Paul scene)

  15. Boom Boom: Performed by John Lee Hooker (Performed in Maxwell Street by Street Slim)

  16. Think: Performed by Aretha Franklin and The Blues Brothers Band (The song Matt's wife sings in the Soul Food Cafe)

  17. Shake a Tailfeather: Performed by Ray Charles and The Blues Brothers Band (The song Ray sings at Ray's Music Exchange)

  18. Boogie Chillun: Performed by John Lee Hooker (Playing while Jake and Elwood take the band to Bob's Country Bunker)

  19. Your Cheatin' Heart: Performed by Kitty Wells (Playing in the background in Bob's Country Bunker)

  20. Gimme Some Lovin': Performed by The Blues Brothers Band (The first song performed at Bob's Country Bunker by The Blues Brothers Band)

  21. Theme from Rawhide: Performed by The Blues Brothers Band (The second song performed at Bob's Country Bunker by The Blues Brothers Band)

  22. Stand by Your Man: Performed by The Blues Brothers Band (The third song performed at Bob's Country Bunker by The Blues Brothers Band)

  23. I'm Walkin': Performed by Fats Domino (Playing while Jake, Elwood, Curtis and the orphans are out advertising for the concert)

  24. Minnie the Moocher: Performed by Cab Calloway and The Blues Brothers Band (The song Curtis performs with the Blues Brothers Band)

  25. Can't Turn You Loose: Performed by The Blues Brothers Band (The song the band plays while Curtis introduces Jake and Elwood, includes the organ riff from "Time is Tight")

  26. Everybody Needs Somebody: Performed by The Blues Brothers Band (The first song Jake and Elwood perform at the Palace Hotel Ballroom)

  27. Sweet Home Chicago: Performed by The Blues Brothers Band (The second song Jake and Elwood perform at the Palace Hotel Ballroom, and also during the following car chase)

  28. Ride of the Valkyries: Performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (Playing whilst the Nazis fall from the sky)

  29. The Girl from Ipanema: Performed by (unknown) (Music playing in the elevator)

  30. Jailhouse Rock: Performed by The Blues Brothers Band (The song the band plays in prison and during the credits)

Tags

Bicycles Birds Car In Building Chicago IL Churches Dogs Flying Automobiles Helicopters Horses Prison Trains Watercraft