One aspect I noticed of the Blues brother was that its plot was symbolic of the impacts that blues had on society. First, Blues was becoming more popular than and was edging out country music, which is mirrored by how the Good Ole Boys were chasing after the Blues Brothers. In addition, the Blues Brothers were able to win over a southern crowd who were fans of country music. Similarly, the Blues Brothers were being pursued by the Nazis. Blues was developed and performed mainly by African American musicians. African American musicians were gaining fame and affluence due to the Blues they performed, and this of course incurred a racist backlash, with many calling Blues “the devil’s music”, which is embodied by the armed Nazis that try to kill the Blues Brothers. A scene that reinforces this was when the Blues Brothers tried to run over the Nazis, causing them to jump off the bridge. It showed how Blues was able to overcome to racist barriers in its way and become very popular.
Category Archives: 1/December/2017 – Friday Film – The Blues Brothers
The Merge of Good and Bad
I enjoy watching movies that don’t take themselves too seriously, and I never say no to a good action movie. Described as a “musical crime comedy film,” the Blues Brothers seemingly hit everything I look for in a film. However, it fell extremely short of my hopeful expectations. I thought the movie was ludicrous throughout, completely random, and didn’t develop any redeeming characters. Though the overall plot made sense and was followed, the utter lack of normalcy in any of the scenes made me cringe. At many points, for example, during the scene at the restaurant of the band member, I found myself asking “why?” mentally. The whole movie seemed overdone and unnecessary. It reminded me of children’s movies, where the characters are often overly exaggerated.
The brothers were on a selfless, admirable quest, yet, to reach their goal they conducted themselves in thoughtless, criminal ways. The religious undertones of the film were apparent and well-done. The protagonists’ goal was portrayed as a mission from God. However, the protagonists were very flawed as past thieves. This juxtaposition between the goodness of their intention and the sinful nature of their behavior portrays the idea that we are all sinners but we can work towards redemption.
Despite my personal negative opinion of the movie, it seems to have a large cult of fans. I enjoyed the music in the film very much and thought it the only redeeming aspect of the movie. Though the Blue Brothers was not for me, I’m glad to have crossed it off my list.
A Mission From God
Prior to last Friday, I had never seen The Blues Brothers, and I didn’t generally know what it was about. A friend of mine mentioned that it was one of their favorites, and it’s been hanging out on my mental “to-watch” list, so I was excited to see it listed.
The Blues Brothers surpassed my expectations, nonexistent though they were. I think that one of my favorite parts of the film was the music. In general, I was especially surprised by the escalating over-the-top-ness. After every crash or explosion, I thought, okay, that’s it then, but a few scenes later, there would follow an even more dramatic incident.
In the end, the brothers succeed in saving the orphanage. However, the cost of their journey catches up to them, and they are immediately arrested. In the final scene, we see them playing for the other inmates with armed guards standing above the hall. As the prisoners start to get rowdy, even more guards are called in. Meanwhile, on the wall behind the stage is written in friendly bold letters, “It’s never too late to mend.” It’s interesting to see that contrast between a message about the importance of second chances and the firm oppression that has been applied.
Left me blue
When I first read the description for The Blues Brothers, I thought it would be the type of movie I enjoyed. It turns out, this “musical crime comedy” wasn’t what I expected. I had never heard of The Blues Brothers, and I was surprised that multiple people had voted for it to be shown. Unfortunately, this got my hopes up.
I thought this was going to be a bubbly, stage-musical-esque film, but it turns out that it wasn’t really. There were definitely parts of the film that resembled this – like the first church scene and when Aretha Franklin broke out in song, but other than that, I wasn’t a big fan of the story. Perhaps the main characters, I couldn’t call them protagonists, were too unsettling for me. Maybe it was their blatant disregard for the well-being of others and their own hygiene. Perhaps I just didn’t like seeing morally bad people getting away with all of their nonsense.
Really, the two main Blues brothers just got annoying. Their obnoxious behavior got old really quickly. There were surprise Nazis in the middle of the movie, there was a crazy ex who was creating military-grade weaponry, and they somehow were able to outrun whole police departments. I can deal with some suspension of disbelief, but overall it was just too much for me. The characters weren’t likeable enough for me to get the story. I did laugh at certain lines and generally enjoy dark humor and satire, but the Blues brothers didn’t have redeemable qualities. They didn’t care about strangers, but were also inconsiderate to their supposed friends. They misled them about their plans, they ruined one guy’s job, they ruined another’s relationship – all for $5000.
Were there definitely messages about religion, racial issues, and the militarization and brutality of American police, I personally didn’t find the film worth watching. HAD Hill mentioned that the cast consisted of a lot of big-name musicians, but I wasn’t that into the music either. Personally, I didn’t see the appeal of the movie, but there are clearly others who enjoy it, so to each their own.
Carrie Fisher with a Rocket Launcher
The Blues Brothers is one of the most absurd pieces of cinema I have ever seen, and yet I found myself enjoying its pure madness due to how the movie goes explicitly out of its way to not take itself too seriously. From a levitating nun, to over-the-top car chases through a mall, and (certainly my most favorite of all) Carrie Fisher randomly appearing with a rocket launcher, this movie is madness distilled into a film. Yet despite its absurdities, I believe this film overall was a celebration of jazz and the Blues and the culture (particularly Black culture) that is infused within such music. The narrative centered around two brothers embarking on a wild journey to reassemble their Blues band in the face of adversity from violent police, country singers (an embodiment of traditional southern white music), and even Nazis. Although released in 1980, these antagonizing forces have become all too relevant in very recent history, making viewing this movie quite timely. The Blues Brothers does an excellent job of noting these poignant realities while also making sure to belittle them in the most amusing of ways. Overall, this film was quite enjoyable–meriting its rather long viewing time–and it places particular emphasis on key themes that are all too relatable 37 years later.
RIP Gas Station Guy
I did not enjoy The Blues Brothers. I think I just must have an unusually low tolerance for car chases (of which this movie has so many I lost count) and the general sort of humor in the film, which I’m going to very broadly define as “foolish men with very good luck”. That said, the film does have a fairly strong conclusion. The filmmakers upped the absurdity enough that it started to work for me.
Even if you don’t like the comedy, I do think the film is worth watching for the excellent musical performances. I watched this film knowing absolutely nothing about Blues music (to the extent that I’m not sure if it’s technically correct to describe this as Blues, bear with me). My favorite would have to be Aretha Franklin singing “Think”, though all are excellent.
“The Blues Brothers” is also a film that becomes considerably more interesting upon reflection. During the film, the Blues Brothers are consistently pursued by the police. The intent of the film seems to be satirizing the militarization of the police and the use of excessive force to pursue and capture two people who, for all their causing of mayhem, are essentially harmless and goodhearted. I, however, felt the film undermined itself on this one. In one of the earlier scenes, the Blues Brothers lead the police on a car chase through a mall. The Blues Brothers also accidentally blow up a gas station, which had somebody working in it, who probably died. I think this is the reason this film did not work for me, because I am the sort of person who thinks about the probable offscreen deaths of gas station attendants with one line. All this being said, the film is making an interesting point and topical point.
The running time of this film is 132 minutes. Personally, I think it would have been better had it been shorter. The high points of this movie were the musical numbers and the more cutting satire. If anything, the plot and some of the scenes with the central protagonists got in the way of my enjoyment of Blues Brothers. That said, there is something very interesting about a film which explores themes of police militarization and Neo-Nazism by following two white men who just sort of float above it all. I did not enjoy Blues Brothers, but I think it is a film worth watching for the messages it conveys.
Funny Blues Brothers
This movie was highly enjoyable. I had never seen it before, but later talking with older family members I realized that all of them had. It’s a classic and a very funny one. The movie was hilarious and I will always have the excuse that I am on a mission from God in my back pocket. I recommend The Blues Brothers to anyone who has never seen it, because it is a wild, hilarious, and worth it ride.
Get Right Church (and let’s go home)
I was initially taken aback by the movie. Last Friday was the first time I had seen the classic film, “The Blues Brothers”. It reminded me of popular discussions regarding the appropriation of black culture. I wasn’t offended when I watched the movie. Many parts of the movie reflected my own culture and it’s history but in a comical way. I even felt as if some parts were funny but for some reason I was still uncomfortable.
There was a hyperbolic scene imitating a black baptist, pentecostal, or AME church’s worship on any given Sunday morning. There were deacons flipping like acrobats led by the very secular singer who I had recognized to be James Brown. Were non POC Rose Scholars laughing because they knew it was all an over exaggeration or is this how they will go on imaging black christian culture? Will they ever develop a serious appreciation for the history of blues and the credit due black people or will it always be a joke?
This comedic church scene frightened me because it had no context. I grew up a deaconess and minister’s daughter in a black baptist church in northwest D.C.. The gospel music moved me and still moves me today. No, clouds don’t part and sun beams don’t shine through the stain glass windows of the church when someone is introduced to my faith but I’ve seen the power of the music in more subtle ways. I want people who don’t understand to see the power of the music. I want them to understand before they laugh.
There are lots of other concerns I have that I won’t give the attention they deserve. I’m worried that the worship of my culture is unfairly compared to historically white anglo saxon worship. I went to a PWI boarding school for girls in high school. My first 2 years there, on Sundays, they only took us to all white (except for me) episcopal and catholic churches. The worship was quiet. Very quiet. I know some people like this better and connect better with God this way but it shouldn’t be viewed as the proper way to worship. I’m scared this Blues Brother’s scene and others like it will lead people to subconsciously view traditional black gospel worship as exotic, unproductive, and maybe even improper.
P.S.
I sorta like James Brown. We shouldn’t tell my parents because they made me skip his songs on old soul Christmas C.D.s. They don’t like how James Brown’s Christmas songs distract from the true meaning of Christmas. I wonder how they’d feel about him being depicted as a pastor.
What a Wonderful Surprise
I am not a big fan of what I consider to be “old movies” (please don’t judge me). I find it hard to relate or get entertained but the movie, Blues Brothers was the exception! I absolutely loved it for its timeless comedy as well as its good jazz music.
The movie begins with Jake Blues, half of the Blues Brothers coming out of prison. After reuniting with his brother Elwood they go visit the boarding school they grew up in. However, once they go inside they are told that the school is in financial trouble. The only way to save the school is to pay $5000 in 11 days. The brothers decide to save their boarding school by putting their band back together.
My friends and I loved how many enemies the brothers seemed to get along the way. For example, when the Nazis were on the bridge saying “I hate Illinois Nazis” and Elwood uses the Bluesmobile to make the Nazis jump off the bridge. Yet, as my friends and I discuss it days after we watched it- we drew on the white supremacist rally, especially in Charlottesville. Although I laughed about how the police and Nazis were after the brothers one cannot help but think of how relatable this movie is. I really appreciated how this movie made me think about the things going on right now.
Those Bums Won Their Court Case
The Blues Brothers is one of my all time favorite movies. That’s why I voted to have it shown as the last film for this semester. However, I hadn’t seen it in a few years. I was curious how it would hold up – I knew the movie had a lot of content revolving around black culture, but I was wondering how scenes like the scene in the Church with James Brown would hold up against a more modern lens. I was beyond surprised with how much I noticed on this viewing about the themes of the movie.
The ostensible goal of the Blues Brothers is to celebrate Jazz and Blues music. The star studded cast, and director John Landis’ sensibility of “Another musical number? Why not!” all work towards this end. With that most prominent goal in mind, it’s worth reflecting on the total framework of the story, particularly the relationship the film has with music other than Blues.
There are multiple instances in the film where other genres of music come up. At Bob’s Country Bar, they have both kinds of music, Country and Western. And, finally, the Nazis are accompanied by Wagner’s Flight of the Valkyries. All three of these genres have one thing in common at some level – they are all associated with white culture by the time of 1980, certainly more so than Jazz or Blues. While the Blues Brothers are white themselves, it is evident that the film is placing them opposite of white culture.
The film does this in another way as well with the nature of the Brothers’ antagonists. There are three: The police, the Nazi party, and the Good Ol’ Boys (traditional country folk). Note that all three of these can be interpreted as elements of the opposition faced by African Americans. What’s particularly of note, however, is how all three of these persist in the present day. The question of racially charged police brutality is as prominent as ever, after incidents like the death of Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, and Philando Castile. The Nazi party, while likely a farce in the context of the movie, has also made its return as of late, with White Power movements spreading across the nation. And the Good Ol’ Boys, if we interpret them to be a representation of a traditional white culture, particularly from the American South and Midwest, have also made their return with the election of President Trump.
The movie makes a farce of all three of these antagonists, and there’s two ways to interpret it. In making light of these three groups in the way the film does, it could be seen to undermine their power, by taking away any serious interpretation of the message these groups present. An increasingly militarized and violent police is made far less frightening and serious when that power can’t even apprehend two musicians. The Nazi party and the Good Ol’ Boys are also made into farces as their message is constantly undermined by their ridiculous and obsessive behavior. However, one could also argue that this comic presentation fails to take these issues, which were as serious then as they are now, seriously. By presenting them comically, the film allows the audience to dismiss these issues as mere silliness. Between these two interpretations, however, I think the film is going for the former. There is too much carefully chosen, like the dismissal of more white styles of music, the celebration of absolutely incredible Jazz and Blues musicians, and the three antagonists being three forces easily seen as opposition to African Americans, for me to think the film is trying to make these seem less important than they actually are. And I’m going to grant the film this.
The Blues Brothers, Forty Years Later
Prior to deciding to come to this past Friday’s showing of John Landis’ The Blues Brothers, I did a cursory skim of its Wikipedia page. I had remembered my parents mentioning it once or twice so I figured it was an older film somewhere between Die Hard and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. When, within the first two paragraphs of its wiki page, the plot was described as a “redemption story” for ex-convict Jake Blues, I had subconsciously judged a book (movie?) by its cover and labeled it a wholesome buddy comedy to watch right before finals, something that I very much needed.
While I don’t feel that this initial assessment was entirely incorrect, it certainly doesn’t capture the entire essence of the movie. What I didn’t expect going in was biting commentary—commentary that is still strikingly relevant today, some forty years later—in between the jokes and musical numbers.
Looking back, I find it funny that film billed flatly as a “redemption story” has the police as one of the primary antagonists. Throughout the movie, this stance is unmoving. Until the very end, the police are out to get the brothers, and the film even ends with the band in jail after finally having been caught. While on some level this does play a very comedic role in the story, I can’t help but see parallels to the way police are viewed in society today. There is an increasing divisiveness with how society perceives the police, especially after events like the shootings of Eric Garner, Dedric Colvin, and Michael Brown. It’s interesting to see how this has evolved since the early 80’s when this movie was first released—even moreso to see how relevant it still is today.
In a similar vein, the other major antagonist of the story is the Nazi Party. Similar to the role of the police in the film, this seems as first to be played comically. However, there are some interesting parallels to today’s society. With the startling resurgence of white supremacy in the past year (e.g. Charlottesville), this hits close to home. While the idea that there are people who still feel this way may seem ridiculous, the bigotry showcased in the movie is still alive and well today.
We have definitely progressed as a society in a lot of different ways since the year 1980 when The Blues Brothers was released. But sometimes films like this can’t help but make you wonder if we’ve truly come as far as we think we have in the last forty years.
An Exciting Film
On the last day of class, my friends and I decided to take a break before finals and go to see ” The Blue Blood Brothers” movie. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The only classic movies I had seen before were, “The Breakfast Club” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. Compared to these other movies this was also a new genre, comedy. While I’ve seen some recent comedies or the classic “rom coms”, I hadn’t seen anything like this. The numerous stunts, car chases and the most amazing music to go along with it, made it a quite enjoyable experience. This movie kept me on my toes and I’m glad that I took a break from my studies to enjoy it. The Blue Blood Brothers set a standard for movies that I don’t believe could ever be topped. This was a great end to a great semester and I am looking forward to everything next semester might bring.
A response to a Washington Post review of Blues Brothers
I’ve never seen a movie that combined action, music, and comedy as masterfully as the Blues Brothers. It’s really hard to find anything wrong with the movie, and so rather than giving a list of accolades I want to focus on the Washington Post’s review of Blues Brothers. I’ll express my thoughts on the film as a response to this particular review.
Shortly after the film was released in 1980, Gary Arnold published a review titled “Oh, Brothers!” via the Washington Post. What makes this film review stand out is just how scathing it is. His main conclusion is that “‘The Blues Brothers’ offers the melancholy spectacle of [the stars] sinking deeper and deeper into a comic grave.” Surely something must be wrong here.
Now, a lot of the main points of the article are shrouded behind the imprecise and fluffy language that is all too common among movie reviews. But I’ll try to summarize some of the points as best I can and explain my response/thoughts on them.
1) The film is poorly shot
This is evidenced in the first sentence of the second paragraph when Arnold notes that the film is “wretchedly shot.” He never really expands on this point apart from saying that the musical pieces are “undermined technically by [cramped] camera angles, murky lighting, ragged cutting, and tinny sound.” I won’t say much on this point apart from that I disagree. I can see that the cinematography was less than spectacular. But it didn’t seem to detract at all from the film. The camera angles never seemed awkward or limiting and the sound quality didn’t prevent me from appreciating the great music.
2) There’s a lack of material
This is one of the bigger points. Arnold posits that “there is no more material sustaining ‘The Blues Brothers’ than one would find in a silent comedy short running 10 or 20 minutes.” Now, certainly the plot is simple. But for this movie, the plot doesn’t really need to be that complex. The substance of the film is in the action of its scenes (note not just the action scenes, but the action of the scenes, i.e. what actually happens). And to some extent Arnold recognizes this saying that “the format is meant to allow room for both comic set-pieces and musical interludes…” and that the “scanty material might be forgiven if the highlights were irresistible.” But according to him the highlights are confounded by the technical shortcomings some mentioned above (Arnold also throws in the poor “lighting scheme”). This point seems very much hinged on the readers technical expertise when it comes to filmmaking. And if that is what Arnold must do to criticize the film then it’s hard to lend any credibility to his conclusions. I mean the camera and lighting certainly captured the content of the scenes so that the viewer could completely observe and follow what was going on. This may have been captured in a suboptimal way but that doesn’t change the optimality of the content of the film itself (here I’m distinguishing the content of the film from the technical production of it — hopefully this is a fair distinction).
3) The main characters don’t develop into anything interesting?
I put a question mark on this point because I’m not sure if it really represents what Arnold is trying to say. He writes that the movies producers have “failed to transform Jake and Elwood into the comedy team moviegoers had a right to expect.” There’s (ironically) very little development of this point. I actually have no idea what Arnold is saying. Jake and Elwood are very funny in the film. Their actions are unpredictable and demeanor compliments the rest of the events. In fact, one could write an entire article on how great the two are as a comedy team
The Blues Brothers and The White Brothers
I walked into The Blues Brothers with absolutely no preconceptions or notions of what it was. Judging by the name, I assumed it had to involve some kind of musical aspect (a correct assumption). However, I had no idea the film would touch on themes that would still be so relevant almost four decades after its initial release.
The scene that struck the largest chord in me – and, arguably, for most viewers today – was the image of the Illinois Nazis on the bridge, stoic even against the rage of protesters cursing at them from behind a police blockade. The variety of protesters in terms of race, age, and gender stood in stark contrast to the overall demographic of the Nazis, who at one point mockingly said – and I’ll probably never forget this – “The Jew is using the Black as muscle…Whities, what are you going to do?” Soon after, they performed a Nazi salute.
The Blues Brothers, from how I interpreted it, is a celebration of blues and soul music framed within a mildly ridiculous comedy. Perhaps in 1980, they believed that the Nazi party was a dying organization, and the provocative scene would turn into a mocking parody of backwards ideals by 2017. However, there is no denying that recent events – including the United States presidential election (White Nationalists Salute the President-Elect); controversy surrounding the largest Youtuber in the world (Pewdiepie apologizes for Nazi jokes but says the press is out to get him); a scene eerily reminiscent, albeit much more violent and frighteningly real, of the Nazi protest in the movie (2017 Charlottesville Protest Timeline); and even events on our own campus (Anti-Semitic Posters Appear on Ezra Cornell Statue, Campus Buildings) – have only reaffirmed the continued proliferation of white supremacy ideals in the world. For all the progress America has made in social rights since its foundation, the white supremacist movement (or white nationalist movement, or Nazi party, whatever you want to call it) is blight on our history that refuses to squashed out.
Racism (in this context, I’m discussing white supremacy, although racism between other groups is also very real and should in no way be minimized) isn’t an issue that developed out of the blue one morning, and therefore can’t be completely flushed out/addressed by a wacky 1980s musical. It’s systematic and systemic, an ideology that has its roots in the earliest human inter-group contact – there are still an abundance of steps to be made towards more progress.
In other words, The Blues Brothers isn’t a movie that appears to be attempting to wholeheartedly tackle the topic of racism – but if it aimed to at least open up the topic to a new audience, and spur discussion every time it is shared with new viewers, then I think it’s a valuable film experience (on top of its star-studded guest cast and feel-good soundtrack, of course).
Use of unnecessary violence in apprehension of the Blues Brothers…has been approved.
This movie was fantastic. Absolutely beautiful in just about every single way. I don’t know how the jokes or comedic timing or the stars could be any better. Rather than just summarizing the movie, I think there are a few points to make when considering applications to the world we live in today, as opposed to 1980.
At the end of the movie, the Blues Brothers are being chased by the police, a gang of Nazi’s and a country band. A radio operator says over the police channel “Use of unnecessary violence in apprehension of the Blues Brothers…has been approved”. What proceeds to unfold is the most over-the-top police chase I’ve ever seen on film, including helicopters, a tank, rappelling SWAT teams, 20-30 squad cars, etc. They proceed to hunt the Blue’s Brothers all over Chicago, finally cornering them at the courthouse.
These entire scene strongly reminded me about the issues going on today with the increasing militarization of domestic police forces. The comical overreaction of police violence to two runaway blues musicians is reminiscent of more recent overreactions of police violence in the last few years, both in Ferguson and elsewhere. The key part of the officers quote is *unnecessary* violence. One gets the impression that the officers are overjoyed to have a chance to test out some cool new toys: justice does not seem to be the motive. And I believe that this accurately reflects an attitude that we should have today: the more “cool” equipment and powerful weapons that we allow domestic police departments to have, the more inclined they will be to use them. This is exacerbated by the fact that the Blues Brothers aren’t even the most dangerous people in the movie: both the country band and the Nazi’s shoot at the brothers at points during the film, while the worst that the brothers do is (admittedly a lot of) property damage. Again, there is a parallel to the current day when it sometimes seems like the priorities of police departments aren’t to address the real sources of danger, but to stereotype and go after people that are assumed dangerous (particularly unarmed, black men) instead of actually dangerous people (Nazi’s).