The Blues Brothers

In June 2020, I watched The Blues Brothers, a revival, at Toho Cinemas Kinshicho. That was the first time for me to watch the movie on a big screen. It was wonderful time. The movie was released in 1980. I had watched it for the first time on the television set when I was a boy. I remembered that it was fun. Then I bought the cheap used DVD of it in the early 2000s and I have watched it several times since then.

The movie is a good old American slapstick musical. All of the songs and back ground music were so fantastic that I was never bored and fully enjoyed myself through. 

The story follows the Blues brothers. The brothers know that the orphanage, which had raised them, cannot pay its huge real property tax by the due day, so they reunite their band to earn money enough to pay the huge tax and they start to struggle.

I had watched John Belushi as Jake Blues several times and I first watched him as Jake on a big screen. Every time I saw the short and heavy guy, he looked very cool in spite of his figure. His unique actions and motions were sophisticated and amusing. He was laconic and hardly got upset no matter what happened, and then he pretended to calm until the last moment when crunches came, which was cool and funny. He really amused me. I could not stop chuckling especially at the scenes where the brothers were silently standing in the elevator that took forever to arrive at their destination floor.

Elwood Blues acted by Dan Aykroyd was a good performer on stage and he always stood by his big brother. The brotherhood was heart-warming. Twiggy played a chic girl who was asked out by Elwood but ended up being stood up. The cut in which the chic girl are waiting for Elwood is inserted in the middle of the scenes where the brothers are desperately running from the police. The edition was impeccable and stylish, which really impressed and amused me. Carrie Fisher gave a good performance as a mysterious and crazy girl. She acted in it just after she did in Star Wars and became famous as the role of Leia Organa.

The movie is known for the gorgeous cast members. As for the performers, however, I could recognize only James Brown, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. It is said that the other performers and actors were also popular in those days. The viewers can feel the vivid atmosphere in the days when the blockbuster entertainment was released.