Distributed by
Pioneer LDCE

• Cat.no: PLFEB 34431
• Cert: 15
• Running time: 127 minutes
• Sides: 2 (CLV)
• Year: 1980
• Pressing: 1996
• Chapters: 18 (8/10)
• Sound: Stereo
• Presented in Fullscreen
• Price: £24.99

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  Director:

  John Landis (An American Werewolf In London, Beverly Hills Cop 3, Blues Brothers, Blues Brothers 2000, Innocent Blood, Spies Like Us, The Stupids, Trading Places)

  Producer:

  Robert K. Weiss

  Screenplay:

  Dan Aykroyd and John Landis

  Cast:

  'Joliet' Jake Blues: John Belushi
  Elwood Blues: Dan Aykroyd
  Corrections Officer: Frank Oz
  Sister Mary Stigmata: Kathleen Freeman
  Curtis: Cab Calloway
  Rev. Cleophus James: James Brown
  Choir Soloist: Chaka Khan
  Trooper La Fong: John Landis
  Mystery Woman: Carrie Fisher
  Burton Mercer: John Candy
  Waiter: Paul Reubens
  Street Slim: John Lee Hooker
  Soul Food Cafe Owner: Aretha Franklin
  Ray: Ray Charles
  Chic Lady: Twiggy
  Prisoner: Joe Walsh
  Cook County Clerk: Steven Spielberg
  Woman on Cutting Room Floor: Shirley Levine

The Blues Brothers are back!, and this time even better than ever on laserdisc. The film was borne from the US TV show, "Saturday Night Live" and was the first such venture to reach the big screen.

Jake and Elwood Blues are two brothers who formed a blues band, "The Blues Brothers" sometime ago. Jake was put in jail, and the film starts as he is being released.

The plan is to put the band back together, and at the same time raise $5000 for the nun affectionately known as "The Penguin" to pay her church's taxes to the Cook County clerk so it can be kept open. An easy task, but the Penguin doesn't want any of their "filthy" money, so they'll have to earn it for a change by reforming the band, playing some gigs, and keeping out of trouble.

To have "The Blues Brothers" on laserdisc is a dream come true. There are so many top tunes, and one liners in there, as well as excellent comic turns from both Messers. Aykroyd and the late Belushi, and cameos from Twiggy, Carrie Fisher, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, John Candy, Ray Charles, and Steven Spielberg as the aforementioned Cook County clerk.

Even after all that there's car chases, the like of which have rarely been bettered, be they through a shopping mall or on the streets of Chicago.

The picture quality is very good, and knowing that the quality of laserdisc never deteriorates unlike video, you can watch it again and again.

The sound is credited as simply being "stereo", although it seems slightly mixed so that the music tends to filter into the rear speakers too, while the dialogue tends to stick mainly to the front pair.

However, the disc does need more chapters. There's 18 on the disc, with 8 on side one, and 10 on side two. Curiosly, side 2 also begins with chapter 8, but I presume that chapter 8 was split 50/50 with both sides, seeing as the film, at 127 mins, fills the disc to capacity.

The chapters are listed according to the main song which is featured in that chapter which is good in helping you find the track you like best, but additional chapters could have been placed at the start of some scenes to break up long chapters.

The disc is presented in fullscreen which is apparently the way the film was shot, and intended for it to be seen by John Landis, but for some reason the end credits are slightly letterboxed to approximately 1.50:1.

There is no theatrical trailer on the disc, but as I said, the disc is full and I'd rather have the film on one disc as it is, than add an extra disc just to include a trailer. I'd like to see future Pioneer discs include a trailer for this film to complete the picture.

There is also talk of a sequel being planned with Dan Aykroyd continuing to play Elwood, but as John Belushi passed on several years ago, the names which have cropped up the most as being possibilities to star alongside Aykroyd are that of the late comic's brother James Belushi, and John Goodman.

Film: 5/5
Picture: 4/5
Sound: 3/5

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 1996.