Blues Brothers (DVD)

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For the first time, we´re treated to an archival edition of that movie that drew audiences in 1980 to the cinema. Running two hours and thirteen minutes, there are some trimmed scenes and shortened musical numbers (most notably the amazing Hooker performance of "Boom Boom" on the streets of Chicago). Fans will want to pick up this edition for the original cut, but I personally prefer the extended version of the film.

Video:
Both the original cut and the extended version are presented in Anamorphic widescreen in a 1.85:1 ratio. The video quality is as muted and washed out as I´ve ever seen it, because of both the film stock and techniques used at the time. There is a substantial amount of grain in the picture but that too is representative of the original film stock. There is a little mosquito noise and some compression artifacts, but the prints are both relatively clear.

Audio:
The extended version of the film contains an expanded Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack which sounds stellar. The spread of the audio is excellent, particularly in the musical scenes. The rears are generally unused and the sub only sparingly. The theatrical cut houses an original 2.0 stereo track which is muted compared to the 5.1 track, but taken on its own merits is clean and bright.

Extras:
This two-sided DVD houses a large amount of extras. "Creating The Blues Brothers" is an hour-long documentary that looks back at the creation of the concept of the Blues Brothers, how it was transformed into a film, and just about anything you´d want to know about the movie and its players. An excellent addition.

Side A of the DVD also gives you hot links to the musical performances in the film.

Along with housing the theatrical cut of the film, Side B contains an introduction by star and writer Dan Ackroyd.

There is a seven minute recording of a "Blues Brothers" performance in San Diego at a House of Blues featuring Dan Ackroyd and television star Jim Belushi, brother of the late John. He´s appeared with Ackroyd before, at a House of Blues opening in Chicago, I believe, a decade ago. It´s shot on video and not of the best quality, but an interesting extra.

"Transposing The Music" mixes modern retrospective interviews with period footage to create a fifteen minute documentary on the Blues Brothers. A lot of information is repeated from the documentary on Side A.

"Remembering John" takes ten minutes to remember the amazing comedic talent that was John Belushi. The retrospective remembers more of the man and his life than his time in the spotlight, which is a very different portrait than has been seen before.

Production Notes is a selection of text articles that go behind the scenes of the making of "The Blues Brothers. "Musical Highlights" is a repetition of the scenes on Side A for the theatrical cut.

There´s also an original theatrical trailer, presented in a full-frame format.

Film Value:
I can´t say enough how much I love "The Blues Brothers." I think it´s a wonderful film filled with some of the best music since "Yankee Doodle Dandy." This DVD set captures the original theatrical cut which captured the hearts of America, which is a great bonus for fans.

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