By Justina Reynolds
The most anticipated event of the summer in Dorset, Purbeck Film Festival’s Cinema Under the Stars returned to Langham Wine Estate last weekend to kick off a great month of films in the most beautiful parts of the country. The atmosphere of the venue was buzzing with excitement upon arrival, with over 200 ticketholders getting themselves comfortable in their camping chairs and blankets, with wine and pizza ready for a good night. The sky was clear enough to still see shooting stars from the tail end of the Perseid meteor shower and watch the bats gliding around the trees.
Before the main event, a short film from last year’s short film competition was shown to promote this year’s applications. Paper People was an interesting satirical exploration of the American healthcare system’s faults, using only paper to make the sets and the characters. It was funny, but the deeper meaning was never lost on the audience. And the perfect short film to show before a film like The Blues Brothers.
Dan Aykroyd’s first ever screenplay starts of like any other gritty crime thriller; a serious opening sequence where Jake Blues (John Belushi) is being let out on parole, and is picked up by his brother Elwood (Aykroyd) in a run-down police car that he got an auction. It doesn’t remain serious for long though. One scene between the two brothers sets the tone for the film: silly. They begin to bicker, and after an unusual amount of Batman references (such as “the bluesmobile” and having to visit “The Penguin”), the fun of the film begins.
The film is about these two and their attempt to save the catholic orphanage where they grew up, getting their old blues band back together in order to raise $5000 to pay the tax on the building, all the while they’re being chased down by nearly every cop in America, Nazis and a country band that they impersonated to get a gig.
It is pure slapstick throughout. With characters comically falling down the stairs to car chase scenes in shopping malls where police cars are crashing into everything (and it all seems to be made of cardboard), there is never a dull moment. Every other line is a funny one-liner, and somehow, they all land, causing a constant eruption of laughter from the audience. But the comedy doesn’t take away from the message of the film, about how music builds a community no matter the genre. It’s unexpectedly heartwarming, despite the daft, playful tone.
Not only is it made to make you laugh, but so is the amazing choreography done by Carlton Johnson. In a movie about music, you have to have some dancing. But the dancing in this was mesmerising, especially with Aykroyd and his long legs; I almost felt like I was being hypnotised by the way he moved during their final show.
It was a movie that pushed barriers with its mix of nearly all film genres (scenes played out like horror films, while characters burst into song like a musical), but the blues brothers’ “mission from God” was definitely a good time.
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