{"product_id":"book-i64z","title":"The Blues Brothers","description":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: start\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"They're not going to catch us,\" Dan Aykroyd, as Elwood Blues, tells his brother Jake, played by John Belushi. \"We're on a mission from God.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: start\"\u003eSo opens the musical action comedy \u003cem\u003eThe Blues Brothers\u003c\/em\u003e, which hit theaters on June 20, 1980. Their scripted mission was to save a local Chicago orphanage. But Aykroyd, who conceived and wrote much of the film, had a greater mission: to honor the then-seemingly forgotten tradition of rhythm and blues, some of whose greatest artists-Aretha Franklin, James Brown, John Lee Hooker, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles-made the film as unforgettable as its wild car chases.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: start\"\u003eMuch delayed and vastly over budget, beset by mercurial and often drugged-out stars, \u003cem\u003eThe Blues Brothers\u003c\/em\u003e opened to outraged reviews. However, in the forty-four years since, it has been acknowledged a classic. It has been inducted into the National Film Registry for its cultural significance, even declared a \"Catholic classic\" by the Church itself, and re-aired thousands of times on television to huge worldwide audiences. It is, undeniably, one of the most significant films of the twentieth century.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: start\"\u003eThe story behind any classic is rich; the saga behind \u003cem\u003eThe Blues Brothers\u003c\/em\u003e, as Daniel de Visé reveals, is epic, encompassing the colorful childhoods of Belushi and Aykroyd; the comedic revolution sparked by Harvard's\u003cem\u003e Lampoon\u003c\/em\u003e and Chicago's \u003cem\u003eSecond City\u003c\/em\u003e; the birth and anecdote-rich, drug-filled early years of \u003cem\u003eSaturday Night Live\u003c\/em\u003e, where the Blues Brothers were born as an act amidst turmoil and rivalry; and, of course, the indelible behind-the-scenes narrative of how the film was made, scene by memorable scene.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: start\"\u003eBased on original research and dozens of interviews probing the memories of principals from director John Landis and producer Bob Weiss to Aykroyd himself, \u003cem\u003eThe Blues Brothers\u003c\/em\u003e illuminates an American masterpiece while vividly portraying the creative geniuses behind modern comedy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dreamscape","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49351452066096,"sku":"BDi64z","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio CD","offer_id":49351452131632,"sku":"ZEi64z","price":49.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio MP3-CD","offer_id":49351452164400,"sku":"ZMi64z","price":45.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/i64z-cover.jpg?v=1763016437","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-i64z","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}