The Best Movies with Blues Music
The best movies with blues music are those that feature the genre prominently throughout the film. Here are ten of the best examples.
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers is a 1980 musical comedy film directed by John Landis. It stars John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as “Joliet” Jake and Elwood Blues, characters developed from “The Blues Brothers” sketch on the NBC variety television series Saturday Night Live. The film’s screenplay was written by Aykroyd and Landis. It features musical numbers by rhythm and blues (R&B), soul, and pop artists of the late 1970s, including Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and John Lee Hooker. The film is set in and around Chicago, Illinois, where it was filmed.
The Blues Brothers began as a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live in 1978. Aykroyd conceived the sketch as a way to showcase his own musical interests and those of the other cast members; Belushi had previously worked with Aykroyd in the 1971–1977 stage revue The National Lampoon Radio Hour. After its initial run on SNL, the sketch was adapted into an unsuccessful 1979–80 animated cartoon series of the same name. Nevertheless, Aykroyd and Belushi used the concept to develop a feature film about two blues musicians who attempt to save an orphanage through their music performances after one of their concerts goes awry.
The movie became an instant smash hit when it opened on June 20th 1980. It made $115 million in North America alone making it one of the most successful movies that year. In 2003, The Blues Brothers was deemed ” culturally significant” and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress
Ray
Ray is a 2004 American biographical musical drama film focusing on 30 years in the life of rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles. The independently produced film was written, directed, and produced by Taylor Hackford, and starred Jamie Foxx in the title role. The cast also included Kerry Washington, Clifton Powell, Regine Nehy, Aunjanue Ellis, Lennie James, Harry Lennix and Terrence Howard.
The film chronicles Charles’ life from his humble beginnings in Georgia to his international successes as a musician. While it features a great deal of musical numbers throughout, the focus is on Charles’ personal life; in particular his relationships with his wife Della Bea Robinson (Washington) and mistress Margie Hendrix (Ellis).
The Color Purple
The Color Purple is a novel by Alice Walker that was published in 1983. It tells the story of an African-American woman in the American South during the 1930s and 1940s. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction. It was adapted into a motion picture by Steven Spielberg, and it received 11 Academy Award nominations.
The film’s soundtrack features blues music sung by some of the leading blues artists of the day, including B.B. King, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin. The movie’s opening sequence, which shows slaves working in a cotton field, is set to the tune of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.”
Crossroads
Crossroads is a 1986 American musical drama film inspired by the legend of blues singer Robert Johnson. It was directed by Walter Hill and stars Ralph Macchio, Jami Gertz, Joe Seneca, Steve Vai, and Ry Cooder. The film’s必威体育下载 plot revolves around a young man named Guitar Wolf (played by Macchio) who sets out on a cross-country journey to find the mysterious blues musician Robert Johnson and learn his secrets. Along the way, he meets a diverse group of characters who help him on his quest. The film features an extensive soundtrack of blues music, including performances by Blues legends such as Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and B.B. King.
Blues Brothers 2000
One of the most popular and enduring American films of all time, Blues Brothers 2000 celebrates the twentieth anniversary of Elwood and “The Blues Brothers” with an all-new adventure. John Goodman and Dan Aykroyd take up their respective harmonicas to once again raise the spirits and bring people together – this time in pursuit of connecting the world through music. Joe Morton returns as unrelenting IllinoisCorrectional Officer Ray, while cabaret performer C.J. (Linda Hopkins) provides James and Elwood with some valuable advice that helps set them on their way. New characters include “Mighty” Mack McTeer (Erykah Badu), a beautiful but tough bar owner; Queen Mousette (Isaac Hayes), a influential record producer; treasured blues artist Clarence “Mississippi” Clemons as himself; and Junior Wells as one half of Theduet known as The Well-KnownUnknowns. Also appearing are Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Wilson Pickett, Koko Taylor, Steve Cropper, Matt “Guitar” Murphy, Duck Dunn, Tom Malone, Lou Marini and bluesman Blues Traveler (in their cinematic debut). Featuring twenty-two outstanding new musical performances including three Top 40 hits – B.B. King & Eric Clapton’s Riding With The King,” John Lee Hooker & Carlos Santana’s Chill Out(Things Gonna Change)” and Paul Shaffer & The Blues Brothers’ Soul Man 2000,” among others – this instant classic was directed by John Landis.(c) Universal Studios
