Universal Studios Home Entertainment Announces: 'The Blues Brothers 25th Anniversary Edition' DVD

Universal Studios Home Entertainment Announces: 'The Blues Brothers 25th Anniversary Edition' DVD

Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi and Musical Legends Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and James Brown Star in the Hilarious Action Comedy Classic

On DVD August 30, 2005

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- "The Blues Brothers," the beloved action comedy that spawned a pop culture phenomenon, is coming to DVD in a special 25th Anniversary Edition on August 30, 2005. The iconic team of "Saturday Night Live" comic legends Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi star in this high-octane slapstick comedy that's fuel-injected with unforgettable musical performances by Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, James Brown and other R&B legends. "The Blues Brothers 25th Anniversary Edition" includes the original theatrical version of the classic film -- never before available on DVD -- plus the extended Director's Cut version and loads of all-new bonus features, spotlighting the Blues Brothers phenomenon. "The Blues Brothers 25th Anniversary Edition" DVD is priced at $22.98 SRP. Pre-order close date is July 26, 2005.

AYKROYD AND BELUSHI AT THEIR ZANY BEST

"The Blues Brothers" was the first and one of the funniest movies to come out of NBC's legendary late-night comedy franchise "Saturday Night Live." After fans went crazy for the sunglass-wearing, soul singing alter-egos they created for an "SNL" sketch, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi played sold out concerts as Elwood and "Joliet" Jake Blues respectively, before the Blues Brothers got their own feature-length movie. Director John Landis ("Animal House," "Trading Places") manages to perfectly capture the duo's frenzied physicality and good-natured mayhem, while matching beat-for-beat with explosive onscreen action.

Most of the film's unforgettable action sequences -- including one where the brothers' magical "Bluesmobile" demolishes an actual shopping mall and another where an entire fleet of police cars is destroyed -- were shot on location in and around Chicago.

NO MA'AM, WE'RE MUSICIANS

Adding to the magic of "The Blues Brothers" is the roster of world-class blues, rhythm & blues, rock and pop musicians who take part in the fun. In addition to the R&B holy trinity of Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and James Brown, the film features appearances by such diverse musical legends as Cab Calloway, Chaka Khan, John Lee Hooker, Steve Cropper, Donald Dunn, Joe Walsh, Pinetop Perkins, Stephen Bishop, Steve Lawrence, saxophonist Lou Marini and many, many more. In fact, their roles in this film single-handedly revitalized the careers of a host of legendary artists by introducing them to a new generation of fans.

But it's not just musicians who show up in "The Blues Brothers 25th Anniversary Edition" when you least expect them. Movie fans can test their Hollywood I.Q. by identifying the dozens of co-starring roles and cameos by Hollywood icons, including John Candy, Steven Spielberg, Frank Oz, Paul Reubens, Twiggy, Henry Gibson, Carrie Fisher, Charles Napier and Kathleen Freeman.

THINK! ... BONUS FEATURES

In addition to the original theatrical release and the extended Director's Cut version, "The Blues Brothers 25th Anniversary Edition" is packed with exciting new bonus material that create a totally immersive Blues Brothers experience:

* Rounding Up The Band -- An original documentary about the pop culture phenomenon that began as a "Saturday Night Live" skit and became a national institution that's still going strong.

* Introduction to the film by Dan Aykroyd

* An All-Access Pass To The Blues Brothers -- Viewers get an all day access pass to a Blues Brothers concert at the House of Blues in San Diego, California.

* Keepin' The Mission Alive -- Highlights of the many spin-offs, tributes and merchandising developments, as well as stage shows, impersonators and everything else inspired by the film.

* Tribute To A Blues Brother -- Friends, family and co-stars share their personal stories about the late great comedian John Belushi.

* Production Notes

SYNOPSIS

After musician Jake Blues (John Belushi) is released from prison, he and his brother Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) visit the Chicago orphanage where they were raised, only to learn it will be closed unless a $5,000 tax bill is paid in 11 days. After getting the stuffing knocked out of him by a nun and being musically "preached" to by James Brown, Jake sees the light and the brothers set out on a "mission from God" to save the orphanage. Their plan? Put their old blues band back together for a big benefit concert. After driving around the state to round up the boys (in reality an all-star group of R&B sidemen including Booker T & the MG co-founders Steve Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn) things get off to a shaky start. Unfazed, the band works its way toward the big gig despite a daunting array of obstacles. Along the way the brothers manage to face down a rowdy country music crowd, run afoul of Nazi marchers, demolish a shopping mall, and do their best to avoid getting sent back to jail -- at least not until they give the concert of their lives.

CAST & FILMMAKERS Director: John Landis Producer: Robert K. Weiss Executive Producer: Bernie Brillstein Screenwriters: John Landis, Dan Aykroyd Director of Photography: Stephen M. Katz Production Designer: John Lloyd Editor: George Folsey Jr. Composer: Elmer Bernstein Costume Designer: Deborah Nadoolman Cast: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Steve Cropper, Donald Dunn, Murphy Dunne, Willie Hall, Tom Malone

TECHNICAL INFORMATION Street Date: August 30, 2005 Pre-Order Date: July 26, 2005 Copyright: 2005 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. Price: $22.98 SRP Selection Numbers: 26744 (Anamorphic Widescreen); 27860 (Full-Frame) Running Time: 2 Hours 13 Minutes (Theatrical Version); 2 Hours 28 Minutes (Extended Version) Layers: Dual (Double/Single) Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Widescreen); 1.33:1 (Full Frame) Rating: R Technical Info: Theatrical Version -- English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo/Captioned; Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; French Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; French and Spanish Subtitled. Extended Version -- English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround/Captioned; French and Spanish Subtitled.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates the No. 1 television network, the fastest-growing Spanish-language network, a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi Universal.

CONTACTS Universal Studios Home Entertainment Vivian Mayer Senior Vice President, Publicity (818) 777-3594

Evan Fong Executive Director, Publicity (818) 777-5540

Kim Cavyan Manager, Print Publicity (818) 777-4215

Alex Necoechea Manager, Broadcast Publicity (818) 777-0549

Source: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

CONTACT: Vivian Mayer, Senior Vice President, Publicity, +1-818-777-3594, or Evan Fong, Executive Director, Publicity, +1-818-777-5540, or Kim Cavyan, Manager, Print Publicity, +1-818-777-4215, or Alex Necoechea, Manager, Broadcast Publicity, +1-818-777-0549, all of Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Web site: http://www.universalstudios.com/

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