"We're on a Mission From God"

As we approach the 30th anniversary of John Landis's "The Blues Brothers," and debates resurface over whether it should count as a "Saturday Night Live" movie, and the veracity of Elwood's claims about police cars of a certain age, an interesting new fan of the film has emerged: The Catholic Church.

L'Osservatore Romano, the semi-official newspaper of the Vatican has given "The Blues Brothers" an official endorsement. The distinction should be made that this isn't coming from the Vatican itself, but a publication that has deep historical ties to the Holy See and the papacy. The current editor-in-chief is a Italian professor of patristic philology, and the paper regularly publishes official documents that originate from the Church itself. L'Osservatore will at times take positions on social issues that differ slightly from those of the Church, and has recently come under criticism for editorials on "Harry Potter" and President Obama, but traditionally they hew very close to the official line, and their influence with the community is undeniable.

My first thought upon hearing about this was that this was a pretty shameless ploy to co-opt the popularity of a well-loved film. "The Blues Brothers" has about as much religious content as "Sister Act," and many of Jake and Elwood Blues' hijinks can't possibly be considered moral and upright behavior. But you know what? Everybody loves to talk about movies, and everybody has opinions on movies, so why shouldn't our spiritual leaders be able to geek out over their favorites like the rest of us? If someone at L'Osservatore wants to make a case for the spiritual value of "The Blue Brothers," why not? It'll certainly make for an interesting new perspective on the film, and will have at least as much critical importance as the umpteenth dissection of Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ."

The more I think about the choice, the more I like it. Back in 1995, to celebrate the centennial of motion pictures, the Vatican released a list of forty-five features it distinguished as "great films." It came in three parts, one each for "Religion," "Values" and "Art." There were several popular Hollywood films listed, mostly in the "Arts" section, including exactly two comedies : Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times" and "The Lavender Hill Mob," a British caper film made in 1951. Otherwise the choices leaned heavily toward older classics from Ingmar Bergman, Carl Dreyer, and the Italian neo-realists. I love Carl Dreyer, but he never made the most accessible films, and all the titles listed under "Religion" and "Values" that I've seen are fairly somber, weighty pictures - the big exception being "It's a Wonderful Life."

Now consider "The Blues Brothers." True, it's a tale of car chases and jilted ex-girlfriends and unrestrained musical mayhem, but it's also a very entertaining story of redemption. Joliet Jake and Elwood may not be the most saintly pair of do-gooders, but their efforts to reform are genuine and their motives are mostly pure: to save the orphanage that fostered them and reconnect with old friends. The content may border on salacious at times, particularly the Twiggy bits, but no more so than "8 & 1/2" or "Schindler's List," which were among the Vatican's choices. And if we're supposed to draw out profound religious messages from the esoteric gloom of Andrei Tarkovsky's "The Sacrifice," than I see no reason why we shouldn't be able to take them from something more fun and joyful and lively too.

I'm taking the endorsement as a positive sign that the religious authorities are trying to take a broader view of the popular culture than they have before, and they could certainly benefit from it. One of the biggest omissions to the Vatican-approved list that I noticed immediately was the lack of Abel Ferrara's "Bad Lieutenant," a ferociously venal, violent portrait of a corrupt police officer with some of the most powerful religious messages I've ever seen put to film. I've never found an argument for the necessity of religion put across any better. Of course the Church could never acknowledge a picture like that due to its controversial content, and I think it's their loss. "The Blues Brothers" is nowhere near as overt in its subversiveness or prurience, but it is pushing the boundaries for them, and every little bit counts with an institution that's been around as long as the Catholic Church.

And I doubt Jake and Elwood would mind teaming up. After all, they're all working for the same guy.