Blinded by the Light - Now on Blu-ray

It’s nothing short of a miracle that this movie exists. Blinded by the Light is unashamedly in complete reverence of the music of Bruce Springsteen. If I wasn’t a zealot myself, I’d probably call it propaganda. But as one of the indoctrinated, I look at this film and find immense comfort by this big budget illustration that so many people feel the same way about Springsteen as I do.

“Bruce is the direct line to all that is true in this sh**** world,” says a character early in the film. And man does this film believe it. This is the kind of film with such earnest conviction that the lyrics of “The Promised Land” bring salvation to a listless teen, the lyrics of “Prove it all Night” explain young love and the lyrics of “Badlands” can back down a bully. Oh, what a world to be inside for the two blissful hours of Blinded by the Light’s running time.

Springsteen fans of all ages and walks of live owe it to themselves to watch Blinded by the Light and surrender to its optimism. The next best thing to seeing it in the movie theater with the surround sound and communal audience experience is this pristine Blu-ray transfer. And, for the diehards, the glimpses at behind-the-scenes filmmaking and three extended scenes in the Special Features will be a delight.

I look at this film’s production value and its wide release and marvel that so many people would come together for this labor of love. It instills hope in the promise of cinema as a unifying medium.

Movie Review - Blinded by the Light

What an odd world it is has been for Springsteen fans the last 12 months.  After Springsteen wrapped up a critically acclaimed run on Broadway, he released a Western-themed solo album with no accompanying tour.  Meanwhile, fans will have not one, but two opportunities to go to the cinema to view Springsteen-related movies.  While Western Stars comes out next month, we are currently in the throws of Blinded by the Light mania.

Well, maybe not quite mania.  Despite rave reviews, this little film has struggled to make any money, with around $15M as I write this (and I'm sure $14M of that came from New Jersey - more on that later).  I can't say I'm too shocked - this sort of came out of nowhere.  I guess you could loosely connect it to the recent rock biopics of other 70s icons like Queen and Elton John, but this takes a completely different course.

Here, we get the tale of Javid Khan, a Pakistani immigrant in the outskirts of London, struggling with the racism and politics prevalent in the 1980s (and unfortunately relevant today).  He finds salvation through a hip-friend, who blows his mind with a couple of Springsteen cassettes.  Through the power of Springsteen's music, he gains the confidence needed to pursue his true passions, both creatively and romantically.  It is the story of the fan - one that is very rarely presented on the big screen.

The story is told in the style of a fairy tale.  From the opening title of Blinded by the Light being presented in glittery font, the movie plays fast and loose with its own reality.  Springsteen music blasts into the movie on a dark and stormy night, people spontenously sing and dance in the street, and plot points rely on random contests where the grand prize is a trip to New Jersey.

The most brilliant decision by writer/director Gurinder Chadha is to have Springsteen simultaneously everywhere in this movie, and yet nowhere at all.  The theater's speakers absolutely drown you in Springsteen's music, while the lyrics are boldly displayed all over the screen (in case you can't understand what he says - and I'll admit, I did learn some parts of "The Promised Land" I had been singing wrong for years).  However, you only see glimpses of the man - aside from a couple of TV screens, he remains tantalizingly out of reach.  This truly encapsulates the fan experience - while a few of us have been lucky to meet the man, most of us can only interact with the art.

The movie has strong performances from Aaron Phagura (playing the militant Springsteen fan who started Javid's journey), David Hayman (as a craggly-faced neighbor, who could've been a British Springsteen himself), and Rob Brydon (of The Trip film series fame).  However, I can't say I was a big fan of the lead (Viveik Kalra), who was basically either moping or smiling ear-to-ear every scene.  Also, as storytelling goes, I wish new wave wasn't presented as "the enemy" (there's a throw-away line that tries to appease this criticism, but the sentiment gets cut-off quickly).

However, this is a hard movie to get mad at.  It is so giddy and charming in its presentation, and it is telling such a small tale - nobody is trying to sell you action figures or build an entire Springsteen Cinematic Universe.  Although, I MUST point out that Javid listens to two tapes (Born In The USA and Darkness on the Edge of Town), then goes to school the next day and says "Is a dream a lie if it don't come true, or is it something worse?", which is from The River!  I almost stormed out right then and there!  I hope someone got fired for that blunder!

As mentioned before, it may not be making much money globally, but I saw it on Labor Day weekend in New Jersey, and it was sold out.  When Monmouth College was mentioned, the crowd erupted in applause.  This movie may have a long shelf-life in the Garden State.

But, in the end, I must agree with fellow LOS writer Steve Snart - it is amazing that this movie exists at all.  In a world where movies are getting bigger and louder, here is a story about someone who doesn't save the world or rise to fame.  It's a movie of the every man, struggling with himself, his career, his family, and his dreams.  It's exactly the type of movie Springsteen would love.

The 30 Day Song Challenge, Day 21

For day 21, I have to pick a song that I listen to WHEN I'm happy.  This is not to be confused with day 3, which was a song that MAKES me happy.  Got it?  Moving on:

Well, I usually listen to a lot of Springsteen when I'm happy, so I just grabbed this one at random.  "Blinded by the Light" is a great listen WHEN you are happy: you get to hear Bruce at his youngest and most ambitious, and know that it's just going to get better for this young kid.

So, what Bruce song do you listen to WHEN you are happy?  And don't you dare list a Bruce song that MAKES you happy.  Rules are rules, got it?

Video Spotlight - "Blinded By The Light" in Helsinki, 2012

We're a bit obsessed with Bruce going acoustic here on this blog, and astute readers may notice we are double-dipping a bit here.  I originally posted this in response to Steve's post last month, but figured it was worth going back to during this 4-day weekend.  So, if you missed it the first time around, make sure to take seven minutes away from your family and loved ones and check out this fun, loose, and excellently filmed performance.

Springsteen Lyrics of the Week - Blinded By The Light

"Madman drummers bummers and Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat

In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat"

--Blinded By The Light, Greetings from Asbury Park

I know we've just recently discussed this song in a lyrics of the week post,  but I wanted to call special attention to it again, as this was the first song on Bruce's first album.  These two lines, with their plethora of internal rhymes and nonsense imagery, are what Bruce chose to make his first impact on the musical world with.  While this was a risky move, the lyrics displayed youthful playfulness and energy, encapsulating the strongest element of Springsteen's career at the time - his live performances.

Springsteen Lyrics of the Week - Blinded by the Light

He said, "Take a right at the light, keep goin' straight until night, and then, boy, you're on your own"
- "Blinded by the Light," Greetings from Asbury Park

The version of “Blinded by the Light” released by Manfred Mann's Earth Band has long been a favorite song of mine. I vividly remember the first time I heard it. I was fifteen and listening to the car radio while my Dad picked up groceries from Publix during a vacation in Florida. I was instantly captivated by its energetic intro, distinct synthesizer, drastic tempo changes... and baffling lyrics.

I listened to it nonstop that summer. The more I listened to it, the more I decided that the only explanation for the lyrics were that they were hastily scribbled down by a psychedelic rocker in the throes of mind-altering drugs. I couldn’t fathom any other explanation for the flat out bizarre lyrics.

Years later I discovered the song was written by Bruce Springsteen and I realized, “Oh it's just Bruce being Bruce.” Few rock stars have as squeaky clean a history as Bruce. To my knowledge there is no evidence or even conjecture that he's ever had any drug usage in his life. It’s tempting to posit the lyrics to “Blinded by the Light” (or “Bishop Danced”) as indication that Bruce at least tried drugs in his youth, but upon reading the lyrics closely and listening to Bruce’s original version from Greetings from Asbury Park, they seem to reflect Bruce’s observation of a surfeit of oddball characters on the Jersey Shore boardwalk and his attempt to cram them all into one song.

The lyrics above are omitted from Manfred Mann's epic toe-tapper. In a certain respect they are quintessential Bruce lyrics – they involve literal and metaphorical driving and the existentialist undercurrent that if you want to make it out of this town, you have to do it yourself. This is too deep for the Manfred Mann version – which in many respects is a superior song – but they reflect the care and precision that Bruce puts into what otherwise seems like haphazard song writing in the hands of another performer.