BluRay/DVD Review: Continental Divide (1981)

Whenever a beloved performer dies young, especially one with so much more to offer, there is always speculation as to what might have been. In the years where he was active, John Belushi became a star on TV”s Saturday Night Live, and parlayed that success into a film career that covered bombastic comedy, character roles, and the film that exhibited the most of his potential, Continental Divide, which has just been released on blu ray by Kino Lorber.

Belushi plays a Chicago reporter whose beat is bringing down crooked politicians. But when things get too hot, and it is dangerous for him to remain in town, he reluctantly accepts an assignment trying to interview an elusive scientist who left civilization four years earlier and has remained in the wilderness since. The fish out of water jokes are plentiful, and the romance that occurs after initial conflict is predictable. But the manner in which the story is told, the lush scenery that surrounds every establishing shot, and, most of all, the appealing performances are what makes Continental Divide one of the most charming comedies of the 80s.

John Belushi took his role in this film quite seriously. He was clean and sober, studied mountain climbing so he could participate in some of those scenes, and worked out with a martial artist to get in better shape. He met with Chicago columnist Mike Royko, on whom his role was based, and, ultimately, offered a performance that not only did him proud, it was a harbinger of the sort of acting he could comfortably do as he aged out of the more bombastic slapstick parts. Things in his life and career fell apart not long afterward, resulting in his tragic death two years later. He died just as Dan Aykroyd was writing Ghostbusters with the intention of casting John. Of course, that film was released after John was gone – and it was an enormous success.

Blair Brown is attractive and appealing as the mountain woman, and Allen Garfield is especially good as the harried newspaper editor. Lawrence Kasdan provided the script, his last before venturing onto directing. It was quite a year for Kasdan, who also penned the scripts for both Raiders of the Lost Ark and Return of the Jedi that year. Director Michael Apted was just coming off the successful Coal Miner’s Daughter and gave this film a great deal of heart with its shots of Belushi’s character walking – in Chicago, in the mountains, etc – introspectively responding to whatever is occurring in the narrative. The overhead shot of him and Blair Brown walking away from each other at the railroad station (an actual crossroads) is especially impressive.

Perhaps had John Belushi lived, done Ghostbusters, and continued to build his resume with appealing performances in light comedies like Continental Divide, this would be just another movie in his filmography. But since he only lived to appear in handful of films, and this one is so different than Animal House, Blues Brothers, and Neighbors, it stands out as a portent to a career that was not allowed to continue.

Kino Lorber’s blu ray includes commentary by filmmaker/film historian Daniel Kremer and film historian/writer Nat Segaloff. It is available for purchase at this link: Continental Divide