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Crossroads
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Walter Hill
Produced by	Mark Carliner
Written by	John Fusco
Starring	Ralph Macchio Joe Seneca Jami Gertz Joe Morton
Music by	Ry Cooder
Cinematography	John Bailey
Editing by	Freeman A. Davies (as Freeman Davies)
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	March 14, 1986
Running time	96 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	N/A
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Crossroads is a 1986 cult film inspired by the legend of Robert Johnson. The film was directed by Walter Hill and featured an original score by Ry Cooder. Starring Ralph Macchio, renowned guitarist Steve Vai also appears in the film as the devil's guitar player in the climactic guitar duel. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 381 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (480 × 755 pixel, file size: 55 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This image is of a poster, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher or the creator of the work depicted. ... Walter Hill (born California 1942) is a prominent American film director. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... This article is about the actor. ... Joe Seneca was born Joel McGhee January 14, 1919 - August 15, 1996 , in Cleveland, Ohio. ... Jami Gertz (born October 28, 1965 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actress of Jewish descent. ... Joseph Morton, Jr. ... Ryland Ry Peter Cooder (born 15 March 1947, in Los Angeles, California) is an American guitarist, singer and composer, known for his slide guitar work, his interest in the American roots music and, more recently, for his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries. ... John Bailey (cinematographer) (born 10 August 1942 in Moberly, Montana) is an award-winning American cinematographer and film director. ... The Columbia Pictures logo from 1993 to the present Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. ... is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other persons named Robert Johnson, see Robert Johnson (disambiguation). ... Walter Hill (born California 1942) is a prominent American film director. ... Ryland Ry Peter Cooder (born 15 March 1947, in Los Angeles, California) is an American guitarist, singer and composer, known for his slide guitar work, his interest in the American roots music and, more recently, for his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries. ... This article is about the actor. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Plot summary

Eugene Martone (Macchio) has a fascination for the blues while he studies classical guitar at the Juilliard School for performing arts in New York City. Researching blues and guitar music brings famed Robert Johnson's mythically creative acclaim to his attention; especially intriguing are the "missing recordings" that were lost, supposedly evermore to the world. This article is about the actor. ... “Blues music” redirects here. ... A classical guitar, also called a Spanish guitar, is a musical instrument from the family of musical instruments called chordophones. ... The Juilliard School is a performing arts conservatory in New York City, informally but definitively identified as simply Juilliard, and most famous for its musically-trained alumni. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

In his quest to find these recordings he discovers old newspaper archive clippings that, fortunately or not, the blues legend Willie Brown is yet alive and incarcerated in a nearby minimum security hospital. Willie Brown (August 6, 1900 - December 30, 1952) was an American Delta Blues guitarist and singer. ...

On a visit to meet this musical icon, Eugene gets thwarted by Willie who denies that he is that Willie Brown and doesn't have any idea what Eugene is saying. Undaunted and to get around the minimum security surrounding the old man, Eugene gets a job as an orderly so he can grill the old man as work time permits. Willie again protests and denies that he is the same Willie Brown for whom Eugene is looking.

Eugene then plays some blues guitar for Willie and the old man finally acknowledges that the kid can indeed play well, just with no soul. Willie then says he knows the missing Robert Johnson tune but refuses to give it to Eugene unless the boy busts him out of the facility and gets him to Mississippi. Eugene agrees and they head for Mississippi, but the boy soon realizes that Willie is constantly running minor scams such as claiming he has more money then he has to cover their bus tickets. With no money, they end up “hoboing” from New York to Mississippi. This article is about the U.S. state. ... “NY” redirects here. ...

During their quest, Eugene and Willie experience the blues legacy of Robert Johnson first-hand, taking part in an impromptu jam session at a roadhouse or "jukejoint" as "Blind Dog" Willie puts it. Eugene is deeply impressed and his feelings of the authenticity of Willie being an old bluesman takes firm hold in his mind. For other persons named Robert Johnson, see Robert Johnson (disambiguation). ...

A romantic interest surfaces in the guise of a hitchhiker, Frances (Jami Gertz) who follows them. She and Eugene end up sharing a tender moment in a hayloft. She soon thereafter becomes miffed at the mission at hand and leaves the two guys, so now Eugene gets a feel for the blues, playing on an old Fender Telecaster guitar and a Pignose. His style and mood is now totally altered and affirmed, making him really want to become a "Blues-Man" too. Jami Gertz (born October 28, 1965 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actress of Jewish descent. ... The Pignose is a battery-powered, single speaker amplifier developed by the Pignose-Gorilla company which debuted in 1973. ...

They ultimately get to the crossroad and finally meet Ol' Scratch, the devil who probably bartered for and won Johnson's soul in exchange for the gift of his masterful guitar and musical style. Eugene then finds out that Willie Brown made a similar deal with Scratch back in his day. Now that he is an old man, Brown says he didn't get what he really wanted and is concerned the lien on his soul will be up when he dies.

Not wanting to risk his young friend's soul, Willie forbids Eugene to get involved any further than he already is, in fact Brown now confesses that there was no missing song for Eugene to learn but that he (Eugene) has proven himself far beyond what learning any blues song could ever teach him. Eugene wants to go for broke here and assuredly views himself as a savior to his friend Willie; just maybe he'll find the truth about Johnson's instant musical abilities once and for all.

Brown finally returns to the crossroads with Eugene in hope of breaking off the deal when he also bartered his soul. There, speaking out of turn, Eugene offers to try to win Brown's soul back in a head-cutting duel with any guitar player of the Devil's choice. Scratch chooses Jack Butler (played by Steve Vai), a modern blues-metal man who has also sold his soul for musical abilities. After a blistering guitar duel, Eugene eventually manages to incorporate the classical training he received at Juilliard and wins the challenge. A guitar battle (or guitar duel) is where two or more guitar players take turns soloing, either with or without a rhythm section. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items into other sections and removing inappropriate items. (August 2007)

• Structurally, this film is very similar to another work starring Ralph Macchio, namely The Karate Kid. Instead of learning about life and love in the company of a Japanese karate teacher, Macchio's character learns about life and love in the company of an African-American bluesman. Both films even climax in a duel where Macchio's character decisively surprises his opponent by using an element from earlier in the film.
• The climax cutting head scene has been widely popularized on the internet by fans of Steve Vai. [1] Most of the battle is played by Vai, except for Eugene's blues parts at the beginning of the duel which are played by Ry Cooder and can be heard on Vai's album "The Elusive Light and Sound, volume 1"
• Macchio's fingering on the guitar was a studied acting job in itself because he didn't know how to play guitar prior to taking on the part of a guitarist. He received intensive training from classical guitarist William Kanengiser of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet to approximate playing realistically enough to hide that fact respectably well.
• You can hear William Kanengiser playing his version of Mozart Turkish March in the begininig of the movie.
• When Butler (Steve Vai) finishes his final solo before the classical duel, he ends it with a diminished fifth (flat fifth), an interval that has at times been associated with the Devil.
• The classical-influenced piece played by Eugene during the climactic scene is based on Niccolò Paganini's Fifth Caprice.
• There was no classical guitar program at The Juilliard School during the creation of the movie, but has since been made a part of the school.
• According to The Dirt this is guitarist Mick Mars' favorite movie.
• The animated series Metalocalypse's episode 'Bluesklok' parodies Crossroads.
• The guitar used by Eugene is a Fender Telecaster.
• The guitar amplifier used by Eugene is a Pignose
• The guitar used by Jack Butler (Steve Vai) is a Charvel San Dimas.
• The guitar amplifier used by Jack Butler (Steve Vai) is a Carvin X100B.
• The Notes and tab for all songs from the movie can be found in the "Elusive Light and Sound Volume One" book

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... The Karate Kid is a 1984 John G. Avildsen film starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. ... The Elusive Of Light And Sound, volume 1 is a 2002 album that groups all the songs that Steve Vai made for movies, TV shows and the like. ... The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ) consists of John Dearman, William Kanengiser, Scott Tennant and Matthew Greif (who replaced Andrew York towards the end of 2006). ... For other uses, see Tritone (disambiguation). ... Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (October 27, 1782 – May 27, 1840) was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist and composer. ... Caprice No. ... Mick Mars (born Bob Alan Deal. ... Metalocalypse is an animated television series on Adult Swim created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha. ... The Fender Telecaster, also known as a Tele, is a typically dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender. ... The Pignose is a battery-powered, single speaker amplifier developed by the Pignose-Gorilla company which debuted in 1973. ...

External links

• Crossroads at the Internet Movie Database
• Crossroads at Rotten Tomatoes
• Crossroads - Arlen Roth's page about the shooting of the film