Some movies are epochal, and now thanks to DVD, they do not become apocryphal. When the Brothers Warner - pushed by Harry - jumped into the production of sound features, the technique was widely regarded as a novelty. The Vitaphone process had been used for short subjects for a few years. Synchronized music and sound effects were also used for a couple of features. But is was with The Jazz Singer that the “soundies” began to dominate the screen.

Not an “all-talkie”, but basically a silent film with some singing sequences, The Jazz Singer tells the story of Jakie Rabinowitz, son of a cantor who longs to sing “hot” songs. Jakie runs away from home and becomes a jazz singer and a Broadway star named Jack Robin. The songs Jolson sings - and his presentation of them - are definitely of the time. There is a short sequence that is done in “blackface” that has raised the ire of some reviewers. Mama (Eugenie Besserer, missing part of a finger) begs Jakie to sing “Kol Nidre” when his father The Cantor (Warner Oland) is dying. Will Jakie do it, even though it conflicts with his opening night on Broadway?

The screenplay is by Samuel Raphaelson based on his own play and short story. The play had starred George Jessel onstage, and he was originally announced as the star of the film. A money dispute found him out and Al Jolson in.

The cast includes Myrna Loy in a bit as a chorus girl, Bobby Gordon as young Jakie (Gordon later became a director), May McAvoy, and William Demarest.

The film is okay. On the disc with the feature is the famous cartoon “I Love to Singa” with Owl Jolson a couple of Jolson shorts, and movie trailers. There is a commentary by Ron Hutchison and Vince Giordano that informs while it doesn’t illuminate.

It’s the extras that put this set in the plus column. You get several booklets of information, some reproductions of ads, telegrams, and postcards. One disc has a documentary about the Vitaphone process and why it didn’t become the industry standard. With in a few years, even Warner Brothers was using the “sound on film” technique. There are some interviews that put everything in a personal perspective.

Another disc (and they are designed to look like a Vitaphone disc used in theatres), has a variety of Vitaphone shorts. What killed vaudeville? Look for the answer here. There were some I enjoyed, but my guess is that most of these performers were already over the hill.

All dressed up, spiffy and shining, The Jazz Singer is a part of film history. Find a place for it in your collection and in your heart.





Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD