Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie''s plot.
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 doesnt illuminate.
Its 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 didnt 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.
It wasn't really the first "talkie," but its release marked the death knell for silent pictures when Jolson, as the rabbi's son who wants to be a Broa...More at HotMovieSale.com
A cantor s son gets into show business, much to the anger and disappointment of his family. Originally released in 1927, The Jazz Singer is well-known...More at Buy.com
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.