Before watching "The Jazz Singer", I really didn't know what to expect. I knew very little about silent films, had seen very few silent films and didn't know anything about Al Jolson. I did know that this movie was the first movie to ever use sound, although it is used sparingly (In 5 Jolson songs and a small bit of dialogue). A keen listener will also notice that the noise level of the voice doesn't change in perspective to the distance between the camera and the person speaking. Basically, this movie could be considered a silent picture.
The movie itself was based on the idea that Jolson was to continue the family tradition of being a cantor but leaned towards Jazz music which was all the rage at the time. This greatly angered his father causing him to disown his son and refuse to talk to him. Of course, in the end they reconcile just before the father's death and right after Jolson delivers his cantoring at the synagogue. I wasn't really affected by this film and felt indifferent to the relationship between Jolson's character and his father. The relationship between Jolson's character and his girlfriend never really gets off the ground which might be a result of relationship beliefs at the time of filming.
I am baffled at how this movie made the AFI's top 100 list and can only attribute this to the fact that it was the first ever talkie. I would however recommend this film to anyone who is interested in seeing this important piece of film history.
6/10 stars.
The movie itself was based on the idea that Jolson was to continue the family tradition of being a cantor but leaned towards Jazz music which was all the rage at the time. This greatly angered his father causing him to disown his son and refuse to talk to him. Of course, in the end they reconcile just before the father's death and right after Jolson delivers his cantoring at the synagogue. I wasn't really affected by this film and felt indifferent to the relationship between Jolson's character and his father. The relationship between Jolson's character and his girlfriend never really gets off the ground which might be a result of relationship beliefs at the time of filming.
I am baffled at how this movie made the AFI's top 100 list and can only attribute this to the fact that it was the first ever talkie. I would however recommend this film to anyone who is interested in seeing this important piece of film history.
6/10 stars.