The Jazz Singer

Starring: Al Jolson, May McAvoy, Warner Oland, Eugenie Besserer, Otto Lederer, Richard Tucker, Myrna Loy (uncredited)
Directed by: Alan Crosland
Rating: Unrated
Genre: Drama, Music
1927

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A singer (Al Jolson) defies his father, who wants him to sing religious songs, to instead become a jazz singer.

Review:

Tim: Like many films of its time period, The Jazz Singer is problematic. However, it's also a fairly incredible film. This is a landmark movie, a great movie, and a hugely influential one. The film itself requires some examination and there are troubling aspects of the film. However, I still consider this a great film.

When you get into movie "firsts", it can get complicated. Wikipedia says this is the first feature-length film with "not only a synchronized recorded music score but also lip-synchronous singing and speech in several isolated sequences." That clears things up. It's basically the film that introduced sound into motion pictures. This film represents a watershed movie in movie history. Other films had experimented with sound, but this film is really a pioneer of the technology. It's the film that ushered in the "sound era" into movies. That is monumentally important.

The songs with lyrics are certainly powerful, but it's the film's (and history's) first spoke line of dialogue that sends chills down my spine. The first line uttered out loud in a feature film was, "Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothing yet." That almost defies belief. It's absolutely the most perfect first line that you could dream up. When Al Jolson utters the line, he's talking about his music, but for history, it's a prescient line. With the film's innovative sound technology, the songs, the first spoken line of dialogue, Jolson was correct. We ain't heard nothing yet. Almost 100 years later, the movies are still pushing boundaries of what we can hear. I absolutely adore this line, I loved Jolson's delivery of it. It stands as one of the greatest lines ever uttered in one of the most memorable moments. I seriously got chills listening to that line, knowing what it meant in the larger context of cinema.

Now, the sound is incredible, influential and important. However, that's not all the film has going for it. It offers up a memorable and powerful story of a young man torn between upholding the traditions of his family and charting his own course through life. Even after almost a century, this story still holds up. Every new generation feels that tension, between past and future. I loved that this movie addressed that topic, but it also examined the bridge between religious music and secular music. Especially in this case, the "dangerous", risque jazz music. Music has always both divided and brought people together and that shows up here. Most of the story is silent and it's fairly well done. The characters and events come across well and the momentum of the characters and their plights build over the 1 hour, 28 minute run time. The film never overstays its welcome.

As much as I enjoyed the film, I do need to hit the most problematic, troubling aspect of the film. There's two scenes where Al Jolson's character sings "My Mammy" in blackface. This is awful to see. Now, I suppose it would be easy to dismiss this. Society and what was acceptable was very different in 1927 than it is today. It's challenging to evaluate a film in the past by today's standards. So, should The Jazz Singer get a pass for this? I don't necessarily think so. The blackface scenes are sickening to watch. The idea that this was socially acceptable and celebrated says a lot about our society. It wasn't cool to do it in 1927 (despite what was viewed as acceptable) and it's not cool today. I really hated these scenes and they absolutely hurt the movie. They were completely unnecessary for the story, too. This is by far the worst aspect of the movie.

So, as I said, problematic. However, the film does have major strengths, too. In the end, I believe The Jazz Singer is a great film. It helped usher in the sound era in cinema. It's a powerful, relatable story that holds up nearly a century later. True, it's mostly a silent film, but it's a thoroughly entertaining one. Al Jolson is effective in the lead role. May McAvoy gives a strong supporting performance, and Warner Oland and Eugenie Besserer were effective, too. The movie is effective, memorable, and truly a landmark.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



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