Revisiting The Jazz Singer (1927) for the AFI Project

What's the AFI Project, you ask? For more information, or if you just enjoy my bemused ramblings, read here: http://pippin2010.filmaster.com/review/revisiting-psycho-for-the-afi-project/?preview

The Jazz Singer is on the following AFI list:

The Original Top 100 (#90)

So....the picture on the Filmaster page is of the remake with Neil Diamond, which is a little confusing. Yet, the ranked film is the 1927 version with Al Jolson - the so-called first American talking picture or "talkie." In one sentence, that is so clearly the reason why this film appears on the 1997 Greatest list. It's a pioneer, and the original AFI Greatest list seemed to celebrate, more than others, the "pioneering" films that became the "first" of something. It was not re-ranked ten years later (it was replaced by Swing Time, a new entry to the Revised list). That's really because The Jazz Singer, as a film, is a bit of a schmaltzy exercise that has not stood the test of time all that well, even as it has that "time capsule" like quality, containing story details and visuals that invoke the decade in which it was produced. As a hybrid of silent and synchronized sound film, it's interesting, and, no one can deny its place in history. Still, this movie is not the best of its era or even its genre (I continue to consider it, predominantly, a silent film), so its initial "greatest" moniker is a bit spurious.

I have seen it before, most likely during my Turner Classic Movies obsession phase. I didn't remember it well. It's entertaining but ultimately far from being a favorite.

Cantor Rabinowitz (Warner Oland) wants his young son Jakie (pronounced like Jackie) to become a cantor in the synagogue like him. Jakie, however, wants to become a Jazz Singer. When the cantor is alerted to the fact that his thirteen-year-old son is singing in the local juke joint, he becomes enraged and whips Jakie, despite the protests of his mother and Jakie's threats that he will run away if he is whipped. So, Jakie runs away and promises never to come back. Ten years later, he's assumed the stage name of Jack Robin (Jolson) and sings in cabarets, one at which he meets a dancer, Mary Dale (May McAvoy), who is quite taken with Jack and his talents and wants to introduce him to her touring act. This exposure results in Jack being cast in a Broadway revue, and though he has written letters to his mother, he has not returned to New York City until Broadway beckons. He returns home to find his mother beset with joy, but when his father arrives after singing in the synagogue, on his birthday, no less, he happens upon Jakie at the piano, crooning a jazz tune. The cantor throws him out, but the episode upsets the cantor so greatly, he takes ill. Jakie/Jack learns of his father's condition during dress rehearsal for the revue, as his mother implores him to come home and to sing in the synagogue, while Mary worries that Jack will jeopardize his career in the process. Jakie/Jack is beside himself and cannot decide what to do.

If I were alive in 1927 and had been exposed to nothing but silent film up until the point, I probably would think The Jazz Singer is the bees' knees. No one can deny the technical achievements of this movie. It revolutionized film as we know it, and, really, it's not like they make silent films nowadays. The first forty minutes of Wall-E is the closest thing the global audience has seen in ages (unless there are silent films being made in countries outside of the US, feel free to comment and to let me know). Sound in film is so important, there are technical Oscars and similar awards devoted to it. Sound can be a critical layer in the formation of a film, and this concept owes so much to the legacy of the Jazz Singer and the popular response to it at the time of its release.

Al Jolson is a charismatic performer, and he should be. Apparently, the film is partially based upon his biography, so there is no reason that he should not have connected with the part. It's quite something that he should have the legacy of being the first person heard in a movie in America. He sang some standards and mugged for the camera, and that was fine, too.

Also, the story itself is heartwarming and ultimately about family. It's a neat, prettily packaged fable that would be suitable for viewing by all ages, with disclaimers, because it emphasizes the importance of family ties and faith as well as being true to oneself.

Yet, the film has its anachronisms, such as Jolson in black-face makeup during the revue. It's not done in a way meant to be offensive, I think; I have even read that the scene was designed to be metaphor for the plight of the Jews in that day and age or for the generally low cultural regard for the artist, particularly jazz singers. The practice itself still derives from a poor place, though, and simply dates the film.

Is the film great because people could be heard talking and singing for the first time? I'm not so sure and tend to agree with the idea of not re-ranking the film. It's mildly amusing but not exceptionally memorable, other than because of its status as the first talkie. I'm of the opinion that that's not enough.

Really, there is not much more to say about The Jazz Singer. It's not a poorly done film, but it's not so incredibly wonderful, either. It's an innovation and a touching story. I was entertained. Then, it was over, and film and film history moved on, as I invariably will. I find myself ranking the film a 7.5, between being shaky but entertaining and having minor flaws but being very good. It's better than shaky, certainly, but has a significant flaw or two (such as the black-face) that prevent me from loving the film. The Jazz Singer also does not pass the test. If you are a student of film history, you would be remiss not to watch this one. Otherwise, you can probably take it or leave it.