Sunday, November 11, 2007
The Jazz Singer
Last night, Lucky and I went to the Loews Jersey to see the Jazz Singer... this one not this one (which apparently my mother has seen numerous times. She still surprises me!)
The Jazz Singer (starring Al Jolson) was considered to be the first "talkie," or rather the "talkie" that caused the industry to realize that there was no turning back!
It was a fun movie that has held up pretty well... the story of a guy not wanting to go into the family business (in this case, being a cantor) and following his dream (...being a jazz singer). What did not hold up was the wonderment of the audience. There were some sound issues in the beginning, and within minutes, some of the audience was grumbling, and during the film when there were skips in the film, they would continue to make negative utterances. The film is 80 years old; this is the only 35mm reel in existence... have some understanding, people!
A special gem was the 1929 "Baby Rose Marie" featurette. Yup, that Rose Marie with the black hair bow from the Dick Van Dyke Show at 6 years of age. She had some pipes... like a 20s version of Christina Aguilera! From my understanding, it's part of the Jazz Singer's newest DVD set.
I will be missing out on the Otto Preminger film fest but just wait for Mary Poppins... I am so there!Labels: nablopomo
