The Jazz Singer

Young Jakie Rabinowitz loves jazz and ragtime, and wants to be a performer. But his father is a cantor, and he wants his son to carry on the family tradition. Jakie tries his hand anyway, only to be discovered by neighbor Moisha Yudelson and kicked out of the house. A decade later, an older Jakie has followed his dream, changed his name and found love with a performer named Mary, but he still wants to win his father over.

The Jazz Singer is one of my first experiences with silent films. I've seen bits and pieces of Charlie Chaplin silent films and others, but not all the way through. The only other (mostly) silent movie I've seen was 2012's The Artist. Watching The Jazz Singer was an interesting experience, to be sure. It's one of the first 'talkies', and widely recognized as one of the first films to fully realize and showcase the technological advancements movies had made in regards to the transition from silent films to sound. It's not, however, a complete 'talkie', there are certain places peppered throughout the movie where the audience does hear sound - mainly when Al Jolson, who plays Jakie Robinowitz (later known by his stage name Jack Robin), sings on stage to an audience.

I've seen several reviews mention how historically speaking, it's an important film, but as entertainment it's not very good. For me, I'm kind of stuck in the middle. It certainly is worth the watch due to its importance historically. Entertainment-wise, I actually enjoyed most of it. There were parts here and there where I was kind of bored, but I still appreciated the experience. I do think people should seek The Jazz Singer out, if only to get a glimpse of how far we've come in the world of film.