My Take:

This film is famous for various different reasons, some good… some bad. It’s widely praised as being the first film with synchronized dialogue in the era of silent movies, but there are only a few short scenes that contain actual speaking, most of the film plays like a silent. The intention of Warner Brothers was to use the Vitaphone technology to showcase Al Jolson’s singing (which contain dialogue) as the first film with synchronized sound. It must have been something almost ninety years ago to experience this revelation.

The black face scene towards the end of the film wasn't shocking, but rather uncomfortable, distracting and far removed from where we are today. The story here is really the son breaking away from his family to strike it out on his own and deciding not to follow in his father’s footsteps. The religious aspect was a big theme back then, sure there were other Jewish films, but this one delved deeper and kept it grounded.

Jazz was much different back in the twenties than it is today, with the inclusion of ragtime and minstrel. The slower jazz songs here just drag on.

What I Liked:

Jolson’s rendition of Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies,” because it shows the most genuine moment in the film and he’s able to ‘speak’ to his mom after the performance. And, I grew up on Willie Nelson’s version, which I still dig.

What I Didn't Like:

The third act.

What I Learned:

Warner Brothers quickly abandoned the Vitaphone process in 1932 due to the cumbersome nature of the product and the advancement of better technology.