Origin: This is a film telling the story of a young Jewish boy who dreams of becoming a jazz musician. It was released in 1927, and directed by Alan Crosland (IMDb). It is based off of a play and novel called "The Day of Atonement". This film is one of the first to not be a completely silent film. It involves synchronized voice recordings.
Purpose: This movie was telling a story of family estrangement and Broadway musicals. It highlights a struggle of a young Jewish boy who runs away from his family to become a famous Jazz musician. The family ties are tested when the father (who drove him away) asks him to return and sing at Yom Kippur (a Jewish holiday) on the same night of the opening musical.
Value: According to filmsite, This movie is among the first Hollywood talkies, or movies with dialogue. It tells about the rapid technological advances occurring during this time period. Also, the movie is filmed and set in the roaring Twenties , a time after world war one where consumerism and party life style were extremely promoted. This is touched on in the film. Also, the protagonist stars as a man in blackface paint in the musical he is in, which shows the lingering racist ideas in the entertainment industry. Additionally, the main character and his family being Jewish and how the director portrays them shows the view of Jews in the time period. It also tells about the popularity of jazz, which had grown during the speakeasies invoked by Prohibition.
Limitations: The film doesn't really show the issue of immigration and anti-semitism as much as it could. It also doesn't touch on the war or the Lost generation, which were both huge contributing factors to the problems in the time period.
Sources:
http://www.pictureshowman.com/timeline_1920_1929.cfm#1920top
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018037/combined
http://www.filmsite.org/jazz.html
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/a/jazzsinger.htm
http://black-face.com/
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