I'm very tempted to preface the title of The Jazz Singer with the words "A George Feltenstein Production."
This newly minted DVD boxed set is a monolithic affair.
The centerpiece is, of course, the 1927 Warner production starring Al Jolson, that introduced sound to the moviegoing masses via a double system of a projector synchronized with a large format turntable. The discs themselves are fashioned after the Vitaphone discs.
With whites aglow, which always made me think of this as a late orthochromatic production -- whether it is or is not, I'm not certain, The Jazz Singer has never looked more sumptuous.
But in typical Feltensteinian methodology, that isn't what this boxed set is about, as the centerpiece is an 89 minute black & white production offered in standard definition and no multi-track offerings to take up space.
What this set brings to the table is a bit of Jolson, combined with a huge series of Vitagraph short films, some previously available as part of the Vitagraph laser boxed set, while a third disc gives us multiple documentaries regarding sound and the history of sound at WB, as seen over the past decades.
For the aficionado of the early sound film, The Jazz Singer boxed set is the "stuff that dreams are made of."
The Jazz Singer is Extremely Highly Recommended.
RAH
This newly minted DVD boxed set is a monolithic affair.
The centerpiece is, of course, the 1927 Warner production starring Al Jolson, that introduced sound to the moviegoing masses via a double system of a projector synchronized with a large format turntable. The discs themselves are fashioned after the Vitaphone discs.
With whites aglow, which always made me think of this as a late orthochromatic production -- whether it is or is not, I'm not certain, The Jazz Singer has never looked more sumptuous.
But in typical Feltensteinian methodology, that isn't what this boxed set is about, as the centerpiece is an 89 minute black & white production offered in standard definition and no multi-track offerings to take up space.
What this set brings to the table is a bit of Jolson, combined with a huge series of Vitagraph short films, some previously available as part of the Vitagraph laser boxed set, while a third disc gives us multiple documentaries regarding sound and the history of sound at WB, as seen over the past decades.
For the aficionado of the early sound film, The Jazz Singer boxed set is the "stuff that dreams are made of."
The Jazz Singer is Extremely Highly Recommended.
RAH
