 |
The 1980 version
of “The Jazz Singer” was Neil
Diamond’s first and only foray into
the acting arena. The film told the story
of Yussel Rabinowitz (Diamond), a New York
City cantor who wants to extend his talent
beyond the confines of the synagogue. He
assumes the name ‘Jess Robin’
in order to write and perform his own songs.
This doesn’t hold well with his family,
especially his father (Laurence Oliver)
who is the type who would disown his son
for defying his wishes. When ‘Jess’
is offered the opportunity to record one
of his songs in L.A., the family feud takes
a turn for the worse and Yussel has to make
the choice between a possible career and
the love of his family.
At the time “The Jazz Singer”
was filmed, Neil Diamond was already well
on his way to the legendary status he enjoys
today. An accomplished singer/songwriter,
Diamond was responsible for a great number
of huge hits, including “Song Sung
Blue” and “You Don’t Bring
Me Flowers” (which he performed with
Barbra Streisand).
|
My parents were fans and admittedly, being the
softy I am, I enjoyed a lot of his work as well.
I first saw “The Jazz Singer” way
back when it originally premiered in theatres,
and while it couldn’t claim to have Academy
Award winning performances (with the exception
of Olivier), I thought it was a very heartfelt
and emotional film. I was still pretty young,
so I didn’t know that the way the L.A. music
scene was presented was rather phony, so nothing
in the film really bothered me. Watching it again
s many year later, I can pick out some of the
more clichéd sequences, but overall it
still plays fairly well.
Part of the responsibility for making the film
rise above the limitations of some of the actors
has to be handed director Richard Fleischer. Looking
back over his career, I was amazed to see just
how varied it was. He had been directing since
the 1940’s and I recognized titles like
“Soylent Green”, “Fantastic
Voyage” and “Doctor Dolittle”
(the great one with Rex Harrison, not the crappy
one with Eddie Murphy). He was even behind the
awesome Disney version of “20,000 Leagues
Under the Sea.” It’s no wonder “The
Jazz Singer” turned out to be a better than
average film.
Anchor Bay is celebrating the 25th Anniversary
of “The Jazz Singer” with an all-new
DVD release. It offers up a really nice transfer
of the film, most notably in the audio department.
The soundtrack is terrific, and all the songs
that Diamond wrote for the film sound better than
they ever have. There aren’t as many extra
features as I’ve come to expect from Anchor
Bay, but I’m not surprised that there might
just not be that much available. The new DVD does
offer up a commentary by producer Jerry Leider,
which is fairly informative. You’ll also
find a trailer, a TV spot as well as poster and
film gallery.
While “The Jazz Singer” was nominated
for three Golden Globe Awards, there are still
some signs of it being a bit dated. It’s
a good movie, without necessarily being a great
movie. You’re enjoyment of it really hinges
on whether or not you’re s fan of Diamond’s
music or not. I still love hearing “America”,
“Love on the Rocks” and “Hello
Again”, so I found a lot about the film
to like. If you’re not a fan, you might
not get quite as much out of it.
Directed by: Richard Fleischer
Starring: Neil Diamond, Laurence Olivier, Lucie
Arnaz, Catlin Adams, Franklyn Ajaye
Extras: Audio Commentary by Producer Jerry Leider,
Theatrical Trailer, TV Spot, Poster & Still
Gallery, Bios on Neil Diamond, Luarence Olivier,
and Richard Fleischer
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital Surround
EX, Dolby Digital 6.1 DTS-ES
Studio: Anchor Bay
Release Date: 10/18/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG
Website
We'll give The Jazz Singer: 25th Anniversary
Edition a C.
|
