For some reason, I was under the impression that The Jazz Singer was about a black man (played by a white man in blackface) trying to make it as a jazz singer. Since it is heralded as the first talkie, I was also under the assumption that the entire thing was a talkie. I was wrong on both accounts.
The Jazz Singer is about a boy who leaves home because his very religious Jewish father wants him to become a cantor. The young boy, Jakie, wants to become a jazz singer instead. Years pass and, after becoming a jazz singer, he comes back home to New York to be on Broadway. Some things happen, and he has to make the difficult decision to choose between his career, or his family and religion.
Only the musical scenes and a few lines in between had synchronized sound. The rest of the movie was silent. I wasn't entirely wrong about there being a man in blackface, but it was just part of Jack's act, and it was only in a couple of scenes. I have no idea why they included it; it seemed very unnecessary. The story and acting were ok, the musical numbers weren't that great, but I recommend this film to anyone who has an interest in film history.
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