The Jazz Singer, released in 1927, is a black and white film that centers on a young man who wishes to conquer his dreams in becoming a professional jazz singer. This film, directed by Alan Crosland, demonstrates new developments from the decade of the 1920’s. During the decade, many new advances; such as the introduction of musicals and other technological advancements, were created. The Jazz Singer utilized these new advances of the decade and incorporated them into each scene. This is evident due to the elements of being the first talkie film, the introduction of the new musical genre and the introduction of the Hollywood stars system. By utilizing the new advances of the decade, Crosland’s film, changed the way cinema would be seen forever.
The Jazz Singer created a new advancement by introducing the first talking film. The article 1920s Movies mentions “The production of The Jazz Singer in 1927 did much to change the industry’s perception of talking pictures. The technology had advanced little in the previous five years, but the production was the first feature length talking picture to feature a star singer and actor, Al Jolson, speaking and singing on screen.” The Jazz Singer was the first film to incorporate speaking techniques in a cinematic setting. “The Jazz Singer is a special historical landmark as the first Hollywood feature film in which spoken dialogue was used as part of the dramatic action” (Carringer 28). In addition, The Jazz Singer was the beginning of a new technique that is still used in today’s society. “They talk of it today with awe, because in 1927 it was as though men had landed on the moon. The shaky, abrasive voice of the movies had been heard for the first time. Talkies had been born” (Higham 72)....
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Carringer, Robert L.. The Jazz singer. Madison: Published for the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research by the University of Wisconsin Press, 1979. Print.
Higham, Charles. Warner Brothers. New York: Scribner, 1975. Print.
Kenrick, John. "Stage Musicals 1920's I: Early Hits and Sally." Stage Musicals 1920's I: Early Hits and Sally. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. http://www.musicals101.com/1920bway.htm.
Schwartz, Leslie. Surviving the hell of Auschwitz and Dachau: a teenage struggle toward freedom from hatred.. S.l.: Lit Verlag, 2013. Print.
The silent era in film occurred between 1895 through 1929. It had a a major impact on film history, cinematically and musically. In silent films, the dialogue was seen through muted gestures, mime, and title cards from the beginning of the film to the end. The pioneers of the silent era were directors such as, D. W. Griffith, Robert Wiene and Edwin S. Porter. These groundbreaking directors brought films like first horror movie and the first action and western movie. Due to lack of color, the silent films were either black and white or dyed by various shades and hues to signal a mood or represent a time of day. Now, we begin to enter towards the sound era and opposed to the silent era, synchronized sounds were introduced to movies. The classic movie, The Jazz Singer, which was directed by Alan Crosland, was the first feature length film to have synchronized dialogue. This was not only another major impact in film history, but it also played a major part in film technology and where film is right now.
Throughout history, there has been a multitude of themes showcase in some of the generation’s biggest movie hits. For instance, one movie that has a strong central theme is Singin’ In The Rain, released in 1952, starring some of the greatest actors to this day. Singin’ In The Rain follows the story of the transition from silent films to sound films with two big actors, Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), who have to speak in their first film. In the climax, Don has a wonderful voice, but unfortunately Lina has a high pitched, annoying voice, so Don and his friend Cosmo Brown (Donald O’ Connor) devise a plan to dub over her voice with a girl they met named Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds). In Singin’ In The Rain, the central
The Nazis Concentration camps and the Gulag camps demonstrated how humans could live through extreme situations. They each have survivors to tell of their terror, and they each have a massive death toll. Even though they differ in place and organization, they share some similarities. In Gulag Voices and Survival in Auschwitz, the authors write about what they witnessed and how they survived. The crucial way these memoirs differ is Survival in Auschwitz is written by one man’s experience; whereas, Gulag Voices contains the memoirs of a variety of people which creates a better mosaic of the camps. As much as they differ, it is also surprising how these memoirs share similarities as well.
The Jazz Singer, was directed by Alan Crosland and Gordon Hollingshead, The jazz singer was also the first film than has sound. It involved The first full-length synchronized sound and it release the new sound film and the decline of the silent film era.
Beaver, Frank. "The Hollywood Studio System adapts to Sound." The 1930s. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. 280-319.
The period between early 1940s to mid-1960s or so, alternatively, the period between when the musical Oklahoma! (1943) was produced till the time when Hair (1968) was produced, is usually referred to as the Golden Age of the American musical (Kantor, 2010). It is during this period, that most of the noted titles such as “Carousel”, “South Pacific” etc. were produced. 1940s and early 1950s were dominated thoroughly by MGM musicals, while the late 1950s and 1960s belonged to Broadway. Initially, the musicals of this era had simple plots, unchallenging themes, with romantic or comedic characters and lots of singing and dancing. But towards the end of it, the plots were sophisticated, serious with singing, dancing as well as dialogue. In this paper, I choose to elaborate more on the musical – Arthur Laurents’s West Side Story. In the first part of this paper, I discuss the plot, songs and other aspects of the musical such as the awards etc. Later on, I explain how this musical revolutionized the theatre and the cultural effects it had on Americans. Finally, I conclude in the end the historical importance of this musical piece.
Before film there was theater, which utilized the musical gusto of entire orchestras to serve many purposes, including that of background and atmosphere. When film first became popularized in the 19th century, silent films were the predominant genre. These films presented a moving picture without sound. Pianos and organs were used to both mask the noise of the loud projectors used to display the film as well as to give emphasis to the story. The first “talkie” movie, or the first example of sound film, was the original Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson, released in 1927. This film changed the way music interacted with film in the early 20th century. Composers began to use song to open and close motion pictures. These songs reinforced the mood and themes of the film. In the early use of music to accompany visual stimuli in movies a phenomenon called “Mickey Mousing” often occurred. “Mickey Mousing” can be defined as “the tendency for the music to follow the action too closely like a cartoon”. Cartoons like Tom and Jerry often portray this phenomenon where movement and music are matched. For a while, film composers were not highly regarded and were looked down upon by serious composers. With all-time classic Gone with the Wind, composer Max Steiner established success for songwriters attracted many more trained musicians to the craft. With his success also came one of the first ever successful theme songs, which is now widely known by millions. Extremely unusual for its time, Disney’s Fantasia is an example of a film where the music comes first and the visuals are created to fit the music. Bernard Hermann, a composer who supported Alfred Hitchcock in many of his films was a key in the new genre created for horror films, a genre whose purpose is to assist in the building of tension and the shock factor. Quickly came the realization that film could be used to launch hit songs
The 1920s is an era in American history largely synonymous with the jazz age. It’s depiction in the 21st century is that of a celebration of black culture and its rise into popularity in a world where the greats were accepted for their talent instead of discriminated against based on the color of their skin. This, however, is unrealistic and does not fairly acknowledge the trials, tribulations, and resistance faced by black jazz musicians of the time. While the 1920s was a lively era in our nation that sparked great change politically, socially, and economically, it also notably brought new ideas of music to pop culture through a rise of jazz across all demographics. This rise brought black culture to the forefront of our nation and helped
Interview footage of her colleagues, fellow musicians, and friends such as Annie Ross, Buck Clayton, Mal Waldron, and Harry “Sweets” Edison look back on their years of friendship and experiences with the woman they affectionately call “Lady”. Their anecdotes, fond memories, and descriptive way of describing Holiday’s unique talent and style, show the Lady that they knew and loved. The film also makes interesting use of photographs and orignal recordings of Holiday, along with movie footage of different eras. With the use of these devices, we get a feel for what Holiday’s music meant for the audience it reached. The black and white footage from the thirties of groups of people merrily swing dancing, paired with a bumptious, and swingin’ number Billie Holiday performed with Count Basie called “Swing Me Count”, makes one wonder what it might have been like to actually be there. To wildly swing dance to the live vocals of Billie Holiday must have been an amazing experience, as this film demonstrates.
The economic accomplishments and technological advances of the 1920s allowed for leisure opportunities. One of America’s favorite leisure activities was watching baseball. One of the most famous player in the history of baseball was playing during this time- Babe Ruth. Another activity and new form of entertainment included Cinema. Movies were also still being developed at this time. Early silent movies were often accompanied by live piano or organ music and provided enormous entertainment value to audiences charmed by the experience of watching moving pictures on the silver screen. Although the had been previous attempts to introduce sound, it wasn't until 1923 that a synchronized sound track was photographically recorded and printed on to the side of the strip of motion picture film and made it on to a commercially distributed
This book brings the holocaust survivors’ pain and suffing alive to the reader. So that future generations may remember the event and
This memoir, which sits on the library shelf, dusty and unread, gives readers a view of the reality of this brutal war. So many times World War II books give detail about the war or what went on inside the Concentration Camps, yet this book gives insight to a different side. A side where a child not only had to hide from Nazi’s in threat of being taken as a Jew, but a child who hid from the Nazi’s in plain sight, threatened every day by his identity. Yeahuda captures the image of what life was like from the inside looking out. “Many times throughout the war we felt alone and trapped. We felt abandoned by all outside help. Like we were fighting a war on our own” (Nir 186). Different from many non-fiction books, Nir uses detail to give his story a bit of mystery and adventure. Readers are faced with his true battles and are left on the edge of their
“I think he was the most interesting jazz musician I’ve ever seen in my life. He just looked so authoritative . . . I said, ‘Well, that’s what I want to do when I grow up.’”(DeVeaux, 35) Cannonball Adderley said these words when he first saw Coleman Hawkins with the Fletcher Henderson band at the City Auditorium in Tampa, Florida. Just as Hawkins influenced one of the greatest alto players in history, he has influenced many people to become phenomenal saxophone players. Lester Young and Sonny Rollins both give tribute to Coleman Hawkins as being the “‘proliferator’ of the tenor saxophone as a jazz instrument.”(Kernfeld, 506) Hawkins, unfortunately, is labeled as a swing musician though; and while he did begin his career during the swing era playing with such greats as Louie Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, Wilbur Sweatman, and Ginger Jones, he continued his career later in life with players like Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Milt Jackson – some of the best bop and modern jazz artists known to date.(Kernfeld, 505) This paper is devoted to the truthful portrayal of Coleman Hawkins, his life, his playing, and the art he helped create known as jazz.
One of the most crucial elements of filmmaking is the soundtrack used, as special sound effects and/or songs set the mood for what the audience is supposed to feel. Although early film has been referred to as the era of “silent film,” this is far from the truth; there is simply film before and after the introduction of character dialogue. Music has always accompanied filmmaking, it is able to set a clear tone for the scene without the need for words or blatant manipulation of the audience. Early films, although they had music, were not set to a fixed score; this gave musicians a chance to play whatever they preferred to as the musical accompaniment. In later films this practice was changed as directors and writers wanted the music to fit what they envisioned instead of leaving it completely up to the musicians themselves; this even led to specific songs being written for a movie instead of just
The music of the Harlem Renaissance - including jazz, swing, and big band - was an inherent expression of the joyous revolt from the confinement of racial prejudice experienced by African Americans. Jazz became extremely popular in Harlem in the 1920s. Historians agree that the musical genre of jazz was most i...