The Jazz Singer PDF

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Essay looking at why the jazz singer was so important...

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The$Jazz$Singer$(1927)$ $ For$my$essay,$I$will$be$looking$at$Warner$Bros.$1927$Vitaphone$feature$ film,$ The$Jazz$Singer.$ In$particular,$I$will$be$focusing$on$the$conversion$to$ sound,$the$depiction$and$effect$of$Cantor$Rabinowitz$within$the$film$and$ the$ further$ cultural$ effect$ on$ the$ cinema$ industry$ after$ the$ Vitaphone$ has$come$to$the$forefront.$ $ The$film$depicts$the$story$of$Jakie$Rabinowitz,$(who$changes$his$name$to$ Jack$ Robin$ further$ into$ the$ film),$ who$ has$ a$ love$ for$ performing$ Jazz$ numbers,$(to$which$we$see$many$in$the$film$including$‘Dirty$Hands,$Dirty$ Face’$ and$ ‘You$ Ain’t$ Seen$ Nothin’$ Yet’).$ The$ film$ promotes$ a$ sense$ of$ freedom$ and$rebelliousness$ from$traditional$Jewish$concepts$ as$we$see$ Jakie$ defy$ the$ traditions$ of$ his$ Jewish$ family,$ much$ to$ his$ father’s$ dismay.$ Jakie’s$ Cantor$ father$ does$ not$ approve$ of$ this$ and$ instead$ wishes$ for$ Jakie$ to$ carry$ on$ his$ legacy$ as$ Cantor$ within$ the$ Jewish$ synagogue$to$which$he$belongs.$Jakie$‘chooses$the$stage$instead$of$the$ synagogue,$and$at$the$same$time$falls$in$love$with$a$Gentile’1.$ $ The$cost$of$creating$the$film$was$$422,0002,$which$at$the$time,$was$very$ surprising$from$Warner$Bros.$as$they$rarely$spent$more$than$$250,000$in$ the$ production$ stages$ of$ films.$ Even$ more$ so$ as$ Warner$ Bros.$ were$ having$ significant$ financial$ problems$ around$ 1926/27,$ in$ which$ they$

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1 $Freedland,$Michael$(1983).$The$Warner$Brothers,$St.$Martin’s$Press,$Page$32.$ 2 $Crafton,$Donald$(1997).$The$Talkies:$American$Cinema's$Transition$to$Sound,$1926– 2 $Crafton,$Donald$(1997).$The$Talkies:$American$Cinema's$Transition$to$Sound,$1926– 1931.$Berkeley,$CA:$University$of$California$Press.$

reported$ a$ net$ loss$ of$ $333,4133.$ However,$ Warner$ Bros.$ knew$ how$ successful$ The$ Jazz$ Singer$ had$ been$ on$ Broadway,$ and$ hoped$ that$ the$ story$ would$ be$ easily$ and$ successfully$ translated$ across$ onto$ film$ exhibition.$The$original$plan$for$the$film$was$to$have$the$1925$Broadway$ star$ George$ Jessel$ performing$ the$ role$ of$ Jakie,$ however,$ Jessel$ had$ significant$ salary$ demands$ and$ therefore$ the$ Warner$ Bros.$ saw$ fit$ to$ invest$ in$ someone$ like$ Al$ Jolson,$ who$ had$ been$ coined$ as$ the$ ‘world’s$ greatest$ entertainer’,$ and$ reportedly$ earned$ a$ salary$ of$ $75,0004$over$ the$film’s$oneamonth$shooting$schedule.$The$roaring$success$of$The$Jazz$ Singer$ in$ the$ US$ Box$ Office$ produced$ a$ profit$ of$ $1,196,7505,$ pushing$ Warner$ Bros.$ back$ into$ the$ front$ line$ of$ film$ production,$ and$ easily$ balancing$out$the$loss$that$they$had$suffered$with$Don$Juan$(1926).$$ $ Michael$Rogen$ (1996)$ says$ that$ The$Jazz$ Singer$ conveys$ three$ stories$ a$ ‘the$ conversion$ to$ sound,$ the$ conversion$ of$ the$ Jews,$ and$ the$ conversion$by$blackface’6.$In$many$ways,$ I$agree$with$Rogen,$in$the$way$ he$presents$ The$Jazz$ Singer$ to$be$ a$ ‘transitional’$ film$–$ a$film$ to$ which$ breaks$ the$ industry$ away$ from$ silent$ film$ and$ into$ the$ new$ era$ of$ ‘talkies’.$For$my$essay,$I$will$be$looking$at$the$conversion$to$sound,$and$ what$I$believe$to$be$the$film’s$physical$metaphor$for$silent$film,$Cantor$ Rabinowitz,$ and$ how$ his$ portrayal$in$ the$ film$ affects$ the$ narrative$ and$ ultimately$results$in$a$new$equilibrium$being$created.$To$conclude,$I$will$ also$briefly$look$at$cultural$and$audience$effects$regarding$the$film.$ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3 $Freedland,$M$(1983).$Page$116.$ 4 $Freedland,$M$(1983).! 5 $Block,$Alex$Ben;$Wilson,$Lucy$Autrey$(2010).$George$Lucas's$Blockbusting:$A$ DecadeGbyGDecade$Survey$of$Timeless$Movies$Including$Untold$Secrets$of$Their$ Financial$and$Cultural$Success.$New$York:$HarperCollins.$ 6 $Rogen,$Michael$(1996).$Blackface:$White$Noise,$Jewish$Immigrants$in$the$Hollywood$ Melting$Pot.$University$of$California$Press,$page$80.$

The$Introduction$of$the$Vitaphone$and$the$conversion$to$Sound$ $ The$late$1920s$saw$the$up$rise$in$musical$film$as$a$performing$art$form,$ and$ right$ from$ the$ very$ beginning,$ audiences$ were$ very$ receptive$ and$ embraced$such$a$new$style$with$realms$of$enthusiasm.7$‘Technologically$ primitive$ "talkies"$ with$ synchronized$ sound$ were$ introduced$ as$ a$ vaudeville$ oddity$ as$ early$ as$ 1907,$ but$ audiences$ were$ not$ impressed.$ The$ earliest$ technology$ was$ plagued$ by$ tinny$ sound$ quality$ and$ weak$ amplification.$Hollywood$had$built$a$multiamillion$dollar$industry$using$a$ wordless$ language$ of$ image$ and$ gesture$ that$ the$ whole$ world$ responded$ to,$ so$ few$ people$ in$ the$ business$ believed$ that$ sound$ films$ would$ever$be$more$than$a$minor$sideline.’8$This$view$was$reinforced$by$ the$fact$that$silent$films$were$still$immensely$popular,$and$even$though$ ‘technologically$primitive$“talkies”’$were$around,$albeit$rarely,$audiences$ still$preferred$ the$ over$ emphasized$language$ of$ gestures.$ An$argument$ for$ this$ is$ the$ fact$ that$ gestures$ are$ multialingual,$ and$ therefore$ exhibition$ and$communication$of$the$narrative$ in$ silent$films$is$easier$in$ comparison$ to$ ‘talkies’,$ where$ dialogue$ was$ primarily$ in$ English$ –$ ‘The$ silent$film$which$had$for$years$been$considered$an$international$medium$ –$only$the$titles$had$to$be$changed$to$suit$the$language$of$the$country$in$ which$ a$ movie$ was$ being$ shown' 9 .$ However,$ Warner$ Bros.,$ who$ emerged$ in$ 1918$ and$ had$ a$ fair$ share$ of$ financial$ problems,$ were$ interested$in$the$Vitaphone.$$ $

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 7 $Kenrick,$John$(1996).$‘History$of$Musical$Film’,$1927G30:$Hollywood$Learns$to$Sing.$ 8 $Kenrick,$J$(1996).$Chapter:$‘Vitaphone’.! 9 $Freedland,$M$(1983).$Page$45.$

The$ Vitaphone$ was$ an$ audio$ and$ moving$ image$ capture$ device,$ premiered$ in$ 1926$ and$ used$ subsequently$ on$ further$ short$ films$ and$ feature$ length$ ‘talkies’.$ The$ device$ was$ able$ to$ record$ both$ video$ and$ audio$ in$ complete$ synchronization$ due$ to$ being$ attached$ to$ the$ same$ motor,$which$ was$ kept$in$synchronization$ by$a$ vacuum$tube$ regulator.$ ‘The$ Vitaphone$ is$ not$ a$ new$ invention.$ It$ is$ a$ combination$ of$ old$ and$ new$ ideas,$ an$ application$ of$ telephone,$ phonograph$ and$ radio$ principles.’ 10 $Using$ these$ combination$ of$ devices,$ allowed$ for$ the$ filmmaker$ to$ successfully$ capture$ dialogue,$ vocal$ and$ orchestral$ recordings;$‘the$provocation$and$pleasure$(and$hence$the$marketability)$ of$ the$ Vitaphone$ short$ was$ a$ function$ of$ both$ its$ similarity$ to$ and$ transformation$of$the$stage$prologue$it$supplanted,$its$capacity$to$recast$ vocal$or$instrumental$performances$in$an$astonishing$new$form’11.$$ $ Warner$Bros.$produced$5$feature$films$using$Vitaphone$sections$before$ The$ Jazz$ Singer$ was$ released$ (making$ The$ Jazz$ Singer$ the$ sixth).$ However,$these$films$only$used$orchestral$recordings$within$the$film,$or$ sound$just$over$the$short$prologues$played$at$the$beginning$(Don$Juan,$ for$ example),$ unlike$ The$ Jazz$ Singer,$ which$ actually$ used$ dialogue$ and$ vocal$ song.$ ‘The$ whole$ philosophy$ of$ Warner$ Bros.$ at$ the$ time$ was$ to$ prove$that$the$silent$film$was$dead,$that$theatres$had$to$wire$for$sound$ and$that$their$cinemas$would$be$in$the$forefront$of$doing$just$that.’12$By$ 1927,$ many$ cinemas$ were$ setaup$ for$ Vitaphone$ films$ and$ were$ crying$ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 10 $‘Bringing$Sound$to$the$Screen’,$Photoplay,$October$1926,$reprinted$on$handout$for$ Week$10.$ 11 $Gunning,$T.$‘An$Aesthetic$of$Astonishment:$Early$Film$and$the$(In)credulous$ Spectator’,$1989.$Pages$31a45.! 12 $Freedland,$M$(1983).$Page$93.$

out$for$new$releases,$and$therefore$the$ demand$for$ The$Jazz$Singer$was$ incredibly$high.$$ $ ‘Vitaphone$ will$ get$ ‘em$ a$ men,$ women$ and$ children.$ It’s$ the$ unprecedented$ success$ of$ filmville.$ The$ Warners$ have$ an$ achievement.’13$ $ The$role$of$Cantor$Rabinowitz$within$The$Jazz$Singer$ $ Samson$Raphaelson$(1925),$author$of$The$Jazz$Singer,$says$that:$$ $ ‘I$ have$ used$ a$ Jewish$ youth$ as$ my$ protagonist$ because$ the$ Jews$ are$determining$the$nature$and$scope$of$jazz$more$than$any$other$ race$–$more$than$negroes,$from$whom$they$have$stolen$jazz$and$ given$ it$ new$ meaning.$ Jazz$ is$ Irving$ Berlin,$ Al$ Jolson,$ George$ Gershwin,$ Sophie$ Tucker.$ These$ are$ Jews$ with$ their$ roots$ in$ the$ synagogue.$ And$ these$ are$ expressing$ in$ evangelical$ terms$ the$ nature$of$our$chaos$today.’14$ $ The$‘chaos’$I$believe$Raphaelson$here$is$commenting$on,$is$the$transition$ between$an$old$and$new$world,$within$a$set$of$Jewish$ideals.$We$see$in$ The$ Jazz$ Singer,$ the$ father’s$ mindset$ stuck$ within$ the$ old$ traditional$ world$of$Judaism,$whereas$the$mother$is$accepting$of$the$new$(i.e.$the$ Jazz$ music)$ within$ the$ cultural$ lifestyle$ that$ Jack$ lives$ within.$ Cultural$ historian$ Linda$ Williams$ says$ that$ ‘when$ Jack's$ father$ says,$ 'Stop',$ the$ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 13 $Freedland,$M$(1983).$Page$34.$ 14 $Samson$Raphaelson,$The$Jazz$Singer,$New$York:$Brentano’s,$(1925).$Page$9.$

flow$ of$ "jazz"$ music$ (and$ spontaneous$ speech)$ freezes.$ But$ the$ Jewish$ mother$recognizes$the$virtue$of$the$old$world$in$the$new$and$the$ music$ flows$ again.’ 15 $Robert$ Carringer,$ who$ believes$ that$ the$ jazz$ music$ is$ ‘fundamentally$ an$ ancient$ religious$ impulse$ seeking$ expression$ in$ a$ modern,$ popular$ form’,16$furthers$ this$ idea.$ The$ argument$ here$ is$ that$ Jack$ is$ the$ ‘impulse’$ and$ he$ is$ the$ one$ ‘seeking$ expression’,$ yet$ he$ is$ facing$a$wall,$which$is$not$accepting$of$this$new$form,$his$father.$$ $ ‘The$ Jazz$ Singer$ links$ its$ twin$ killings,$ of$ silent$ movies$ and$ the$ Jewish$ patriarch,$since$ Vitaphone$ carries$the$ generational$conflict$ in$ its$ three,$ revolutionary$scenes$–$the$first,$characteraembedded,$singing$voice;$the$ first$ lipasynchronized$ singing$ and$ first$ lines$ of$ speech;$ and$ the$ first$ dialogue.$ Together$ these$ scenes$ form$ an$ Oedipal$ triangle$ –$ antithesis,$ thesis,$ synthesis$ –$ with$ the$ Jewish$ mother$at$ the$ center.’17$This$ theory$ from$ Rogen,$ I$ believe$ can$ be$ successfully$ applied$ to$ the$ film$ and$ provides$ an$ inadepth$ interpretation$ when$ considering$ the$ religious$ contrast$seen$between$father$and$son.$We$see$in$the$first$scene$that$the$ father$ removes$ Jakie$ from$ the$ stage$ (antithesis),$ bringing$ the$ film$ into$ silence,$however,$Jakie$then$proceeds$to$talk$to$Mary$who$was$sitting$in$ the$ audience$during$ his$performance$(thesis).$Further$into$the$film,$ we$ see$Jack$return$home$and$sing$‘Blue$Skies’$to$his$mother.$The$mother$is$ the$synthesis$between$ Jack’s$love$ and$performances$ of$jazz$ music,$and$ the$ Jewish$ traditional$ culture$ her$ and$ her$ husband$ have$ vowed$ to$ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 15 $Williams,$Linda.$Melodramas$of$Black$and$White$from$Uncle$Top$to$O.$J.$Simpson,$ Princeton$University$Press,$(2002).$Page$186.$ 16 $Carringer,$Robert.$L.$The$Jazz$Singer,$University$of$Wisconsin$Press,$(1979).$Page$ 23.$ 17 $Rogen,$Michael.$Blackface,$White$Noise:$The$Jewish$Jazz$Singer$Finds$His$Voice,$ University$of$Chicago$Press,$(1992).$Page$422.!

uphold.$ However,$ it$ is$ interesting$ to$ note$ here$ that$ again,$ the$ father$ again$indulges$the$film$into$silence.$Within$the$mediumalong$shot$of$Jack$ singing$ ‘Blue$ Skies’$ to$ his$ mother$ (with$ Jack$ sitting$ on$ the$ right$ of$ the$ frame$at$the$piano),$we$see$the$frame$completely$balanced$between$the$ two$ characters.$ However,$within$ the$ middle$ of$the$ frame$between$ the$ two$ characters,$ we$ see$ Cantor$ Rabinowitz$ enter$ through$ a$door,$ as$ he$ instantly$ notices$ the$ jazz$ music$ being$ performed$ in$ his$ home.$ The$ significance$ of$ this$ shot$ cannot$ be$ undermined.$ Having$ the$ father$ be$ seen$ in$ the$ frame$ in$ this$ fashion,$ only$ promotes$ his$ attachment$ to$ antithesis,$ in$ the$ way$ that$ he$ subliminally$ and$ physically$ divides$ Jack$ away$from$ his$mother$ and$ stops$Jack’s$ jazz$rendition$of$‘Blue$ Skies’.$In$ addition$ to$ this,$ after$ the$ father$ shouts$ ‘Stop!’$ there$ is$ a$ very$ long$ silence,$before$being$replaced$with$orchestral$music.$$ $ Sherwood$writes$that$‘Jack’s$father$may$have$the$power$to$stop$speech$ in$ this$ film,$ but$ it$ will$ cost$ him$ and$ silent$ movies$ their$ lives.18’$ If$ Jack$ insists$on$pursuing$his$jazz$career,$rather$than$taking$up$the$mantelpiece$ as$ Cantor,$ Cantor$ Rabinowitz$ would,$ metaphorically,$ lose$ his$ voice,$ as$ someone$ else$within$ the$ Jewish$community,$rather$ than$ his$son$ would$ take$ up$ the$ role$ of$ Cantor.$ In$ many$ ways,$ it$ is$ as$ if$ Cantor$ Rabinowitz$ represents$silent$film$(trying$to$stick$to$traditions$and$keep$films$silent)$ and$ Jack$ represents$ the$ Vitaphone$ (a$ new$ wave$ amongst$ the$ industry$ and$willing$to$go$against$tradition).$$The$link$between$the$‘death$of$silent$ movies$and$the$death$of$the$Jewish$patriarch19’$is$monumental$here,$as$ in$ fact,$ is$ true$ as$ we$ see$ after$ the$ success$ of$ The$ Jazz$ Singer,$ a$ large$ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 18 $R.E.$Sherwood,$The$Jazz$Singer,$(1927).$Page$24.$ 19 $Rogen,$M.$Page$422$

surge$ in$ the$ installation$of$ Vitaphone$ equipment$ within$ cinemas$ and$ a$ mass$ of$ new$ Vitaphone$ shorts/features$ being$ produced.$ I$ believe$ the$ inclusion$of$this$subliminal$meaning$or$message,$can$also$be$seen$in$the$ initial$ scene$ at$ Coffee$ Dan’s,$ where$ Jack$ says$ ‘you$ ain’t$ heard$ nothing$ yet’,$a$kind$of$per$formative$announcement$–$the$birth$of$sound$movies$ and$the$death$of$silent$film20.$ $ Cantor$Rabinowitz$oppression$of$Jakie$is$further$consolidated,$as$within$ one$of$the$title$card’s$at$the$beginning$of$the$film,$we$read$that$‘In$every$ living$ soul,$ a$ spirit$ cries$ for$ expression$–$ perhaps$ this$plaintive,$ wailing$ son$ of$ jazz$ is,$ after$ all,$ the$ misunderstood$ utterance$ of$ a$ prayer.’21$ Raphaelson$himself$admits$that$‘jazz$is$morally$equivalent$to$prayer,$and$ perhaps$ more$ relevant$ to$ modern$ society.’22$Jakie$ is$ the$ driving$ force$ behind$this$now$moral$equivalent,$so$why$is$it$that$at$the$end$of$the$film,$ we$see$him$instead$revert$to$his$traditional$moral$conscience$by$taking$ his$father’s$ place$ in$‘Kol$Nidre’,$ rather$ than$performing$ on$ the$opening$ night$of$his$show?$$ $ The$ song$ of$ ‘Kol$ Nidre’$ is$ a$ Jewish$ song$ that$ Jews$ sing$ to$ ask$ ‘to$ be$ released$ from$ promises$ they$ have$ made$ that$ go$ against$ Jewish$ law’23.$ My$personal$understanding$and$interpretation$of$this$would$be$that,$by$ his$singing$of$‘Kol$Nidre’,$Jack$is$asking$for$forgiveness$from$God$for$what$ he$believes$to$be$‘sins’$he$has$committed$when$he$ performs$within$ the$ societal$ world$ of$ jazz$ music.$ Bial$ (2005)$ says$ that,$ ‘his$ singing$ of$ ‘Kol$ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 20 $Rogen,$M.$Page$421$ 21 $Warner$Bros.,$The$Jazz$Singer$[film],$Intertitle.$ 22 $Bial,$Henry$Carl.$Acting$Jewish:$Negotiating$Ethnicity$on$the$American$Stage$and$ Screen.$University$of$Michigan$Press,$(2005).$Page$24.! 23 $Bial,$H.$Page$25.$

Nidre’$ is$ apparently$ his$ repentance,$ his$ plea$ to$ be$ released$ from$ his$ “conversion”$ to$ the$ secular$ world$ of$ Broadway’24.$ This$ idea$ in$ a$ broad$ sense,$ suggests$ that$ Jews$ do$ not$ have$ a$ belonging$ or$ place$ within$ the$ entertainment$industry,$which,$as$a$ side$note,$is$ironic$as$by$the$time$of$ the$film’s$revolutionizing$effect,$ Jewish$ American$writers,$directors$ and$ most$importantly$actors$had$all$achieved$a$dominant$position$within$the$ industry’s$ hierarchical$ scale.$ On$ first$ glance,$ I$ would$ agree$ with$ this$ analysis,$however,$an$additional$scene$is$added$to$the$film$version$of$The$ Jazz$ Singer,$ in$ comparison$ to$ the$ book,$ where$ we$ see$ Jack$ singing$ ‘Mammy’$ in$ a$ blackface$ performance$ before$ a$ soldaout$ concert$ house.$ The$fact$that$the$film$version$adds$ this$scene,$and$for$ it$to$ be$the$final$ scene$within$the$text,$suggests$that$Jack’s$return$to$the$synagogue$was$a$ falsity;$ show$ business$ has$ now$ become$ his$ complete$ and$ only$ faith25$a$ ‘With$ his$ father$ now$ dead,$ he$ has$ his$ mother’s$ blessing;$ she$ is$ sitting$ proudly$in$the$front$row,$granting$Jack’s$choice$to$become$a$showman$a$ legitimate$connection$to$his$Jewish$heritage.26’$ $ The$effect$of$Vitaphone$films$–$financial$and$embodiment$ $ ‘Sammond$suggests$the$threeadimensional$space$of$the$theater$was$now$ fully$ subordinated$ to$ the$ twoadimensional$ space$ of$ the$ film$ screen’.27$ This$was$previously$not$an$issue$with$silent$films,$as$people$still$wanted$ to$visit$vaudeville$theatres$to$hear$and$see$an$act;$‘Vaudeville$and$silent$

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 24 $Bial,$H,$Page$25.$ 25 $Bial,$H.$Page$25.$ 26 $Bial,$H.$Page$25.$ 27 $King,$Rob.$Film$History,$Vol.$23,$Issue$3,$(2001).$Page$248.!

movies$ complemented$ each$ other;$ talking$ pictures$ displaced$ both.’28$ This$created$a$problem$and$friction$arose$between$the$different$sectors$ of$the$ entertainment$industry,$as$people$ preferred,$of$course,$ to$see$ a$ Vitaphone$ film$ for$ 25$ cents,$ than$ pay$ to$ watch$ a$ show$ at$ a$ vaudeville$ theatre$for$$1.50.$At$first,$it$would$seem$that$this$would$restrict$financial$ gain$ for$ those$ looking$ to$ profit$ from$ the$ industry,$ however,$ all$ of$ a$ sudden,$ an$ entertainment$ form$ closer$ linked$ to$ vaudeville$ was$ now$ accessible$to$a$larger$population$of$working$class$people,$meaning$that$ people$were$willing$to$spend$more$knowing$that$in$return$they$received$ a$greater$experience.$ $ Another$important$aspect$to$consider$when$looking$at$the$implication$of$ Vitaphone$ films,$ is$ the$ ‘sound’s$ implications$ for$ classical$ illusionism’29.$ ‘Sound$added$at$least$two$new$illusionist$wrinkles$to$American$cinema’s$ textual$ processes:$ that$ of$ embodiment$ (the$ illusion$ that$ the$ body$ was$ the$source$of$the$voice)$and$that$of$simultaneity$(that$the$filming$of$the$ image$ and$ the$ voice$ recording$ occurred$ concomitantly) 30.$ This,$ as$ a$ reader$who$has$grown$up$seeing$images$move$with$dialogue,$is$a$slightly$ difficult$ concept$ to$ understand,$ however$ it$ is$ important$ to$ understand$ the$ effect$ behind$ vocal$ and$ visual$ reproduction$ on$ an$ audience.$ ‘The$ selfaconciously$ performative$ aspect$ of$ the$ early$ talking$ short$ is$ understood$ as$ in$ some$ sense$ regressive,$ an$ immature$ preoccupation$ with$ the$faithful$ transmission$ of$a$ vocal$ act.’31$The$embodiment$ of$ the$ sound$in$the$film$comes$from$the$actor$that$was$present$at$the$time$of$ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 28 $Rogen,$M.$Page$422.$ 29 $King,$Rob.$Page$248.$ 30 $King,$Rob.$Page$248.! 31 $Wolfe,$Charles.$Vitaphone$Shorts$and$The$Jazz$Singer.$WIDE$ANGLE$Volume$12,$ Number$3$(1990),$60.$

the$recording,$yet$the$film$makes$you$believe$that$the$narrative$is$being$ laid$ out$ in$ front$ of$ your$ eyes,$ even$ though$ all$ the$ events$ have$ already$ occurred$and$the$conclusion$has$already$been$decided.$This$makes$us,$as$ viewers,$ a$ reader$ of$ history$ through$ the$ entertainment$ texts$ that$ we$ view$ in$ the$ way$ that$ we$ are$ subordinate$ to$ the$ idea$ that$ events$ are$ happening$in$realatime,$as$they$are$relayed$to$us$on$screen.$ $ In$conclusion,$it$is$not$difficult$to$see$why$The$Jazz$Singer$was$one$of$the$ most$talked$about$films$of$the$decade.$The$use$of$a$Jewish$actor$within$a$ Jewish$ story,$ contrasting$ against$ the$ Jewish$ traditions$ that$ have$ been$ laid$ for$him$ by$ his$parents,$ makes$for$ an$ insight$ to$those$who$perhaps$ have$ never$been$ exposed$ to$ such$ a$ religious$ culture$ before,$ or$ gives$ a$ voice$to$those$who$are$otherwise$afraid$to$seek$out$what$they$want,$in$ fear$of$going$against$the$restraints$of$their$religion.$Couple$this,$with$the$ first$ever$use$of$dialogue$and$musical$performance$within$a$film,$and$it$is$ not$ difficult$ to$ see$ why$ The$ Jazz$ Singer$ was$ as$ popular$ as$ it$ was,$ amongst$audi...