Briefly on Blu-ray: The Jazz Singer (1927)

The Jazz Singer (1927)

Rated: NR

Genre: Musical

Street Date: January 8, 2013

Available On: Blu-ray Digibook

The Film:Released in 1927 “The Jazz Singer” was the first “talkie” (film with synchronized dialogue). The story follows Jakie Rabinowitz (Al Jolson), a young Jewish boy who would rather sing popular tunes than the traditional religious songs, which runs away from home to pursue his dreams of stardom.

The Extras: Feature-length documentary "The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk," 3 1/2 hours of vintage music shorts, an 88-page book and much more.

Recommendation: This is the first time that I’ve seen more than a few clips from the film. I’m surprised by how clean the film looks. Warner Bros. has clearly invested a lot of time and care in the restoration. The bonus features are carried over from the previously released 3-disc DVD collection that was released in 2007 (only the film is presented in high definition).