The Jazz Singer (1980)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Samson Raphaelson (play)
Herbert Baker (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 December 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music | Romance

Tagline:

His story will make you cry. His music will make you sing. His triumph will make you cheer.

Plot:

The son of a Jewish Cantor must defy his father in order to pursue his dream of being a pop singer.

Plot Keywords:

Jewish | Pop Singer | Singer | Star | Pop Music

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Neil Diamond	...	Jess Robin
Laurence Olivier	...	Cantor Rabinovitch
Lucie Arnaz	...	Molly Bell
Catlin Adams	...	Rivka Rabinovitch
Franklyn Ajaye	...	Bubba
Paul Nicholas	...	Keith Lennox
Sully Boyar	...	Eddie Gibbs
Mike Kellin	...	Leo
James Booth	...	Paul Rossini
Luther Waters	...	Teddy
Oren Waters	...	Mel
Rod Gist	...	Timmy
Walter Janovitz	...	Rabbi Birnbaum (as Walter Janowitz)
Janet Brandt	...	Aunt Tillie
John Witherspoon	...	M.C. Cinderella Club

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | DTS-ES (DVD version) | Dolby Digital EX (DVD version) | 70 mm 6-Track

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | Australia:G | USA:PG (#25818) | Finland:S | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

EMI Films

Trivia:

Near the end of the shoot, Neil Diamond was having trouble with the scene where he storms into the recording booth in a rage and has a heated argument with the Lucie Arnaz character. During a break, Richard Fleischer looked into the glass of the recording stage and saw Diamond going berserk, smashing everything in sight. Fleischer quickly yelled action, Diamond burst into the recording booth in an absolute fury, and pulled off the scene. After yelling cut, Fleischer asked him just what happened. Diamond explained that he felt so bad he wasn't able to pull off the scene, he asked his band to play something that would make him mad - which was a Barry Manilow number.

Goofs:

Continuity: In New York at the end of the movie when Leo asks Jess to sing in his father's place, Molly and Jess argue at the piano. Both Jess and Molly are wearing wedding rings. Later that night when Jess goes to reconcile with his father he is no longer wearing a wedding ring.

Quotes:

Molly Bell: I'm with Keith Lennox productions. Molly. Molly Bell. That's what they call me. My real name is a lot longer.
Yussel Rabinovitch: So's mine.
Molly Bell: Belengocavela?
Yussel Rabinovitch: Rabinovitch?
Molly Bell: Oh. That's not bad.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Simpsons: Like Father, Like Clown (#3.6)" (1991)

Soundtrack:

Acapulco

Pleasantly surprised

I wasn't expecting much from this oft-panned Neil Diamond vehicle, but being a fan of the Solitary Man's music, I decided to give it a whirl. True, he's not the greatest actor the world's ever seen, but he isn't as bad as Elvis (or, come to that, Mick Jagger in 'Ned Kelly'), and he's just right for the part of an ambitious cantor who decides to try his luck as a rock singer in California. His story is believable (Leonard Maltin says "Diamond becomes a rock star in about the same time it takes to get a haircut", but look how fast David Essex rises and falls in 1974's Stardust!) and the music is, of course, top-notch. The scene in the Cinderella Club would be wildly politically incorrect by today's standards, of course, but it's endearing and funny in its own sweet way. Paul Nicholas offers an interesting cameo as a spoilt-rotten rock star, and the performance scenes are riveting, particularly 'Amazed and Confused' and 'Hey Louise'. It was never a film that was going to set the world on fire, but it's a good way of spending a slow evening.