"The New Yorker" on THE JAZZ SINGER in 1927

[Jason Liller]

In another thread, I mentioned that I thought that "The New Yorker"
had grasped the significance of THE JAZZ SINGER way back in their
original 1927 review. Here is the relevant excerpt from page 91 of the
15 October 1927 issue:

That evening will possibly turn out to be an epochal one in the
history of the movies, for questions were answered and questions were
raised. True, the speaking movie is not so new; but hitherto it has
been a novelty without much grip. Now it has shown what it can do. If
it is to be pushed to the limit it must be better constructed and far,
far better written than the silent film. Writers will get the
importance they should have. An article in a recent "Variety" mentions
spoken sub-titles, but that will not prove to be enough. In THE JAZZ
SINGER after the singing, or after a short bit of dialogue, the silent
mouthings of the characters seemed flat and silly. A new and fertile
field of writing, acting, and directing is in view, with possibilities
that can hardly be guessed.

--Jason Liller