Electric Shadow

Vitaphone and The Death of Silence

Who cares about The Jazz Singer anymore? Does it matter, aside from its place in history, which is mostly due to being the right movie at the right time?

Isn't it just a regressive, racist, and decrepit artifact?

Yes, absolutely hell yes, and in a manner of speaking, I guess so.

Racist and offensive, but it's important to remember the sins of the past.
It's worth mentioning that loads of English comedians (Ullman, Lucas, others) still do black/brown/yellow-face characters in their sketch comedy.

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The Daily Grab 35a: There's a Lotta Bergs

This movie is known as the first American feature with sound (albeit only sequences, not throughout). It's a major plot point in Singin in the Rain, but is likely much, much less seen than Singin. Part of that is due to the regresive racial attitudes presented here, where star Al Jolson performs in blackface. For some time, it was less than fashionable for this movie to be seen at all as a result, but that makes it no less culturally significant. The blackface makes it embarassing, but if anything, it makes the cultural significance that much greater. A full review is coming soon.