The Jazz Singer - 25th Anniversary Edition Reviews

• Better then ever in 2005!

  
  By A2MRWZ6O16ZH91 on 2005-10-19
  Hopefully I am the first to rate the 25th Anniversary DVD of this movie.
  First of all, if you have the original copy that was released a few years back, get rid of it! The sound quality of this version is WAY better! (No more turning the volume way up for the dialogue, then way down for the music.) This is also done in widescreen, so you can see EVERYTHING! Also, unlike the original, there are actual REAL extras on this version: the original theatrical trailer, a TV spot, commentary by the producer, still shots, mini-bios of Neil, Lucie, Lawrence, and Richard Fleischer, AND you can select the sound as well! This is worth the money! I only wish my mother was here to see this version, as she was a Neil Diamond freak and loved this movie! This would've been one of her Christmas gifts this year.
  
  

• Diamond's Music, Olivier's Presence, OH MAMMY!

  
  By A2ZSC81MXLBELX on 2002-10-28
  This review refers to the VHS(1989 paramount) edition of this film....
  At the 1927-1928 (First) Academy Awards Presentation "The Jazz Singer" starring Al Jolsen picked up a special award for pioneering the "Talkies". Obviously sound has come alooooong way since then and this 1980 modern day remake makes good use of it.
  Jess Robinovitch(Neil Diamond)is a 5th generation Jewish cantor,tied to his role in the temple in the lower east side of New York. . His voice is phenominal(of course),he writes his own music, ballads mostly and has a chance to strike out on his own in Los Angeles.
  He leaves for L.A. against the wishes of father, the 4th generation cantor(Laurence Olivier), and his wife, who likes things just the way they are.
  It will take a while to achieve super stardom(at least a month!), but with the help of his new manager Molly(Lucie Arnaz),it is accomplished!The problem is his family is unhappy with the situation, his wife liked life when it was just them, his father is torn up about his son going against tradtion.Jess is having trouble coming to terms with the downfall of his relationship with his father. Molly feels responsible for the rift. Get your Kleenex ready as they work this out.
  Diamond's soundtrack is wonderful. It includes "Love on the Rocks" and "Hello Again".Sir Olivier has not lost his touch, He is still the master. The British legend plays the Jewish cantor steeped in tradtion like he was born to the part, his performance alone is worth the watch.
  The VHS is in hi-fi stereo, Dolby Surround, which enhances this musical.And for more music from the movies by the fabulous Neil Diamond I would recommend:As Time Goes By: The Movie Album
  
  Need a good cry? This is the one!.......Laurie
  
  

• Great Music + Great Plot = 5 Stars

  
  By A3410GGQLLC2TQ on 2002-08-30
  Even if you're not a big fan of Diamond's music, the plot of this movie will still strike a touching chord. Many people will be able to identify with the father/son conflict. This movie not only gives insight into how the music industry (especially the search for new talent) works, but is also inspiring to those who dream of becoming successful musicians themselves. Although released in 1980, the story is universal and still applies today (even the romance in the sub-plot is well done). Fans of Neil Diamond will love the many songs in this movie, but the songs also work as an integral part of the plot (this is not a mere venue for Diamond to show off his musical talents). Although he's not a professional actor, Diamond was perfect for this role. In fact, all of the actors in this movie were brilliant. This is my favorite movie, and my only complaint is that it's hard to find (practically non-existent in video stores).
  
  

• Good Music, Bad Picture

  
  By ATS2855497V0I on 1999-08-06
  The Jazz Singer is one of my favorite movies from when I was young. It has an extra-ordinary collection of good tunes which have probably never sounded better than on this DVD (5.1). Unfortunately, the video shows the filth and fuzziness of the film master. Watching the movies is like looking through a window in serious need of washing.

  Still the story is compelling, and the acting competent so I highly recommend the movie.
  
  

• I'm sentimental about this film!

  
  By on 1999-09-12
  So everyone's a critic. :o) I first saw this film when I was in High School with friends from Choir and the Drama department. I have loved it ever since! What do I expect out of a film or play? To be entertained. I am always entertained when I watch The Jazz Singer. (A must for the video library of any N.D. fan) Did I expect an Academy Award winning performance by Neil Diamond or any others? No. However, I thought Neil did extremely well for not being an "actor". I was impressed. Laurence Olivier did a wonderful job, as usual. Yes, I am a Neil Diamond fan! How can anyone hear his voice alone, and not be moved, let alone with his music and lyrics? Neil Diamond's voice pierces my soul! My two favorite songs from the film are "Love On The Rocks" and "Hello Again". I highly recommend this film to music lovers, anyone who wants to be entertained, and to "thirty somethings" like me. I watched it two days ago and still have goose bumps! Andrea
  
  
• Wonderful movie; wonderful music.
  By on 1999-03-12
  OK, so it's not a "real life" picture of the music business in California, or of how relationships begin and end. But it's a sweet story of a young jewish cantor who respects his roots, but has a deeper yearning to experience life outside the small community of his synagogue. Neil Diamond and Lucy Arnez each give a tender performance. The movie is sad enough to make you cry, but happy enough to make you feel satisfied at the end. To me, the song "Hello Again" is one of the most beautiful ever written. If you like Neil Diamond's music, you'll probably enjoy this movie. And yes, DO bring the kleenex.
  
  
• A great vehicle for Neil Diamond
  By A2VD3CYOEMJ6SR on 2001-03-28
  OK, so this second remake of the Al Jolson classic is implausible! Furthermore, Laurence Olivier plays a Yiddish accented cantor of all things! Nonetheless, this movie is highly entertaining if you are a Neil Diamond fan. The soundtrack is great (even though inexpicably it got nominated for no oscars) and the story, though sappy, is fun. OK, I admit it ... it's more than sappy ... it's down right corny! Diamond is a cantor who breaks both family tradition and his marriage to go off to LA to become a songwriter/pop star. He makes it big quickly and falls in love with a non Jewish producer (Lucy Arnez). Papa finds out and exclaims "I have no son" as he rends his clothing in mourning. Look, I have no illusions ... if you are not a Neil Diamond fan, this flick is two stars. If you dig Diamond like I do, it's five stars all the way.
  
  
• Rough Diamond
  By on 1999-10-07
  No matter how you cut it, "The Jazz Singer" is a terrible film -- whether it's Al Jolson, Danny Thomas or Neil Diamond. However, the Diamond version is by far the worst. I'm now waiting for a Michael Bolton remake.
  
  
• Seven million votes
  By on 2000-06-12
  I don't understand how some have said that this is not a good film. Lucie Arnaz is wonderful in her role as Neil Diamond's supporter and wife. The soundtrack sold over 7 MILLION copies and I remember the feeling the songs gave me years later. The songs are not "soapy" but are full of meaning for people of all ages. Neil Diamond is not a great actor but does a good job all the way through and a great job when dealing with his Jewish father. I saw the movie today for the first time in 12 years and it still brought tears to my eyes. The party scene after they move to LA and get fired is short but so much genuine fun to watch. I thought Lucie Arnaz was the best part of the movie.
  
  
• Ohhhh Baby, Baby, Ohhhh Baby Baby Now
  By A318RTZZQ2WX01 on 2005-11-04
  Fabulous movie, father and son relationship is so touching, it makes you cry if you are the sensitive type. As for the editorial written by Keough, he must be jealous. Critics have always been too quick to insult and degrade Mr. Diamond. Shame on them for their jealousy. Mr Diamond at 64 years old is still a heart throb to many many fans. Back to the movie, if you have never seen this movie, it is worth it for many reasons. Mr. Diamond's acting skills are as good as any acting I have ever seen. Mr. Olivier performance when he becomes re-united with his son (Neil Diamond) makes you just cry. Love it, love it. Glad they re-released it, many family members of mine look forward to receiving it. They have had to borrow my copy.
  
  
• For Diamond Music Fans Only
  By A1U4NF7H7FAEOJ on 2001-10-25
  If you are a fan of Neil Diamond's music, then you will no doubt enjoy this movie.

  Purely as a movie, however, this isn't very good. Cliched and schmaltzy, most of the scenes seem strung together as an excuse to fill time between musical numbers. The story, as borrowed from the original Jolson film: son of a cantor wants to sing popular music instead of following in his father's footsteps.

  Neither Diamond nor Arnaz are going to win Oscars anytime soon -- in fact, Diamond demonstrates that, as an actor, he's a heck of a singer. The only shining performance in this movie is that of the incomparable Olivier, who proves that he can play any role given to him impeccably, no matter how dopey the surroundings.

  If you are expecting any meat or substance to this movie, forget it. The music IS good enough to sit through once, which is why it gets two stars from me, but the only reason I own it is because my wife simply adores Diamond's music.

  Buy the soundtrack, if you like it, but I would avoid the film itself. The DVD, meanwhile, is nothing special; the print is average at best, and there are no extra features worth discussing.
  
  

• Pure entertaining enjoyment
  By A31E9FSKJFFAZ4 on 2002-07-29
  Perhaps because of my Music Teacher background, this movie rings so many chords...it is not for the teenage boys, who only enjoy motorcycle mania or special effects. This is a movie for folks who enjoy seeing and hearing art being created, the struggles involved and sacrifices given, the labor in bringing it forth.

  Mr. Diamond does very well in his only acting venture, helped by the greatest actor who every lived, Sir Lawrence Olivier (Heathcliff, Henry 5, Hamlet etc. etc.) Who wouldn't be intimidated just being in the same room with the man, never mind having to share lines with him. Mr. Diamond's performance showed a great reverance for both the story line taken from the original "Jazz Singer" by Al Jolson, and the new update with wonderful music, plus the feeling of being honored to share a stage with Sir Olivier. It is a film for Teachers and Lovers of musicals, a genre which has been lost in Hollywood and in the Music industry.

  No wonder there is no music left, only two-note noise. Buy this movie and be surrounded by singable tunes.
  
  

• Movie great-DVD quality HORRIBLE
  By AURWY3GPQ0S86 on 2001-07-30
  I realize that a DVD priced at [...] is not going to be a digitally-enhanced, THX, filled-with-extras disc. However, I do think that the movie should be made from a master print. The Neil Diamond movie The Jazz Singer was good; the quality of the print was atrocious for a DVD. It was like watching a 5th generation VHS that had been in the sun all day. I exchanged the DVD, thinking there was something wrong with it. The 2nd copy looked just as bad. I am writing to the DVD distribution company.
  
  
• Forget opinions -- here's the truth
  By on 2001-11-19
  This is the worst, most unintentionally hilarious, stupidest, biggest vanity project in the history of bad movies. I can't get enough of it.
  
  
• Best Movie Made
  By A373X97PFZK0JM on 2005-09-29
  If you love Neil Diamond and want a real tear jerker, this is it! Some reviewers say the music is "tedious" but I disagree. I think the songs are some of his best. Very emotional!
  
  
• Neil Diamond the Jazz Singer
  By AF44X0NKXZI09 on 2002-01-14
  I watched this movie when it first came out and thought it was good and loved the music. After seeing Neil in concert this year I decided to purchas this video and am more impressed now than ever it is ashame that the critics could not see how talented this man really is. This is a must for those who love real music and Neil Diamond
  
  
• So awful, that's it's great
  By A30NVSLEMRKEW1 on 2005-10-25
  Neil Diamond's film career began and ended with this hopeless turkey, which is an insult to the original play and the subsequent 1927 film with Jolson that changed the film business.
  
  This was also a terribly shameful moment for the once-great Olivier. He made more of a fool of himself here than he did in THE BETSY...and that's saying something.
  
  I know the video industry has absurdly abused anniversary editions, but no company has been more abusive and insulting than
  LION'S GATE (once known as ARTISAN, and LIVE).
  
  To celebrate a 25th anniversary of a horrendous film, shows how pathetic some people in Hollywood are just to make a buck.
  
  For shame!
  
  
• Super Soundtrack - Not-so-super Movie
  By A2GTB9UDUG2AEO on 2006-05-02
  This is what happens when musicians (at least most of them) foray into fields in which they should not trod. I had the great fortune of seeing Neil Diamond "live" shortly after the release of this movie and, like always, he brought down the house. He just may be one of the greatest entertainers who ever graced a concert stage. As a singer-songwriter, they don't make 'em better (Remember that he honed his craft during the golden age of the late 60's at the famous Brill Building in New York City where artists such as Carole King & Gerry Goffin, Howard Greenfield & Neil Sedaka and Phil Spector (to name just a few) were also honing THEIR crafts). The point is that Mr. Diamond is second to none in the field of Rock/Pop Music and the day he stops recording and entertaining will be the music industry's huge loss.
  
  As for this movie - Let me just say this: If you take away the music sequences, what you have left is some of the most horrible stuff ever seen on film. This movie is so inept that even a legend like Lawrence Olivier (who plays Cantor Rabinovich, Mr. Diamond's jewish father)stinks. His acting is so 'hammy' that it's embarrasing. I mean, when he blurts out "I hef no son!" after realizing that his son (Mr. Diamond) is sleeping with Ms. Arnaz, I lost it! And Lucie Arnaz? Oh my!! How about "I DON'T Love Lucy"? Her acting is so amateurish that it's hard not to giggle. And this 25th Anniversary edition dvd is not that impressive, either. The picture quality is poor (very grainy). The sound quality is very good, though, but the DTS will not be appreciated unless you have the surround sound system to accommodate it. My advice is wait for a year or so until this movie comes down to $9.99 (which it will) - Even though it does have some fine extras, it just isn't worth the current price. The best part of the film? The "Songs of Life" sequence. A beautiful song and a touching moment in this otherwise awful film.
  
  
• Better than when I first saw it
  By A1OBDQCTFULOCP on 2006-07-24
  Don't listen to the critics about The Jazz Singer. I just saw the movie again after about 15 years, and it's still wonderful. I thought everyone did a great. I've always been a Neil Diamond and Lucie Arnez fan, and they are both terrific. I'm now anxious to listen to my Jazz Singer soundtrack again. Wonderful songs and great acting by everyone. Some critics stated with was a BOMB, but don't listen to them. The movie is 116 minutes and the time just flew by for me. I feel watching it now it's gotten better and better. The extras are pretty good with long detailed information about the main actors. I wish Neil or Lucie would have done commentary, but still a winner in my book
  
  
• Don't pay the 50 bucks!
  By A13C74KGBIXMFB on 2003-08-30
  Neil Diamond is, well, Neil Diamond after all, in this good story about a Cantor's son/musician trying to break ranks with his Jewish heritage and family tradition. Neil's acting is okay and of course, Sir Lawrence Olivier is great, Luci Arnez does a respectible job in the film as well. What speaks to us music lovers is THE MUSIC, some wonderful tunes and a not-so-bad love story. Now that brings us to the question of "Why is this DVD SO DARN EXPENSIVE?!" It's worth about [money amount], if that and I won't buy it, I still have the VHS version and will store it in a nice cool place and bring it out once or twice a year to watch it with pleasure. Don't get suckered into some auction and pay more than you should for a used version, maybe if we're patient with Amazon, they will bring their price down, hmmm?
  
  
• Inspirational and Entertaining
  By A2JTISX71ULVB5 on 2000-02-18
  Motivational, entertaining, and easy. The film is complete in it's story, and is thus satisfying in an inspirational/motivational sense. Technically, many films are better, but this movie satisfies the desire to see someone attempt something, and to actually succeed. Neil Diamond is a (non-famous) cantor, who wants to be a (star-level) popular singer. Opportunities come his way, and he pursues them. Conflicts arise in his marriage, and elsewhere, as a result of pursuing his singing career; and he works through these problems. And succeeds. Therein is the greatness of this movie. Passion, pursuit, success.
  
  
• And the Singer sings his songs.....but can't act!
  By A1WROP1URUNIJP on 2004-08-20
  This film feels like a bad 1950's B movie, although it is too earnest to achieve the cult status of many such films.
  
  The story is entirely unbelievable, set, as it is, in 1979/80. Who could really empathise with the dilemma facing Jess in his struggle for independence from tradition (at the callow age of 38 no less!)
  
  There are three redeeming features. Lucie Arnaz is very engaging in a thankless role. Neil Diamond shows that, while he can't act at all, he has a very charismatic stage presence in his musical numbers.
  
  The third redeeming feature is the soundtrack. Neil Diamond shows that his songwriting skills are of a high quality. The performances in the film enhance their impact.
  
  Songs like America, Hey Louise, Summerlove, Love on the Rocks and Hello Again are populist and extremely well written. You Baby, Acapulco, Robert E. Lee and others are pleasant surprises and together ensure, unusually for film soundtracks, that the music here can stand independently from the film. This probabl;y explains why the soundtrack grossed more than the film on its original release.
  
  All in all, I would say: rent the film, watch the bits where Lucie Arnaz is on screen and where Diamond is performing. On that basis it is worth 4.5 stars. If you insist on watching the whole thing, I give it two stars.
  
  
  
  
• The Worst Movie Ever Made---Diamond is Horrendous
  By A3HMOQO8J0SOC3 on 2004-12-19
  To begin with, Neil Diamond could never sing. He has always "talked" his songs, he doesn't sing. Even on simply-constructed rock tunes, he has a totally grating, unmusical voice, no breath control, and the sense of rhythm of a polka dancer. Now, put him in a movie called "The Jazz Singer," and what you get is something akin to casting Fatty Arbuckle as Errol Flynn. Diamond is a product of the commercial Brill Building, a heavily promoted performer of marginal talent. His acting is atrocious---laughable in fact. He has made an entire career out of the same three chord song structures and a voice that resembles the sound of fingernails scratching a slate board. Jazz singing is the territory of truly talented people like Mel Torme, Mildred Bailey, and Ella Fitzgerald. They had musical voices, impeccable phrasing, innate rhythm, and a vocal range that spanned multiple octaves (as opposed to Diamond's stiff, frog-like, off-key utterings). It's a joke, really, that Neil Diamond was even given this role. What's next? The cross-eyed, mule-faced Barbra Streisand playing the life of Heddy LaMarr? Hey, I've got some other ideas for those Hollywood producers: how about Sally Jesse Raphael and Jerry Springer as Clark Gable and Carole Lombard? Springer can play Lombard, and the gorgeous, sexy Raphael can play Gable. She already has the mustache. Then we can get Billy Crystal to play John Wayne. Finally, Alan Dershowitz should be given his acting break, don't you agree? How 'bout casting him opposite O.J. Simpson in "Anything Goes?" Hey, open your eyes. The liberal Hollywood freaks have made popular culture an oxymoron. There are no more absolutes, everything is relative. All criminal behavior is rationalized and the perpetrator exonerated via psychobabble like "his Dad never plaed catch with him, that's why he's an axe murderer." Ugly is now beautiful, stupidity is now erudition, and immorality is now a virtue. Anything goes so long as money can be made. Since the end of WWII, and especially since the drug-infested 1960s, we've allowed the barbarians to assume control of all social, political and cultural discourse. Now all we can do (to paraphrase Chubby Checker) is wonder just how low can we go.
  
  
• Back in circulation at a normal price
  By A1FXPZ5K1C1NBY on 2005-12-28
  A year ago I bought "The Rose" and wondered if Neil Diamond's bid for big-screen success ever made it to DVD. Then I saw a used copy going, to my horror, for 54 freakin' bucks at a local music/video store. Fortunately this rerelease came out without my taking the very silly plunge I am all too capable of.
  
  I like Neil OK, but not so much that I could ever let myself give this four or five stars. On the other hand, this movie is far from the disaster critics said it was. Diamond is no, well, Laurence Olivier, but in my view does nothing so bad to deserve "winning" the Golden Raspberry award for Worst Actor of 1980.
  
  As for Olivier, I gotta wonder why he did this movie. I have to agree that his Yiddish accent is spotty at best. Sometimes he successfully evokes the old men back in my synagogue, one of whom actually smacked my friend for mispronouncing some Hebrew while praying at my Bar Mitzvah. (Good times.) Other times the accent slides into something from Ren and Stimpy. Also, his character and that of Neil's wife are so one-dimensional and humorless that "Jess Robin"'s choice between his cantor past and the lure of pop stardom is telegraphed from the outset. In my experience, Orthodox Jews can be exceptionally witty and multi-dimensional as well as rigid and disciplined. You'd never know it from this script.
  
  Much better written is Lucie Arnaz's role as a pushy, clever agent Neil meets in L.A. and falls in love with. She is definitely the life of the movie.
  
  Nice little moments: unspoken awkwardness when Arnaz proudly presents Diamond with a ham dinner he can't eat; Olivier reaching up to kiss the Mezuzah absent from Neil's L.A. doorway. Scary little moments: "partying" with Franklin Ajaye and homies with a song about...the Robert E. Lee!; the bearded, whiskey-bent and heck-bound Neil running off to wow the yahoos in a COUNTRY & WESTERN bar (big song: "You Are My Sunshine"!)
  
  Of course, the best scene is when Olivier tears his clothes and cries out the Hebrew prayer of mourning when he finds Neil living with shiksa Arnaz.
  
  Watch for Paul Nicholas, then only 2 years removed from his own Top 10 hit "Heaven On the 7th Floor", as a prissy pop star, and Ernie Hudson as Neil's antagonist in a really cringeworthy scene in the early going.
  
  But don't watch for jazz. There's not a note of it to be found here. But "The Pop Singer" wouldn't have the same ring to it now, would it?
  
  
• Loved it!
  By A26LYKJEMIO2KH on 2006-03-10
  This is a great movie. Saw it in the theater back in my early twenties. Brought back alot of great memories. Would recommend it to everyone.
  
  
• The Jazz Singer & Neil Diamond ROCK!
  By AZCDCO6KK2T81 on 2006-11-29
  This review is for my wife, Marilyn, as our wedding song came from it:
  
  I was a senior in high school when this movie first hit the theaters and I loved it then and I love it now. Yes, the acting is a bit hammy by Laurence Olivier who was attempting to appease the Jewish population after giving an Oscar-nominated performance a year or so before for playing with great relish a vicious Nazi who tortures, via dentist equipment, Dustin Hoffman in "The Marathon Man." Can anyone forget his famous line from that film, "Is it safe?" In addition, Lucie Arnez is no great actress, but what she lacks in talent she makes up for in her charming honest portrayal as Diamond's compassionate agent. Lastly, Neil Diamond is certainly no great actor either, no matter how much I love him as musician and entertainer, but this movie somehow works despite these noted flaws and some rather amateurish direction by Richard Fleicher. Perhaps the movie succeeds because the plot is as timeless as Hollywood gets.
  
  We all love to experience someone achieving his or her goals and that's why these kinds of movies withstand the test of time even when the critics blast them. Consider the following: While Olivier hams it up a bit, he is still great to watch and demands your respect. Lucie Arnez is disarmingly charming in her role as an agent trying to help someone she believes in, but also trying not to be caught up in her client's personal life. Of course, Neil Diamond is no actor, but he is pleasing to watch and he's certainly believable in a role that he was destined to play as it mirrors his own story quite a bit; he came from a family of dentists and was expected to be one also, but he dropped out in his last semester and hit the road with a backpack and his guitar --the rest is history. Lastly, the music is awesome. Diamond was at the height of his career musically when he did this film and the soundtrack produced 3 #1 songs and was one of Billboard's longest running soundtrack best-sellers. This was no fluke as Diamond had already won praise for his song "Be" from the film "Jonathan Livingston Seagull." He knows how to write music for films and I wish he had more opportunities to do so.
  
  While the movie wasn't necessarily "a hit," but it did find a substantial audience and made a good profit. Something about it made it work even though it is admittedly flawed. It went on to greater success on VHS and DVD and this new addition will probably sell just as well or better with the improved sound clarity that the other releases seriously lacked. I was happy to read here that I wasn't the only one turning up the volume for the dialogue and lower it for the music segments. That drove me nuts in the earlier releases.
  
  Moving along, although I am Christian, I grew up in a mostly Jewish section in Brooklyn, New York, in fact, not far from where Diamond and Streisand actually grew up. My home was near Diamond's high school. Anyhow, between that and having dated a wonderful Jewish girl most of my high school days I grew to appreciate the Jewish faith and culture. My neighborhood local theater re-released this film numerous times and I went to see it each time they played it. It was the first movie I took my wife to see back in April of 1983 and she loved it and cried at the end as many in the theater did. The #1 song "Hello Again" went on to become "our song" and the one we danced to at our wedding as your spouse should also be your best friend and that's what the song is about and even the movie as well to some degree as Diamond's wife in the film never shared his interests or desires although she was aware of them since they were little kids growing up in the same neighborhood. She kept crying how he had changed when he became a pop-rock star when in reality his desires had simply come true. All she ever attempted to do in the film was either hold him back or ignore his dreams and a spouse should never do either of those.
  
  Having said all this it is obvious that my love for Diamond's music, Hollywoods tireless theme of success against the odds, watching any performance by the great Olivier, and sharing this film with the woman I would eventually spend the next 24 years of my life with make me a bias reviewer here. I concede that observation, but still contend that in spite of this film's obvious flaws, it is still great entertainment.
  
  Enjoy this classic!
  
  
• You must "hef" this DVD.....
  By A1HUBEP5DJ6W51 on 2000-05-03
  Guilty pleasure filmmaking at its finest. The story is as old as time, devoid of originality or insight. The acting is atrocious, even old salt Olivier. Ahh, but the music.....campy, overwrought, silly, yet compelling as a train wreck.
  
  
• A typical vanity picture
  By A3LYLRNW15DPU6 on 2000-12-13
  It's been the rare music superstar who doesn't turn their hand to at least one movie, and Neil Diamond is no exception. "The Jazz Singer" is not a good film, either cinematically (Sir Laurence Olivier stated flat out that he did this one for the money) or musically ("Hello Again" is pretty, but much of the rest of the soundtrack tries WAY too hard). Diamond has a deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression for much of the movie, except when he's singing. Olivier's over-the-top performance is a treat for cheese lovers, though, and Lucie Arnaz actually does a pretty good job. Overall, though, if you're not a Neil Diamond fan (and even if you are), this film is pretty tough going.
  
  
• Romantic Story-telling At It's Best!
  By A5XTI6CM8YT62 on 2001-07-27
  I have just finished watching the DVD, which recently has been released here in Victoria, Australia.

  I first saw "The Jazz Singer" In Melbourne, back in '80-'81, with my eldest son, who was 16 at the time. I went to the theatre under duress, doing my duty as "dad", and came away elated - much to my son's great satisfaction . . .

  My response to it then has increased the more! I am no movie critic, like my hero & guide in these matters, Leonard Maltin, however I find that 'The Jazz Singer' has an emotional relevence & impact that has increased with time. I am not surprised to learn from your reviewers that the sound-track has sold 7 million plus!

  The multi-layered themes of the film & the acting of the widely differing characters, their social and heart-felt situations in life, let alone the presentation of the music, seem well-placed to draw at my heart-strings - notwithstanding the age of the movie, or the "canning" it has received over the years.

  Incidentally, my grand-children love it too, especially my 16 year old grand-daughter, who is very much of the new generation.

  Thank you for allowing me the opportunity of "sticking my oar in", as the old saying goes, and many thanks to those who have shared their reactions to this old Movie.

  With every good wish,

  RAOUL JOHN CAMPBELL.
  
  

• Neil Diamond is ENTERTAINMENT!
  By A2W4F1XP8254B8 on 2002-08-02
  I loved Neil Diamond - he came across great in this movie even thought he's of course not an actor. He's a GREAT entertainer, though, and his love of music, and his audience to give them what they wanted was apparent. I watch this movie over and over again. The music makes you feed good!Music tract is an A++++ = 5 stars all the way. Saw him in concert in the early 90's - he's awsome!
  
  

• The Jazz Singer
• Neil Diamond - Greatest Hits Live
• Home Before Dark (Deluxe Edition with DVD)
• Jonathan Livingston Seagull
• Home Before Dark