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Musser.WhydidtheNegoresLoveAlJolson.Lambppt.pptxWhy did the Negroes love al Jolson? -Charles musser
By Erin Lamb
Learning objectives
Understand the background of The Jazz Singer
Understand the different viewpoints on the film
Thesis
What was the original expected outcome for The Jazz Singer?
Musser states that the film “was not reinforcing the black/white racial divide – and certainly not depicting Jews trying to pass for lily white WASPs at the expense of African Americans” but “the picture offered audiences a utopic vision of crossing racial, religious, ethnic and media-specific boundaries” (218)
The jazz singer Background
The Jazz Singer was the first “talkie” meaning that it wasn’t a silent film
Can be seen as problematic, the premise of the film is a Jewish man using blackface to be a more famous singer
Three categories of criticism
Criticism due to appeal to emotions (Musser 198)
Condemned for the way it shows Jewish Americans (Musser 198)
Racist text (Musser 198)
Appeal to emotions
“Body Genre” (Musser 198)
Jewish American’s reaction to the film
African American’s reaction to the film
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Argument for Jewish identity
Some say that the name changed the main character used is mistreating Jewish identity (Musser 204)
Neither of them tried to hide their Jewish roots
This film is integrational (Musser 204)
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Racist text aspect
It was an African American that told Jolson to use blackface
“With all the [African Americans] trying to be white, it was nice to see a white man trying to be black for a change” (Musser 217)
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Discussion questions
What do you think about the film after hearing the arguments pro and against it?
Do you agree with the body genre concept? Did you feel the same emotions shown on the screen? Name another film with this concept.
Works cited
Musser, Charles. Why did the Negroes love Al Jolson. Indiana University Press, 2011.
The Jazz Singer. Directed by Alan Crosland, preformances by Al Jolson, May McAvoy, Warner Oland, Eugénie Besserer, Bobby Gordon, Warner Brothers, 1927.
