Silent Film When "The Jazz Term Paper

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For approximately three quarters of the film it is without dialogue but, "It was for the clink of plates, the rattle of ice cubes, the sound of a man singing, of two people talking, that silent films died." (Eyman 76). The lively exuberance of Al Jolson was truly what made this film an instant classic and demanded the continuation of Warner Brothers and the talkies. For the first time, music had a face to accompany the voice. By January of 1928, an increasing number of theaters were wiring for sound and making way for "They Jazz Singer," which by that time was playing to a million customers a week (Eyman 77).

The powerful appeal of audible dialogue was made manifest by the success of the first 'all talking' feature, 'Lights of New York' (1928)." (Sklar 172). The draw of this picture was neither compelling acting, writing, directing, nor dialogue; it was the mere fact that the dialogue could be heard. "But by midsummer of 1928, the handwriting was on the wall: mediocre films with talking sequences were out grossing the finest silent films.

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" (Eyman 77). This fact made production of talkies not just a necessity for Warner Brothers and other ailing production companies, but for every actor, director, and producer who wanted to earn a piece of the industry. Charlie Chaplin was one of the few huge stars who officially refused to star in a sound film. The tramp starred in "City Lights" in 1931, well after many had pronounced the silent film dead, but managed to create one of the enduring classics of American film. "City Lights" proved that a film did not require sound to be both entertaining, and in fact, near perfect. However, the industry was evolving and Chaplin was practicing a lost and dying art.

The transition to sound film was not without its delays and resistances. Foremost among these were the technological limitations, the economic difficulties, and the general fickle nature of the American public. Ultimately, sound prevailed because business circumstances made it necessary, and because it allowed the art form to evolve in a new and fertile direction.

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