Cinema in the Jazz Age
Clip from "The General" above
The Jazz Age 1920s
Music played a key role in cinema during the 1920s. This is
partially due to the fact that the first film with talking characters was “The
Jazz Singer,” which was not made until the late 20s (Carringer, 1987). Director
Alan Crossland’s “The Jazz Singer” is a film that contains numerous scenes of
the Al Jolson, the movie’s star, performing a piece of music. The film’s plot
is driven by Jolson’s character’s rise in the music business as a jazz singer. And
during a time period which is known as “the Jazz Age,” this is a rather fitting
and entertaining story for audiences at the time.
However, most pieces of cinema during this time period did
not contain dialogue of any kind. Music was the key to heightening dramatic
scenes in movies in the 20s. This is the case in one of the most popular films
from this time period, Buster Keaton’s “The General.” There is no dialogue
throughout the movie, so it fully relies on the actor’s expressions and music
to set the tone. Scenes such as the ones in the clip above would have much less
meaning to the viewer if the music was not present. It would be very difficult
to understand the message the director is trying to send if there is just no
sound whatsoever. However, the music makes the meaning of every action in the
movie very clear.
Music was a very important part of cinema during the “Jazz
Age,” partly because it was the only form of sound in most movies during this
time, and partly because it was a subject of great interest for most people
during this time. It was a major form of entertainment, and jazz was at the top
of this business. Filmmakers looked to music to add meaning and increase the
intensity of scenes in their movies.
Written by Joseph Winkley
Works Cited
Carringer, Robert L. “The Jazz Singer”. Edited by Robert
L. Carringer. Wisconsin/Warner Bros. Screenplay Series. Madison: University of
Wisconsin Press, 1979.
Shaw, Arnold Autor. “The Jazz Age: Popular Music in the
1920's.” New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.
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