The Jazz Singer makes its debut on Blu-ray in incredible 1080p high-definition, presented with a 1.39 full frame aspect ratio. Outside of a couple shots which presumably was only available in the archives, this transfer is absolutely stunning with amazing detail levels and very limited flickering. There is some grain or noise but otherwise this transfer is clean of debris and scratches making it near perfect and another classic film to be restored and categorized for future generations to view.
Dolby Atmos and 5.1 DTS-HD MA tracks append the film on both discs, but even if you don't have height channels--and I don't--the former's TrueHD core renders the latter superfluous. The mix itself is not-infrequently jolting and immersively transparent, Atmos or no. Dialogue and Benjamin Wallfisch's score are nicely prioritized above the bassy fray. The prologue features one of the most persuasive downpours I have ever heard in a movie. All of the supplementary material is housed on the Blu-ray, starting with "The Losers' Club" (16 mins., HD)--boy, have these kids been well media-trained. They talk about the acting exercises and other training they were put through (including bike-riding lessons) and admit to having formed a fierce emotional bond by the end of the shoot. For what it's worth, Wyatt Oleff (Stanley) is almost a more significant presence herein than in the movie proper. Constantine Nasr's "Stephen King: Author of Fear" (14 mins., HD) finds present-day King reflecting on the origins of the novel, which was being a youngish (30) parent of two and living in a town (Bangor) with its own haunted history. I would love a full-length, De Palma-esque documentary where King goes through his oeuvre, book-by-book. Lastly, "Pennywise Lives!" (16 mins., HD) is an opportunity to see Bill Skarsgård sans makeup. We learn that he can do bizarre things with his lips and eyes that greatly assisted his performance. He seems really nice, and was worried about scaring the kids, who were kept from seeing him for the first month of filming to foster a natural wariness of him. Also on board is a 15-minute block of deleted or extended scenes; one wonders if Warner is withholding material that will be included in the upcoming Director's Cut or if this is the extent of it, because there's not a lot of added value here. A reveal that Henry has slit his friends' throats is disquieting but abrupt, and an alternate ending--in which Bill's mom finally shows her face to the camera--is the conventional scene of closure the movie bravely eschews. A gag version of the prologue is funny, though. Trailers for Annabelle: Creation and the "Fantastic Beasts Virtual Reality Experience" cue up on startup of the Blu-ray. I wish we could see some trailers in 4K but no such luck this time. A digital copy of It is included in the black keepcase.
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"Solomon, you're Jewish?" Victor Pivert is so baffled at the very thought that his long-time driver was Jewish all along that he asked this question at least three times with a shocked look of disbelief. Solomon even mentioned that his uncle Jacob, coming from New York is a Rabbi. "But he's not Jewish" hopes Pivert, immediately deceived by Solomon's smiling nod. This brief exchange is one of the most memorable comedic movie scenes of French cinema and I admire Gérard Oury, who directed the film, for his equal talent as a writer. It's funny because no one would make such a big deal about having a Jewish driver and be so damn serious about it, and it's also smart because it sets the tone of our lead character: Louis de Funès as Victor Pivert, a racist, xenophobic and narrow-minded bigot. The scene is even funnier because he was previously attacking all the foreigners through their driving or mocking an interracial couple in a wedding, and even smarter because ten seconds before, the guy was stating that he wasn't racist. Not racist but glad though that his daughter is marrying a white, "very white even a little bit too pale" in his opinion.Only Louis de Funès could have played a despicable character with such comical appeal. Although we don't share Pivert's views, we feel sorry for his ignorance and only hope that he'll be taught a good lesson. And this lesson is very explicit in the film's synopsis: Pivert becomes the hostage of an Arab revolutionary leader named Mohamed Larbi Slimane (Claude Giraud) and to escape from some other Arab goons, both disguise as rabbis. In a nutshell, you have a Catholic and a Muslim passing for Jews. And beyond this ethnic premise, one of the funniest movies of French cinema: a comedy of slapstick and errors, but not without a subtle and poignant touch of social and political commentary."The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob" marks also the pinnacle of the collaboration between Gérard Oury and Louis de Funès, after three of the greatest French box-office successes, with a de Funès, at the top of his game with his hot-tempered mannerisms and all the expressions that elevate his talent to the level of Chaplin, Keaton and Donald Duck. Take the way he mimics the sound of a woodpecker ('Pivert' in French) when he gives his name, his devilish smiles, his body language, a true comical talent who alas would never be the same after "The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob". Indeed, Louis de Funès suffered a massive heart attack two years after the film, and would never have the same range of physical talent. But let's get back to the laughs."The Mad Avdentures of Rabbi Jacob" starts with a respected Rabbi leaving New York for the first time after 30 years, to celebrate his nephew's bar mitzvah. Rabbi Jacob is played by Marcel Dalio, Gabin's companion in "Grand Illusion", the croupier in "Casablanca", an underrated figure of French cinema, miserably exploited by the Nazi occupation to denounce the Jewish control on filmmaking. Rabbi Jacob is Dalio's last memorable role and what a fitting way to share it with another veteran actor. And involuntarily, it's Rabbi Jacob and his assistant who contribute to the misunderstanding, because they share the same physical features than Pivert and Slimane, so when the lead pair is seen at the airport by an old Jewish grandmother who can barely see, Pivert becomes Rabbi Jacob, and Slimane Rabbi Zeligman.The film is a spell-binding rodeo of gags, involving Pivert, Slimane, three Arab agents, three French cops, the Schmoll Family, Pivert's wife, from a chewing-gum factory to a dentist's room, from a synagogue to a Jewish quarter street, with an interesting running-gag involving Slimane's fondness on red-headed women. The film also features a series of unforgettable lines and moments now deeply rooted in French Pop-Culture. "Silence, Rabbi Jacob, he will dance!" shouts the grandmother with her strong Yiddish accent, and then starts the most emblematic moment of the film when Rabbi Jacob performs the Hassidic group dance. If you haven't seen the film yet, just watch this part on Youtube: a real classic of French cinema.The film is punctuated with more serious moments, particularly relevant in the context of the film (released right before the Kippur War) and even today, when both Pivert and Slimane bless the Jewish boy, and the powerful handshake between Sliman and Salomon, after Pivert genuinely asked them "Sliman, Salomon are you guys cousins?" Like the greatest comedies, the film knows how to loosen up, and it was a nice touch for Gérard Oury to think of such moments. "The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob" is also the proof that we can mock any race or religion, through caricature and stereotypes, without being labeled as racist or Anti-semitic. Oury, from a Jewish background, can hardly be accused of Anti-Semitism of course, but through his film, he proves that one of the most essential elements of Jewish humor is self-derision.The film features also one of the most memorable scores of French cinema from the Master Vladimir Cosma, the sight of New York with his catchy Yiddish-like tone is the film's most unforgettable signature, enriched with a more melancholic melody at the end. Speaking of the ending, it's a bit chaotic in the way it sweeps off many of the subplots with some deus ex machina resolutions or cringe-worthy dated humor, but it doesn't really affect the film, not after so many great laughs anyway. Now, I've always been perplexed by Slimane's statement : "When we ask a Jew question, he always replies by another question" I asked one of my Jewish friends about that, and his reply was : "What makes you think so?" 2ff7e9595c
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