The Jazz Singer (1980)

The son of a Jewish Cantor must defy his father in order to pursue his dream of being a pop singer.

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Samson Raphaelson (play), Herbert Baker (screenplay),

Stars:

Neil Diamond, Laurence Olivier, Lucie Arnaz

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Neil Diamond	...	Jess Robin
Laurence Olivier	...	Cantor Rabinovitch
Lucie Arnaz	...	Molly Bell
Catlin Adams	...	Rivka Rabinovitch
Franklyn Ajaye	...	Bubba
Paul Nicholas	...	Keith Lennox
Sully Boyar	...	Eddie Gibbs
Mike Kellin	...	Leo
James Booth	...	Paul Rossini
Luther Waters	...	Teddy
Oren Waters	...	Mel
Rod Gist	...	Timmy
Walter Janovitz	...	Rabbi Birnbaum (as Walter Janowitz)
Janet Brandt	...	Aunt Tillie
John Witherspoon	...	M.C. Cinderella Club

Storyline

Neil Diamond stars as Yussel in this tale of a young Jewish cantor who strives to make a career in music. Against the wishes of his rigid father and his loving wife, Yussel travels to California to play his music. Swept up by the excitement, he meets a woman who shares his dream. He grows apart from his family, and becomes confused about what he should ultimately do with his life.

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Plot Keywords:

jewish | singer | star | pop singer | remake | 

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Taglines:

His story will make you cry. His music will make you sing. His triumph will make you cheer.

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 December 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

El cantor de Jazz

Filming Locations:

Pantages Theatre, 6223 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$27,118,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

EMI Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby DTS-ES (DVD version) Dolby Digital EX (DVD version) 70 mm 6-Track

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Near the end of the shoot, Neil Diamond was having trouble with the scene where he storms into the recording booth in a rage and has a heated argument with the Lucie Arnaz character. During a break, Richard Fleischer looked into the glass of the recording stage and saw Diamond going berserk, smashing everything in sight. Fleischer quickly yelled action, Diamond burst into the recording booth in an absolute fury, and pulled off the scene. After yelling cut, Fleischer asked him just what happened. Diamond explained that he felt so bad he wasn't able to pull off the scene, he asked his band to play something that would make him mad - which was a Barry Manilow number.

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Goofs

When Jess first sits down to write Love on the Rocks in his bathrobe there is a menorah on the table near a beer can. The next shot of the table a minute later reveals the menorah is gone and the beer can is turned.

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Quotes

Molly Bell: I'm with Keith Lennox productions. Molly. Molly Bell. That's what they call me. My real name is a lot longer.
Yussel Rabinovitch: So's mine.
Molly Bell: Belengocavela?
Yussel Rabinovitch: Rabinovitch?
Molly Bell: Oh. That's not bad.

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Connections

Referenced in Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude (2004)

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Soundtracks

"On The Robert E. Lee"
Words and Music by Neil Diamond and Gilbert Bécaud (as Gilbert Becaud)
© 1980 Stonebridge Music and EMA Suisse

User Reviews

What's the Deal? Need more NEIL!

Okay... all these submissions below? Ignore them. Here's the real scoop.

The biggest problem most folks have with this film is that they're comparing the two male leads' acting ability. BIG MISTAKE.

One is Neil Diamond-- one of the greatest singers of all time. The other is Sir Laurence Olivier-- one of the greatest ACTORS of all time. Think of it this way: if Sir Larry accompanied Neil in a recording of "Cherry, Cherry"-- people would rave about Neil's performance, but then spend an hour going on about how much Olivier sucks.

The fact is this: neither of them suck. Everything is great! Neil Diamond is a fine actor. (Not an AMAZING actor, mind you... but a fine actor.) He'd even beaten out Dustin Hoffman for the role of Lenny Bruce in "Lenny", but turned it down... leaving the door open for Hoffman.

I made the mistake of reading all of the below jeers and whines about Neil Diamond's "terrible acting performance" in this movie. I then watched it over at my girlfriend's house with very low expectations. But I was very impressed, and greatly enjoyed the film. Granted, there are some times when Neil's performance isn't exactly as dramatic as it should be... (i.e., when his father shrieks "I HAVE NO SON!!", Neil doesn't exactly seem to be heartbroken.) But then, there are times when he manifests a great deal of emotional power... especially in the scenes where he gets angry.

Okay, so I'm a huge Neil Diamond fan, yes. I love his music, and I think it's cool that he's had a lead in a major motion picture. BUT-- from an acting perspective, he has my respect. From one actor to another. (YES, I consider him an "actor" too... and so does the IMDb.)

I only have two complaints: one is that this is the only movie he's been in until Saving Silverman-- where he had just a cameo. That sucks. I want to see Neil in more movies.

The other complaint is what everyone else doesn't like: "The Jazz Singer". AL JOLSON sung Jazz. NEIL DIAMOND sings Pop. Soooooo... couldn't it have been called "The Pop Singer", and had an addition in the credits that read, "Based on 'The Jazz Singer' by Al Jolson" or something?

Anyway... the music is great, (even "Love on the Rocks"-- and I'm not a big ballad fan... as they depress me. But I can't dislike a Neil song.) the movie is a great story, and the acting is FINE. Watch it. If you're a fan of Neil's, or even just a fan of 20+ year old movies that have good stories.... check out "The Jazz Singer".



--and by the way.... neil diamond rules. thank you.