King of Jazz

American musical, colour, 1930, by John Murray Anderson, Language: English, Subtitles: Hungarian, 99'

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SCREENINGS

09.08. 11:30
Toldi Small Hall

Directed by John Murray Anderson
Screenplay by Harry Ruskin
Director of photography Jerome Ash, Hal Mohr, Ray Rennahan
Music by Alfonso Corelly
Cast: Paul Whiteman, John Boles, Laura La Plante, Jeanette Loff, Glenn Tryon, William Kent 
Production: Universal Pictures

The King of Jazz is heartily recommended as a cure for any bad mood. Certainly no one could watch this strange montage of music and stage bands without coming out from thecinema smiling ear to ear. Lasting impressions will include thinking that this was the granddaddy of all music videos, that women in the swing era perhaps overdid the make-up a tad, and most of all that the dancers and choreographers of the time were and still are the undisputable best. Not only does the Rhythm Boys trio win over the audience the audience with their amazing vocal skills in their song about black and blue birds, but their humouris also unsurpassed. Look carefully, and you will spot Bing Crosby standing next topianist Harry Barris. The film starts with a lion animation set to Walter Lanz’s jazz music. For the clarinet solo in Rhapsody in Blue, pretty girls in blue tulle appear. We could go onlisting the attractions of this moving picture book presented to us by the performers, butsuffice it to say that you’ve never seen a better dancer on film than the one in the HappyFeet number. The relative of one singer, Delbert Cobain, later makes an appearance in thegroup Nirvana.