In response to our disappointment with The Jazz Singer, I searched for a real first introduction to sound. This one, billed as the first "all talking, all singing, all dancing" sound film seemed to fill the bill.
Specs:
About 2 hours. Black and white (was actually released with a short two-color Technocolor sequence for one of its big song numbers; however, that sequence is now believed to be lost.) It is available on dvd; our library actually had a copy. Talkie -- a real talkie all the way through. For more info about the transition from Silents to Sound, check out that topic.
Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
6.0
The "thrill" of seeing a movie with dialog after 20 films, amounting to nearly 30 years of silents, was not inconsequential to us. We got to feel some part of what audiences at the time must have felt to have been able to listen to a movie.
However, once the initial excitement has passed, you are left (again) with a fairly second-rate picture. This was a melodramatic story underpinning a pretty good musical, but just too over the top for our tastes. The love story was a bit seedy and harsh - with a lecherous rich guy preying on the ingenue and an older sister's fiance falling for same ingenue.
It's interesting for the opening footage taken (probably from a plane) looking down at New York City. Incredible. And for the glimpses into the backstage inner workings of a Broadway show.
Iconic shot:
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