The Jazz Singer

The Jazz Singer (1927) — watch online on iFILM the film that ended the silent era. Released by Warner Bros. on October 6, 1927, it was the first feature-length movie with synchronized dialogue and song, directed by Alan Crosland with Al Jolson in the role that made history.

Jackie Rabinowitz is a cantor's son expected to follow his father into the synagogue. He wants jazz and vaudeville instead. His father disowns him; years pass; Jackie reinvents himself as Jack Robin and builds a stage career. When he comes back home, the conflict between family tradition and personal ambition doesn't resolve neatly — and that tension is what gives the film its emotional weight beyond its technical landmark status.

The line Jolson improvised — "Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothin' yet!" — was literally the first spoken words audiences ever heard from a movie screen. That moment alone makes this required viewing for anyone curious about where film came from. Stream The Jazz Singer (1927) online on iFILM.