January 9, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES III & IV • Page 19 Classic Al Jolson film released on Blu-ray by Dennis Seuling “The Jazz Singer” (Warner Home Video), which is now available for the first time on Blu-ray, is often mistakenly referred to as the first movie with sound. It is the first feature film with completely synchronized dialogue and musical sequences, but much of it is essentially a silent movie. It stars Al Jolson, the biggest pop celebrity of the era, in a tale with considerable similarities to his own life story. Jolson portrays a would-be entertainer whose aspirations conflict with the values of his cantor father (Warner Oland). Based on a 1925 play, “The Jazz Singer” premiered in New York City in October 1927, in the Vitaphone process, in which a 16-inch disc was synchronized with standard 35-millimeter projection equipment. The industry would eventually change to the sound-on-film process, in which a magnetic soundtrack was imprinted on the film alongside the picture. “The Jazz Singer” was a huge success in the approximately 200 theaters with sound equipment, and within two years, nearly 8,000 theaters were wired for sound. The film features a number of Jolson’s trademark songs: “TootToot-Tootsie Goodbye,” “Dirty Hands, Dirty Face,” “My Mammy,” and a then-new song composed by Irving Berlin, “Blue Skies.” The three-disc Blu-ray edition contains a full-length documentary feature, “The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk;” four hours of Vitaphone shorts featuring George Burns and Gracie Allen, Baby Rose Marie, Blossom Seeley, Elsie Janis, and several other vaudeville performers; vintage cartoons; a 1947 “Lux Radio Theater” broadcast starring Jolson; and an 88-page book containing racing bets on the side. Along the way, they meet GTO (Warren Oates) and challenge him to a cross-country race. The prize: their cars’ pink slips. The race takes them through a landscape filled with gas stations, roadside diners, and blacktop highways. As the film progresses, director Monte Hellman has his characters meander a great deal, as if neither driver is in much of a hurry. In fact, the initial drama of the race soon dissipates into a kind of existential look at obsession, freedom, and purpose. The central characters apparently have more time on their hands than they can handle and they seek excitement in a race but then get endlessly sidetracked. Viewers learn little about the characters. The road movie is a staple of American cinema, but “Two-Lane Blacktop” leaves the one confused about its point. Blu-ray extras are abundant, and include two audio commentaries; an interview with Monte Hellman, Taylor, and musician Kris Kristofferson; screen test outtakes; a featurette about the restoration of the ’55 Chevy used in the movie and the film’s locations; and photos and publicity materials. “Dredd” (Lionsgate) is a post-apocalyptic thriller featuring an irradiated American wasteland. On the East Coast, from Boston to Washington, D.C., lies Mega City One, a (continued on Crossword page) Al Jolson and May McAvoy in ‘The Jazz Singer.’ behind-the-scenes collector’s cards, lobby cards, souvenir program, vintage documents, and a post-premiere telegram from Jolson. “Two-Lane Blacktop” (The Criterion Collection) is about two men, Driver and Mechanic (singer-songwriter James Taylor and the Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson in their only acting roles), accompanied by a tagalong girl (Laurie Bird), who make their way across America, picking up