La fièvre du jazz

An interesting film, shown on turner classics. Watch it for the great music and the fun movie stars. Beginning with the slavery days, and the mournful blues, up through the big jazz bands during world war two, we watch various stories unfold. At the center is the life and loves of kit latimer (bonita granville). Surrounded by the huge stars of the day. The summary tells us that rko and the evening post took a survey to see who readers wanted included in the cast. There's a story here, but it's just a good excuse to hear some fun, jumping music. Some of the songs are listed in soundtracks. If you have a minute, check it out, as well as the cast list. Good stuff. It was released in 1942, a couple months after the united states got pulled into the war. Probably a good chance to sell some war bonds too! Wikipedia dot org has a great history of the defense bonds, later called war bonds.

Previous comments size this one up pretty well; it has jazz strengths, story weaknesses, and jazz weaknesses.

But it has jazz, so it's obviously better than movies that do not. ;-)

Somewhat surprised there have been no mentions of the film's clearly dismissive treatment of the "symphonic jazz" maestro "Ted Browning", a full-on swipe at a certain real-life caucasian bandleader with an ironic surname who profited handsomely from the music while bringing relatively little to it himself.

But set aside whether the character's model merits the derision; "Ted Browning" seems almost too close to TOD Browning, the name of the director of both Dracula and Freaks, to have been a purely coincidental choice.

That you'd essentially name the bandleader of an orchestra that was clearly depicted as sucking the life from jazz musicians after the director of a vampire movie feels like another small point in favor of this seldom-shown movie.

I came away with a different slant on this film than the other reviews I've seen here, so let me just say that for 1942 this terrific little love note to jazz is remarkably progressive for its day. While it's true that the plot ultimately leads to the white jazz stars of the early '40s, it is true to the roots of jazz and even includes a scene where an adult black musician calls an adult white musician "boy" and it's clear who's teaching who. This movie is as passionate about hot jazz music as were the people who created it, and it shows.

Also, the plot is not as thin as many such films. It has the production values of an "A" picture, and its three stars were not exactly "B" list talent. It sometimes stretches credulity, but no more so than any other musical, and in fact even less so, considering that the music is an inherent part of the story.

Here's hoping TCM shows this again soon; I'd love to record and keep it, as I doubt an official DVD release is in the offing.

This movie definitely gets points for:

1) its general love for the music and mood of New Orleans 2) the great jazz/blues score 3) and most particularly its view of African/Americans as musicians and maids which sounds bad until you consider that, in 1942 in Hollywood, it was pretty much maids period. With an occasional train porter thrown in for variety.

The movie gets points taken away for:

1) The flat, corny, pseudo poetic dialogue (expected more from Phil Yordan who penned the noir classic ,"The Big Combo" and the fine, dark western, "Day Of The Outlaw") 2) The general saccharininity (how's that for a new word?) of Bonita Granville 3) most especially that horrible final montage of jazz/blues immortals all of whom are white (what? Satchmo didn't make the cut? In a film about friggin New Orleans? Shameful)

When the dust settles, give it a C plus.

The 1942 Syncopation is somewhat outdated, but, aaaah, the incredible music makes this film watching and wanting for more.