What is most immediately apparent is that, though this was a shoestring production filmed in Astoria, the result is, in every way, an "A" film. It is rich pictorially, with a sense of full sets and backgrounds, and the lighting is particularly detailed and sensitive. The opening is a tour de force, a FIFTEEN MINUTE synagogue service highlighting the extraordinary voice of Oysher. The movements of the camera and Oysher are superbly choreographed, and the whole sequence is powerful, spellbinding. Oysher shows such dynamic presence in this sequence, that afterward, when we become aware of the humility and simplicity of his character, the contrast is startling. Of course, this contrast is intentional, and shows Oysher to be a good actor as well as an extraordinary singer. The story is so obviously the opposite of THE JAZZ SINGER that references to this film invariably comment on it. The Gentiles who lead the cantor away from the synagogue to sing secular music are not villains, but their worldliness and sophistication is very artfully presented. All three of the films that Oysher starred in are worth seeing, but the other two are somewhat more of a patchwork, their threadbare budgets more evident.
