King of Jazz

NOTE: This is a region-1 DVD which requires a region free DVD-player.

Made during the early years of the movie musical, this exuberant revue was one of the most extravagant, eclectic, and technically ambitious Hollywood productions of its day. Starring the bandleader Paul Whiteman, then widely celebrated as the King of Jazz, the film drew from Broadway variety shows to present a spectacular array of sketches, performances by such acts as the Rhythm Boys (featuring a young Bing Crosby), and orchestral numbers—all lavishly staged by veteran theater director John Murray Anderson. Presented here in the most complete form possible and restored to its original early-Technicolor glory, King of Jazz offers a fascinating snapshot of the way mainstream American popular culture viewed itself at the dawn of the 1930s.

Special features:
– New 4K digital restoration by Universal Pictures, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
– New audio commentary featuring jazz and film critic Gary Giddins, music and cultural critic Gene Seymour, and musician and bandleader Vince Giordano
– New introduction to the film by Giddins
– New interview with musician and pianist Michael Feinstein
– Four new video essays by authors and archivists James Layton and David Pierce on the development and making of King of Jazz
– Deleted scenes and alternate opening title sequence
– All Americans, a 1929 short film featuring a version of the “Melting Pot” number that was restaged for King of Jazz
– I Know Everybody and Everybody’s Racket, a 1933 short film featuring Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra
– Two Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons from 1930, featuring music and animation from King of Jazz
– PLUS: An essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme