mnnTwo young film students from Germany stumble upon a seemingly FORGOTTEN AMERICAN ICON who was born in a small Jewish SHTETL in Lithuania in the 1800s, rose to stardom on BROADWAY in the 1910s and 1920s, and eventually set the stage for TALKING PICTURES in 1927.
Driven by this extraordinary performer, idolized by none other than Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Rod Stewart and many other greats, they start their very own JOURNEY and dive deeply into Al Jolson's life and times. They planned to spend a few months of research and filming for this project and eventually worked on it for 15 years.
Join the filmmakers on their ROAD TO AL JOLSON with fascinating travels from Germany to Lithuania, Malta, England, and the USA. Watch this UNIQUE performer, once billed as the "World's Greatest Entertainer", come to life again through a skillfully balanced combination of archival and up-to-date footage as well as through compelling interviews with former colleagues, relatives, veterans, showbiz professionals, fans, and scholars that shed light on the sacrifices of ASSIMILATION and tell a remarkable story of FAME. Follow the filmmakers on their personal journey - a story about family, identity and cultural heritage. How this relates to Al Jolson and to the making of this film is the essence of this documentary.
Driven by this extraordinary performer, idolized by none other than Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Rod Stewart and many other greats, they start their very own JOURNEY and dive deeply into Al Jolson's life and times. They planned to spend a few months of research and filming for this project and eventually worked on it for 15 years.
Join the filmmakers on their ROAD TO AL JOLSON with fascinating travels from Germany to Lithuania, Malta, England, and the USA. Watch this UNIQUE performer, once billed as the "World's Greatest Entertainer", come to life again through a skillfully balanced combination of archival and up-to-date footage as well as through compelling interviews with former colleagues, relatives, veterans, showbiz professionals, fans, and scholars that shed light on the sacrifices of ASSIMILATION and tell a remarkable story of FAME. Follow the filmmakers on their personal journey - a story about family, identity and cultural heritage. How this relates to Al Jolson and to the making of this film is the essence of this documentary.
