Simply A Masterpiece

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

I saw it last night in our local theater that shows "classic" movies. It's everything the other reviewers say: funny, poignant, sad, happy, philosophical.... Tevye has a running conversation with God ("Sometimes I think, when it gets too quiet up there, You say to Yourself, "What kind of mischief can I play on My friend Tevye?")Topol has played that role so often that it fits him like a velvet glove. It's long, with an intermission ("Entre'acte" on the screen), but never dull or lagging.The music was conducted and adapted by a young and upcoming film musician named John Williams.Part of Tevye's story is how Tradition keeps their society intact, and how it keeps them stuck in the same roles year after year, and what happens when a younger generation breaks out of that tradition.I'd say that this is one you need to see on the big screen - but with today's giant home screens, that's not true any more. This is one of the best, worth keeping.

I am not generally a fan of musicals that have been adapted to the screen, but "Fiddler on the Roof" remains as one of the notable exceptions, thanks largely to the genius of director Norman Jewison ("In the Heat of the Night", "Moonstruck", "The Thomas Crown Affair, "Jesus Christ Superstar"), the endearing charm, vitality, and humanity of (Chaim) Topol, the ability of the rest of the cast to meet the elevated standard set by the lead, the innovative cinematography of Oswald Morris ("Lolita", "Oliver!", "The Entertainer", "Guns of Navarone") and the wonderful music, originally written by Jerry Bock and so capably adapted to the screen by John Williams.As to the excellent cast, note that there isn't one, single Hollywood superstar on the list, but they nevertheless succeed in creating one of the best musicals ever adapted to film and a movie that still survives on my list of favorites after many viewings. Personally, I would have loved to see Bea Arthur reprise her Broadway role as Yenta, but that's show business. Jewison's pick of Topol over Zero Mostel, however, was another one of his strokes of brilliance. Although Topol was mostly unknown outside of his native Israel, Jewison made a bold decision to cast him as Tevye, and this was only one example of the director's daring, innovative thinking that enhanced his directing and producing endeavors. He also agreed to cast Norma Crane as the female lead, Golde, who compliments Topol perfectly, even though I don't recall ever seeing her in a film other than her part as the mean and nasty town slut in "Tea and Sympathy" fifteen years earlier. Only Jewison had the ability to see her as "the perfect match" for Tevye. Right? Of course right!The story, based on the Yiddish short stories of Sholom Aleichem, is a familiar one for the Jewish people as they steadfastly struggle to hold to their traditions and values in the face of a rapidly changing environment that becomes increasingly hostile to their existence as both a religious and ethnic minority. As bad as conditions were for them during pre-revolutionary Russia and Ukraine, their situation would only worsen, especially when the Nazis came to power in Germany and conquered much of the rest of Europe only a few decades later.The fiddler in the play is a symbol of the perpetually precarious existence of Jews who have often depended upon the kindness of strangers throughout much of their thousands of years of history. Beyond the unique Jewish experience, the fiddler represents the universal fragility of all of our lives, regardless of our specific faith or ethnicity. Indeed, the uncertainties of life itself are like...they're like a fiddler on the roof!

The title comes from a painting by Russian artist Marc Chagall called "The Dead Man" which depicts a funeral scene and shows a man playing a violin on a rooftop. It is also used by Tevye in the story as a metaphor for trying to survive in a difficult, constantly changing world. The best musical numbers: "Tradition", "If I Were a Rich Man", "To Life", & "Miracle of Miracles". Each of the performances had their highlights, but Topol, who played Tevye, stood far above the rest. Without him, I am not sure the musical would have been as impressive. The entire film had a down to earth, farm life feel. Thus, I was not so shocked as amused when I discovered that the entire film was shot with a pair of brown nylon stockings over the lens. The weave can even be detected in some scenes. One of the most fun, playful musicals I have seen. Which made the sudden ending all the more depressingly stark in contrast.

I often wondered what it was like in the old country Russia/Poland one hundred plus years ago? What was the daily riggers of life for my Grandfather and his Father's before him? How did they survive? Their livelihoods, customs, down time?? How they lived or survived the rugged lifestyle with out the modern conveniences? Not to mention the racial tensions created by the local regimes of that time, mainly "antisemitism"? My Grandmother remembers the harsh winters in Lodz. My other Grandmother would describe the horrible senseless acts of a fearful group of individuals called the Pogroms. These tormentors would ride into the Jewish section on horseback with saber in hand and would slice the heads off the locals including woman and children. Just a small sample of the horrific acts by the government based group to annihilate the Jews of Europe. Despite the harshness of the living conditions, writer Sholom Aleichem presents the story of Tevya the Milkman and his family somewhere in the Ukraine at the turn of the twentieth century. Personally I saw this play performed for the first time at sleep away camp. Then I saw a professional production starring Hershel Bernardi as Tevya. My ex-Brother-In-Law played Tevya in his college production and the story is always captivating with song and dialogue. The film doesn't disappoint either as Topol plays a struggling milkman who tells his audience in a philosophical way his ideas on life as he looks toward the sky to ask G-d why things are? Tradition is most important to Tevya with out an explanation as to why? But because it's a tradition. Tevya has a wife of 25 years Golde (Norma Crane) does a capable job as the matriarch who cooks, cleans and has the Sabbath meal prepared unconditionally. They have five daughters but this story focuses on the three oldest and their love interests. First there's Tzeitel (Rosalind Harris).This was at a time when it was customary in Jewish law to have an arranged marriage done my a Matchmaker (Molly Picon)Yente. Grey,middle aged Lazar Wolf (Paul Mann)is looking for a second wife and Tzeitel fills the requirements under strong suggestion to the austere Tevya. Meanwhile Tzeitel is secretly meeting love interest Motel the tailor(Leonard Frey) and they want to be married but timid Motel has to tell Tevya that despite his hopes of a rich in-law, Motel and Tzeitel have a mutual love for each other and pay no heed to traditions. One of my personal favorite songs is Wonder of Wonders performed by Leonard Frey as his marriage will be a reality with a concocted dream by Tevya to pacify Wolf and Golde. The dream sketch was cleverly done in black and white. The second daughter Hodel (Michele Marsh) falls for a wondering radical Perchick (Paul Michael Glazer) who wants to go to Moscow and start a Marxist revolution against the Czar. Our third front or daughter is the Ginger haired Chava (Neva Small), who is an avid reader and meets a gentile boy who she eventually falls in love and marries against the wished of her parents as Tevya professed that his daughter is dead to him. Powerful scene in any production of the play. The songs are so familiar and the story on paper, serious in nature is still pleasant to watch. Our character do sprinkle a bit of humor despite the tense political climate brewing in Czarist Russia. Note Norma Crane who played Golde was in bad health during the film yet her performance was a adequate.The kind of play you can get lost in as you see your Jewish ancestry played out literally. Other cultures would ask what Judaism entails? I say watch this play and you'll get quite an education about Diaspora. How millions of Jews Emigrated to the United States because of racial problems and changing governments which prohibited certain religions. You'll enjoy the story and learn a few things about the Chosen People.