Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writers:

Sholom Aleichem (book)
Joseph Stein (play)

Release Date:

3 November 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family | Musical

Tagline:

a tradition (re-release)

Plot:

In pre-revolutionary Russia, a poor Jewish peasant must contend with marrying off his three daughters while antisemitic sentiment threatens his home.

Plot Keywords:

Jewish | Russia | Pogrom | Tradition | Milkman

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Topol	...	Tevye
Norma Crane	...	Golde
Leonard Frey	...	Motel
Molly Picon	...	Yente
Paul Mann	...	Lazar Wolf
Rosalind Harris	...	Tzeitel
Michele Marsh	...	Hodel
Neva Small	...	Chava
Paul Michael Glaser	...	Perchik (as Michael Glaser)
Ray Lovelock	...	Fyedka (as Raymond Lovelock)
Elaine Edwards	...	Shprintze
Candy Bonstein	...	Bielke
Shimen Ruskin	...	Mordcha
Zvee Scooler	...	Rabbi
Louis Zorich	...	Constable

Runtime:

181 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hebrew

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm prints) | Stereo (35 mm mag-optical prints)

Certification:

Canada:G (Canadian Home Video rating) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:K-8 | Ireland:G | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:U | USA:G | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Gorica, Croatia

Company:

Cartier Productions

Trivia:

Assi Dayan was cast in the part of Perchik but couldn't handle the English dialogue and was replaced by Paul Michael Glaser.

Goofs:

Continuity: The sun angle changes several times during the matchmaker song sequence. Most obvious when Chava is pushed onto a sunny pile of hay that was in the shadows seconds before.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Tevye: A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn't easy. You may ask 'Why do we stay up there if it's so dangerous?' Well, we stay because Anatevka is our home. And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word: tradition!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Songs of 'Fiddler on the Roof' (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Miracle of Miracles

To life, to life, la chayim!

I love "Fiddler on the Roof" so much it's difficult for me to comment on it in a detached way. I just think about it and I'm filled with emotion. (And I'm not the sentimental type!) It honestly depicts what it means to be human. It contains love, faith, family, friendship, humour, violence, hate, prejudice, change, vulnerability, joy, community, anger...everything. This film is a tribute to the Jewish people, but you don't have to be Jewish to enjoy it. It's so rich that everyone can identify with it, and learn from it.

As for the music, all the songs fit in naturally and stand on their own as classics. "Matchmaker, Matchmaker," "Sunrise, Sunset," "If I Were A Rich Man" - need I say more? When Hodel sings "Far From the Home I Love" it's tissue time. They're all so beautiful! If you usually find it hard to take when characters in musicals suddenly burst into song, don't worry, in this film it's so seamless you can't imagine them communicating any other way. The music makes it easier for them to say things they normally wouldn't in conversation.

The characters are so real and down-to-earth. They're strong, hard-working people, who have their priorities straight. I can't write about FOTR without mentioning Tevye - the centre of this whirling story, and a man who, like all of us, struggles with the pace with which his world is changing. He clings to the past, yet accepts what the future may bring. I don't think there is another film out there that addresses how insecure we feel with change. But hey, that's life. "To life, to life, la chayim!!"