This rousing musical, based on the stories
of Shalom Aleichem, takes place in
pre-revolutionary Russia and centers on
the life of Tevye (Topol), a milkman who
is trying to keep his family's traditions
in place while marrying off his three
older daughters. Yet, times are changing
and the daughters want to make their own
matches, breaking free of many of the
constricting customs required of them by
Judaism. In the background of these
events, Russia is on the brink of
revolution and Jews are feeling
increasingly unwelcome in their villages.
Tevye--who
expresses his desire for sameness in the
opening number, "Tradition"--is trying to
keep everyone, and everything, together.
The movie is strongly allegorical--Tevye
represents the common man--but it does it
dexterously, and the resulting film is a
stunning work of art. The music is
excellent (it won Oscars for the scoring
and the sound), with plenty of familiar
songs such as "Sunrise, Sunset" and "If I
Were a Rich Man," which you'll be humming
long after the movie is over. Isaac
Stern's violin--he provides the music for
the fiddler on the roof--is hauntingly
beautiful. And despite the serious subject
matter, the film is quite comedic in
parts; it also well deserves the Oscar it
won for cinematography. --Jenny Brown
Additional Features
The extra
features (contained on side 2 of the disc)
on Fiddler on the Roof are definitely
worthy of this incredible musical. The
commentary by Norman Jewison and Chaim
Topol (billed here as Topol) is
informative and brings a new depth to the
film (although obviously recorded
separately, and thus intermittently
redundant). The documentary "Norman
Jewison, Filmmaker" delves somewhat into
the career of Jewison, but the focus is on
following the production of Fiddler and
the many difficulties encountered. Be
prepared for a sharp contrast when you
watch Jewison's modern-day recollections;
these were filmed almost 30 years later.
Other highlights on this disc are the full
color version of "Tevye's Dream" (which
can be viewed in side-by-side comparison
with the one in the film); Jewison reading
the stories of Sholom Aleichem over
beautifully drawn pictures; historical
context for the film (which might be
useful to new viewers to watch first); a
song deleted from the film (shown over
movie stills); and much more. --Jenny
Brown
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![[Fiddler on the Roof dvd]](jewish-film-images/B00005N7YZ.jpg)
Fiddler
on the Roof
