“An outstanding accomplishment in every category” (Boxoffice), this lavishly produced and critically acclaimed screen adaptation of the international stage sensation tells the life-affirming story of Tevye (Topol), a poor milkman whose love, pride and faith help him face the oppression of turn-of-the century czarist Russia. Nominated* for eight Academy Awards(r), including Best Picture and Best Director, and featuring such classic songs as “If I Were A Rich Man,” “Matchmaker” and “Sunrise, Sunset,” Fiddler on the Roof is a universal story of hope, love and acceptancea “stunning, joyful and jubilant” (New York Daily News) musical masterpiece. *1971: Actor (Topol), Supporting Actor (Leonard Frey), Cinematography (winner), Art Direction/SetDecoration, Sound (winner), Music (Scoring: Adaptation and Original Song Score) (winner)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
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May 29, 2008
#1
TODAYS MUSICALS, SOMEHOW, AREN’T EQUAL TO THOSE OF YEARS GONE BY. A GOOD STORY TO GO WITH THE MUSIC.
May 29, 2008
#2
Despite its excellent acting and marvelous soundtrack, this movie is nothing more than a farce intended to make the non-Orthodox Jews of the late 1800/early 1900′s (when the script was written) feel better about their choice. The rabbi is a bufoon, and the Jews of the town are louts. In Tevye’s opening lines, he states that he doesn’t know that reasons for anything he does, thereby ridiculing the Biblical laws the Jews live by. And that’s another thing. Its all presented as “tradition.” It is that, but more importantly, its law, and when Orthodox Jewish kings ruled in Israel it was upheld by the courts. I’m surpirsed he didn’t give his okay for Chava to marry the Russian, and even then, the spin is that he’s being unreasonable. Then there are all the things that are simply wrong, like the rabbi saying that there “technicaly isn’t anything wrong” with men and woman dancing together. Off the top of my head, I can think of at least three laws it violates, and there are probably more. What’s even worse is that most non-Jews relate to the Jewish world entirely in the context of this movie. Whenever something with Jews happens on TV, its always to one of the tunes from the movie. I’ve heard people say “Jews have no idea why they do what they do,” an obvios quote. The truth is, life in pre-WWI Eastern Europe had only superficial similarities to that presented in this movie.
May 29, 2008
#3
I was surprised to find the whole Russian Army involved in “Fiddler On The Roof”. Aside from the spirited singing and dancing, the film depicts The Bolshevik Revolution, a Siberian prison camp and generally the whole Russian Army fighting a revolution in expansive production values that at times equal the splendor of such grand movies as “Lawrtence Of Arabia” and “Doctor Zhivago”. As the song and dance die down, homeless Jews travel in poor caravans searching for a homeland and the Russian Army fights and falls while revolutionaries gain control over the country. This all makes “If I Were A Rich Man” seem a bit trite in response to the enormous historical changes taking place in the movie. It seems the film should have only suggested these worldly details and remained focused on the gentleness and charm of the lead character and his domestic troubles.
May 29, 2008
#4
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is a VERY long film of the musical. It’s 181 minutes long. That, friends, is three hours. Enough! The acting is good; the musical adaptation (by John Williams) is good; the choreography (by Jerome Robbins by way of Tom Abbott) is good. What isn’t good is the uncomfortable incompatibility of style: You can’t mix photorealism with the intrinsic theatricality of song and dance. People in the middle of a bone-chilling Russian winter will not burst into song at a moment’s notice with full (though invisible) orchestral accompaniment. And, of course, these Russian Jews wouldn’t be speaking (and singing) in English. The success of such a film depends too much on our willing suspension of disbelief. That’s why a musical like THE MUSIC MAN is so much more successful, stylistically. (Even the otherwise brilliant WEST SIDE STORY suffered from this dichotomy.)
These comments, of course, won’t change anybody’s mind about the show. It’s been a classic for how many years now? But I do wish a better film could have been made of it.
May 29, 2008
#5
I RECEIVED IT PROMPTLY AND THE SERVICE WAS GREAT. UNFORTUNETLY I HAVENT SEEN THE MOVIE YET BECAUSE I WAS TO BUSY. I AM SURE ITS PERFECT BECAUSE WHENEVER I BOUGHT ANYTHING FROM AMAZON IT ALWAYS WAS