Country: United States
Genre: Musical/ Comedy/ Drama
Director: Norman Jewison
Year: 1971
Rating: 
TRASH CINEMA HIGHLY RECOMMENDED MOVIE
If this were a website devoted to movie musicals, I’d have to give Fiddler On The Roof a solid five stars. It is simply one of the best movie musicals ever made. It succeeds as a musical (the tunes are memorable and lovely), as an evocation of a lost way of life, a low-key comedy, and a meditation on the spiritual cost of change. Almost 30 years down the road, Fiddler On The Roof still has a great deal of power.
Part of the reason is an unforced but careful authenticity. Often times, when directors make movies about earlier times in history, the modern era has a way of sneaking in. Many years later, these historical anachronisms become obvious. But thanks to Lynn Stalmaster’s sprawling cast of unknowns, Norman Jewison’s sensitive direction, and the superb production design of Robert F. Boyle, Fiddler On The Roof offers a believable depiction of early 20th Century Russia.
Another reason is that Norman Jewison trusts the source material by Sholom Aleichem, shaped into a screenplay by Joseph Stein. Jewison doesn’t rush the rich story for short attention spans. It moves at something like the pace of village life at the turn of the twentieth century, which is a good thing. You want to luxuriate in the lives of these people, who are all likeable and sympathetic.
The most memorable is Tevye (a towering performance by Topol). Although he’s a poverty stricken milkman, he loves the village life. As he endures one setback after another involving his three eldest daughters, all of which have to do with changing social mores, he maintains a running conversation with God. These conversations are very funny, and yet you ache for Tevye.
There isn’t much more to say, but I’d like to mention John Williams’ masterful arrangement of the score. They even got Isaac Stern, possibly the greatest violinist of all time, to dub the violin parts for the title character.
If you don’t mind the deliberate pace and if a musical about early 20th Century Russian Jews sounds interesting to you, you can’t lose with Fiddler On The Roof.
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