Review of Fiddler on the Roof (1971) by Jon T — 04 Dec 2014

Every generation has a musical that many audiences consider iconic and still do. FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is one of them. About a Jewish patriarch who must deal with his daughters' ideas of marriage, this tale is at turns lively, intelligent, thoughtful, funny, and, finally, heartbreaking.

Chaim Topol, recreating his role from the London cast, provides a charismatic, energetic performance as the lead character Tevye, an initially proud father figure whose pride gradually goes to pieces as he is forced to bend over backwards for the sake of his children's happiness, and deals with the czarists who threaten to drive the whole Jewish race out of his hometown of Anatevka.

All this is interspersed by buoyant and emotionally charged musical numbers which breathe just as much heart and soul into an already compelling piece of drama. Norman Jewison does an excellent job of transitioning the stage play into a full length movie; the cinematography especially brings out the rustic tones of Anatevka and the Russian setting.

The only minor criticisms one might have is that the film is quite long, clocking in at slightly over three hours and some dance sequences do feel stretched out, but on the other hand, it's hard to imagine this film without them.

All in all, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is both a classic musical and an equally fantastic movie that treats its source material with the love and care it deserves. I highly recommend it, especially for fans of great singing, dancing, and tragedy.