Review of Fiddler on the Roof (1971) by Tim P — 13 May 2015

Starring Topol and Norma Crane. In director Norman Jewison's words, "It's the story of a man and his God, and his problems with his five daughters." Jewison took a successful gamble by casting the role of Tevye with the Israeli actor Topol rather than use Zero Mostel, who originated the part of Broadway.

Topol's understated performance is in direct contrast to Mostel, whose over-the-top antics worked best on stage. The beautiful cinematography has an earthy quality which emphasizes the importance of the land in which the story is set -- that would be early 20th-century Ukraine, by the way.