Fiddler on the Roof

I have wanted to sit down and watch this movie for a long time. I am used to seeing films like this that were made in the 60's but "Fiddler on the Roof" is from the early 70's. I have heard songs from it over the years and after seeing the three hour musical, I can say that its drama and comedy are pretty well balanced. It deserved every Oscar that it won. It was the running time however that most affected how much I enjoyed this show. I can't really say that it is a flaw because this film is an adaptation of a Broadway play. As I critique this movie, I will do my best to focus my analysis on the film adaptation.

The symbolism of the fiddler is easy enough to understand because Tevye himself articulates it at the start of the show. It may be more dramatic for the audience to figure out symbolism but this movie is based off a Broadway musical after all where breaking the fourth wall is common. I think the opening song, "Tradition", is the best part of "Fiddler on the Roof" with the action synchronized to music. The film editing was something I noticed quite early as I watched. There are a lot of rhythmic cuts and that is normal for a film musical. Another great example of editing in the film is the intercutting of two discussions between Tevye & Golde and Tzeitel & Motel. Both conversations conclude with the phrase "I'll talk to him." I was quite appreciative of the cinematography during the song "If I Were a Rich Man". We have a POV shot from the perspective of the chickens as Tevye feeds them. I also like how much dust comes off the wooden beams as he dances on them. It is a nice touch. This musical contains some entertaining moments that either make us laugh or create emotion. Tevye talking with God throughout the story provides both comedy and drama. I also got a kick out of Tevye and Lazar confusing cows with Tzeitel. "Tevye's Dream" was a weird sequence for me to watch but I do applaud Tevye using it to chance his wife's mind. It should be apparent that as the seasons change in the movie, so too does the relationship between the Russian authorities and the Jewish people. We start out in summer and conclude in winter as the villagers are scattered throughout the world. This use of symbolism is not uncommon in movies because I saw it as a child in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast". Another comparison I can make between "Fiddler on the Roof" and a childhood movie of mine is "An American Tail". Both depict pogroms in Russia. In the second act of the story, I like how the baby is upstaged. We assume that the village is excited over Tzeitel & Motel's infant but the "new arrival" turns out to be the sewing machine. The symbolic dance of Tevye's three daughters is noteworthy, as their suitors take them each away. Chava is taken away from the fiddler and that makes his role in the story more obvious. Speaking of Chava, she and Fyedka also move at the end of the film even though they are not under the same mandate to leave. They are going to Krakow because they don't want to live in a place that evicts people because of their faith and this is ironic because of what will happen in that city a generation later. I like the final moment with the fiddler because it concludes the film pretty well.

While the film stayed very true to the stage version, some small changes were made for originality sake. Some songs were left out of this film version and some new scenes were added that were not in the Broadway play. The scene where Golde goes to the Catholic priest is made mention in the Broadway version but we see it depicted here on film. My favorite new scene is where Tevye feeds his barn animals for a final time at the end of the movie. The casting of Topol was a divisive decision at the time but this was done in service to the story. The character of Tevye needed to outshine the actor playing him and Topol could accomplish this. He had played the character before on stage but I didn't know he was only 36 years old when he performed in this cinematic adaptation. Now that I know this, Topol did an amazing job because I truly thought he was 50 to 60 years old. He also let the costume and makeup do its job. Topol reprised this role numerous times until 2009 and his work in this adaptation carried the whole film!

This film deserved all of its Oscar wins and nominations. It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Topol), Best Supporting Actor (Leonard Frey as Motel) and Best Art Direction. It won Academy Awards for Best Sound, Best Cinematography and Best Music (Scoring Adaptation and Original Song Score). The composer responsible for this final win is a household name today: John Williams. "Fiddler on the Roof" was his first ever career win and that is worth noting because he has five Oscars and holds the record for the most Academy Award nominations by a living person at 51! I would like to think that his first Oscar win helped him earn his last Academy Award to date for "Schindler's List". "Fiddler on the Roof" was identified by the American Film Institute as one of the top 100 inspirational movies of all time and the movie earned Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture and Best Actor (Musical or Comedy). There are some movies that need the three-hour running time and that can be especially the case with Broadway adaptations but for me, "Fiddler on the Roof" was a little long. At least I was both laughing and feeling emotion while watching.

3.5 Stars out of 5