Film Review
Whilst it was widely criticised on its first release for exploiting
Jewish culture for the purposes of mass entertainment,
Fiddler On The Roof has stood the
test of time remarkably well and continues to be one of the most
highly regarded film
musicals. The film is closely adapted from the original, hugely
successful Broadway musical, which was itself derived from a series of
short stories entitled
Tevye and his
Daughters by the Ukranian writer Sholom Aleichem.
Controversially, the lead part of Tevye went not to Zero Mostel, who
made the role famous in the original Broadway musical, but to the
lesser known Topol, who played the part in the London production.
It is believed that Topol was chosen in preference to Mostel because he
was of direct Russian-Jewish origin. The film also offered a
young Paul Michael Glaser one of his first acting jobs, a few years
before he found international fame as Detective Dave Starsky in the
top-rated TV crime series
Starsky
and Hutch. Ruth Madoc, of
Hi-De-Hi! fame, also makes
her acting debut in this film. It's a small world,
n'est-ce pas?
Beautifully photographed and buoyed by its exuberant musical numbers
(which include the famous
If I Were
A Rich Man),
Fiddler On The
Roof is by any criterion a first rate film, but what makes it
particularly special is the rapport that Topol manages to establish
with his audience. In what would be the finest performance of his
career, Topol portrays Tevye sympathetically and with such
conviction that the spectator genuinely feels for what the character
and his people have endured. The film's ending is particularly
moving, bringing to mind images of the Holocaust. The poignant
sight of a community fragmenting completes the underlying theme of the
film, which is the breaking up of the old traditions by modern
influences, motivated by political events and the assertion of
individual freedoms.
Although the film initially met with some very mixed reviews, it still
proved to be a notable commercial success, no doubt helped by the
popularity of the stage musical (which had been running for seven years
by this time). The film garnered three Oscars in 1971- for its
cinematography, music and sound - and was nominated for five others (in
categories that included Best Picture and Best Actor, for Topol).
Yes the film does get uncomfortably schmaltzy in a few places.
Yes, at three hours long, it could have benefited from some judicious
pruning. But for all that,
Fiddler
On The Roof remains one of the most exquisitely crafted
and emotionally satisfying of film musicals - an upbeat film which
reminds us that, however bleak things get, life is still worth living.
© James Travers 2009
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Ukraine, 1905. Tevye is a Jewish milkman who lives in Anatevka, a
village in Tsarist Russia. His five daughters are a constant
cause of anxiety to him, but one day his burden is eased slightly when
the butcher Lazar Wolf, a comparatively wealthy man, offers to marry
his eldest, Tzeitel. Although Tevye thinks nothing of marrying
his daughter to a man who is older than himself, Tzeitel has other
ideas - she has already decided to marry Motel, an impoverished
tailor. Tevye hasn't the heart to oppose his daughter's wishes
and he gives his consent. His next eldest daughter, Hodel, then
decides it is her turn to marry. To Tevye's incredulity, she has
chosen Perchik, a penniless student who is obsessed with revolutionary
politics. Once again, the kind-hearted milkman cannot stand in
the way of his daughter's happiness. However, Tevye is not
so generous when his third daughter reveals that she intends to marry a
non-Jew...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.