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Flamboyant yet sentimental, this 1971 film version of the long-running, award-winning Broadway play benefits from colorful location shooting, grand cinematic expansion of the show's constricted settings, and the charismatic performance of Israeli actor Topol in the leading role. He's nearly perfect as Tevye, a Jewish milkman who lives with his long-suffering wife and five daughters in the Ukrainian village of Anatevka, from which representatives of the corrupt czarist regime seek to drive Jewish traditionalists. The hapless, impoverished Tevye clings to his traditions even as he dreams of better things for himself and his family. This simple plot provided an unusual framework for a Broadway musical, and on film the story becomes even more compelling. Topol plays his complicated character with the necessary juxtaposition of traits: Tevye is bombastic yet contemplative, high-spirited yet riddled with self-doubt. His dialogues with God -- and, by extension, the audience -- are soulful, and Topol's rendition of the showstopping tune "If I Were a Rich Man" is a bit more sober and less exuberant than that of Zero Mostel, who originated the role on Broadway. Norma Crane plays wife Golde with dignity and restraint, while supporting actress Molly Picon is delightfully insouciant as Yente the matchmaker and Leonard Frey equally appealing as Motel the tailor. The beloved Jerry Bock-Sheldon Harnick score, which includes such favorites as "Tradition," "Matchmaker, Matchmaker," and "Sunrise, Sunset," makes the transition from stage to screen with no difficulty whatsoever, thanks to the assured staging of director Norman Jewison. Isaac Stern's violin work distinguishes the background music, for which composer John Williams won an Oscar (one of three the film received). With its deeply affecting affirmations of decency, loyalty, and bravery, Fiddler on the Roof is a classic folk story enhanced with beautiful music; in this film version it's a remarkable entertainment that, once encountered, will remain with you long after the final fadeout. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Norman Jewison's adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical is set in the Ukranian ghetto village of Anatevka (the film was actually lensed in Yugoslavia). Israeli actor Topol repeats his London stage role as Tevye the milkman, whose equilibrium is constantly being challenged by his poverty, the prejudicial attitudes of non-Jews, and the romantic entanglements of his five daughters. Whenever the weight of the world becomes too much for him, Tevye carries on lengthy conversations with god, who does not answer but is at least more willing to listen than the milkman's remonstrative wife Golde. After arranging a marriage between his oldest daughter Tzeitel and wealthy butcher Lazar Wolf, Tevye is forced to do some quick rearranging when the girl falls in love with poor tailor Motel Kamzoil. Fancying himself more broad-minded than his gentile oppressors, Tevye cannot accept the notion that his other daughter Chava would want to marry Fyedka, a non-Jew. And after shouting the praises of "tradition," Tevye must change his tune-and his entire life-when he and his neighbors are forced out of Anatevka by the Czar's minions. Topol's co-stars include Norma Crane as Golde, Yiddish theater legend Molly Picon as Yente the matchmaker, and Leonard Frey as Motel. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 027616063281
• Source: MGM (VIDEO & DVD)
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Language: Français
• Editions: Special Edition, Subtitled, Dubbed
• Time: 3:01:00
• Sales Rank: 2,282

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• MGM Classic Musicals Collection
• United Artists Super Deluxe Gift Set (90 films)
• The Fox-MGM Hollywood Musicals Collection

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