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Fiddler On The Roof [1971]
 
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Fiddler On The Roof [1971]
DVD ~ Topol
4.8 out of 5 stars 10 customer reviews (10 customer reviews)
RRP: £19.99
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Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
This rousing musical, based on the stories of Sholem Aleichem, takes place in pre-revolutionary Russia and centres on the life of Tevye (Topol), a milkman who is trying to keep his family's traditions in place while marrying off his three older daughters. Yet, times are changing and the daughters want to make their own matches, breaking free of many of the constricting customs required of them by Judaism. In the background of these events, Russia is on the brink of revolution and Jews are feeling increasingly unwelcome in their villages. Tevye--who expresses his desire for sameness in the opening number, "Tradition"--is trying to keep everyone, and everything, together. The movie is strongly allegorical--Tevye represents the common man--but it does it dextrously, and the resulting film is a stunning work of art. The music is excellent (it won Oscars for the scoring and the sound), with plenty of familiar songs such as "Sunrise, Sunset" and "If I Were a Rich Man," which you'll be humming long after the movie is over. Isaac Stern's violin--he provides the music for the fiddler on the roof--is hauntingly beautiful. And despite the serious subject matter, the film is quite comedic in parts; it also well deserves the Oscar it won for cinematography. --Jenny Brown

Amazon.co.uk Review
Fiddler on the Roof arrived in cinemas in 1971, seven years after the Sheldon Harnick/Jerry Bock musical about Jewish life in a pre-Revolution Russian village first gripped Broadway. Based on the stories of Shalom Aleichem, with its potent mixture of sentiment and religious and historical context, it remains one of the most popular shows of the modern age. With the help of an outstanding performance from Topol as Tevye--the milkman with five daughters kicking at the constraints of tradition--Norman Jewison's captivating film retains a moving intimacy in its portrayal of relationships in changing times.

But it also stretches the possibilities of location shooting--in this case the countryside of the former Yugoslavia--further than any musical movie before or since. The villagers are played by the inhabitants of the area, lending a poignant realism to the vibrant crowd scenes. And the cinematography is spectacular, with Jewison's clever use of distance generating an epic feel that helps to explain the story's continuing resonance and popularity.

Topol's career-defining star turn is balanced by the warmth and sensitivity of the surrounding performances, particularly Norma Crane as his abrasive wife Golda. British sitcom fans will spot early appearances by Roger Lloyd Pack, and Ruth Madoc as the demonic butcher's wife, Fruma Sarah. At nearly three hours, it's a long emotional haul, but aided by some of the most beautiful songs in musical history, Jewison's Fiddler is ageless.

On the DVD: Fiddler on the Roof Special Edition is presented on DVD in widescreen with a Dolby soundtrack that makes a mighty meal of John Williams' Oscar-winning musical adaptation. The most fascinating extras are a making-of documentary that shows a youthful, slightly tetchy Jewison at work, and a 2003 reminiscence in which all of his passion and feel for the piece has survived intact. He shares a commentary with Topol crammed with vivid memories and context. There is also a photographic gallery showing the resources that were used to give the film its authenticity, and Jewison reads extracts from original Aleichem stories. --Piers Ford

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Customer Reviews
10 Reviews
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3 star: 10%  (1)
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb film in every sense!, 15 Nov 2005
By Beccs (England) - See all my reviews
I have seen this film quite a few times now and it just gets better and better! It has become my favourite film of all time because it contains such a gripping storyline combined with delightful songs and is filled with lovely humour offset by heart-wrenching tragedy. Each scene is executed superbly and the casting is perfect (Topol is marvellous as Tevye and Norma Crane is excellent as Golde, his wife).

This is a funny, deeply moving and delightful film; one that reminds us what is truly important in life. It is a film to get totally absorbed in for nearly 3 hours! Highly recommended.

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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best musicals ever made, 22 April 2005
"Fiddler on the Roof" is one of the best films ever made. It is a musical with wonderful songs, but at the same time, it is so much more. First and foremost, it is a film about family ties, values, and conflicts. It is a film about love. It is a historical film. It is very funny, very witty, and very sad, all at the same time. I laughed, and then I cried. It has memorable characters: Haim Topol, who played Tevya the milkman on the stage in London, is made for the role, and has become identified with it. He portrays an authoritative, yet sympathetic father, and he is the source of many witty and very funny comments about life. Just to give you a few examples: "Would it spoil some vast eternal plan / If I were a wealthy man?" or "A bird may love a fish, but where will they build a house together?" or in attempting to explain why it is necessary to stick to tradition, "I'll tell you. I don't know."
Norma Crane is wonderful in playing Tevye's wife. Life has not been good to her, and this shows, and she has never experienced romantic love. It takes 25 years to realize that she loves Tevye, to whom she was married through the matchmaker. But she is a good, loving, and despite her bitterness, forgiving mother.

There are other memorable characters, such as Yente the matchmaker, Lazer Wolf the butcher, and Mottel the tailor. The three eldest daughters are beautiful and dream of a great match. Their song, "Matchmaker," is one of the best songs ever written for a musical. Going contrary to tradition, each of them foregoes the services of the matchmaker and marries out of love, even if the price is poverty, suffering, or banishment from the family.

The first part of the film focuses on ordinary everyday life in the village of Anatevka. The second part dramatizes a dark page of history, as the village Jews first suffer a pogrom, and are eventually driven out of their village at the orders of the czar. Some of them head for America, others for the Holy Land, but some move to a different part of Russia or to Poland, and we cannot supress the knowledge that this is a very sad ending indeed, as we know that they and their children will end up in Nazi concentration camps.

The film is replete with humour, wit, love, and great songs, among which "Tradition" (accompanied by wonderfully clever film shots, "Matchmaker," "If I Were a Rich Man," "To life," "Sunrise, Sunset," "Anatevka," some merry, some hearbreaking, all utterly enjoyable and touching.
Pay attention to the opening shot of the film, it is absolutely brilliant. The cinematography is splendid, the colours are strong and fresh. The locations are beautiful and faithfully recreate village life.

The second disc is replete with information, such as a documentary on the shooting of "Fiddler," on location in Yougoslavia, in 1971, which is excellent and in parts brought me to tears, as the director talked about the historical context of the film; a shorter interview with the director, Norman Jewison, reminiscing about the making of this film (by the way, he recounts that the producers at MGM thought he was Jewish, because of his name, and were surprised to learn that he is actually Christian); authentic period photographs; the director reading from two stories by Shalom Aleichem; a deleted song, "Any Day Now," which I regretted they deleted; posters, trailers and TV spots.

I really urge you to buy this DVD, it is a film you will constantly love to rewatch, and to which you cannot remain indifferent. You will laugh, cry, be entertained, as well as deeply touched. It is one of my most treasured DVD acquisitions, and one that will never lose its grip. I had seen it on TV several times before, and I still wanted to purchase it so as to be able to return to it time and again.

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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Fiddler on the Roof - the source of many tears, 30 Jul 2004
This entertaining films touches on every aspect on live. marriage, poverty, family ties. It produces teras of pure happiness and tears of overwhelming sadness. It pulls you into the complicated and twisting storyline and lets you live the life of the characters. In additition to the capturing plot of this heart-warming film, the musical numbers like, "I wish I were a rich man" have the audence singing along. This film is one of the best I have viewed and I recommend it to everyone of any age. I invite you to buy this and commence a rollercoaster of emotions and enjoy the fabulous songs. This film is a timeless classic!
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