Introduction
Audiences first found their way to Anatevka and the tale of family, love, persecution, and, yes, tradition, when Fiddler On The Roof debuted on Broadway in September 1964. Based on a collection of short stories written in Yiddish by Sholem Aleichem in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Fiddler on the Roof does not necessarily jump off the page as the basis for a smash hit.
Fiddler On The Roof is set in 1905 Imperial Russia, specifically in the Pale of Settlement where Jews were allowed to live. It centers on devout and poor milkman Tevye, and his family as they collectively wrestle with how to balance the demands of traditional Jewish life and the changing social and political landscape around them.
Nonetheless, Fiddler on the Roof enraptured audiences and critics alike during its original Broadway production. It won nine Tony Awards, setting a record for the longest-running musical until Grease broke the record more than a decade later. A successful West End run in 1967 established the international appeal of the story.
Subsequently, the Mirisch Production Company, and United Artists undertook the task of adapting the musical to the screen. Director Norman Jewison was tapped to direct, and West End star Topol would reprise his role as Tevye. Now, 50 years after the film’s November 1971 release, Cinema Scholar’s invites you to revisit this classic.
Synopsis
Fiddler On The Roof is set in 1905 Imperial Russia, within the Jewish community of Anatevka. Tevye (Topol), a poor milkman, works to support his family, while also figuring out how to balance his adherence to Jewish tradition. His daughters, Hodel (Michele Marse), Chava (Neva Small), and Tzeitel (Rosalind Harris), hope to break free of their constrictive past.
Their collective attempts to marry for love and define their own lives outside of arranged marriages and familial expectations causes strife and conflict between them, Tevye, and their mother Golde (Norma Crane).
This family drama unfolds with the backdrop of the increasing concerns around the Tsar’s decisions to further Russian control and persecution of Jews. The result is parallel storytelling that oscillates between the small-scale of one family’s anxieties, and the fate of the entire Jewish people in Russia.
The Music
Except for two expositional songs cut from the original production, the film adaptation of Fiddler On The Roof preserves all of the music and lyrics form the original stage production. Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, are a compositional team that had previously seen great Broadway success with their collaboration on Fiorello!
All told, Fiddler On The Roof features nineteen songs. Additional music was also added by the (at the time) still up-and-coming composer John Williams. Williams would win his first Academy Award for his contributions to the film.
While Fiddler on the Roof is not the sort of musical where all the dialogue is sung, the songs nonetheless function as significant thematic developers, as well as major dramatic turning points. At the top of the film the first chords of ‘Tradition’ hit. This is followed shortly by Topol’s singing introduction. It takes only a few beats before we are given the film’s effective thesis statement.
The Songs
Topol sings “A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? / But in our little village of Anatevka,/ you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof.” He goes on to express the difficulty of “keeping our balance,” before stating the only reason they stay safe is “because of our traditions.”
The nearly nine minute opening song then introduces every major character. It also focuses on the points of contention around traditional gender and family roles, and launches us into the plot. The piece is exceptionally fleet-of-foot, both metaphorically, and literally, in terms of the choreography, and as a way to welcome an audience into a film.
Songs such as ‘Matchmaker,’ ‘If I Were a Rich Man,’ and ‘Sunrise, Sunset’ have remained steadfast in their status as all-time musical greats. This remains the case even 50 years on and is a testament to the lyrical and compositional brilliance of all the musicians involved. In totality, they establish a tonal balance between comedy and drama that defines the experience of the film.
‘If I Were a Rich Man’ is an exquisite model for this. Nominally, it focuses on a poor man struggling with the pains and realities of not having enough to make his family’s lives easier and more pleasant. Income inequality and poverty are not emblematic qualities of a musical theater hit. Yet, the song nonetheless spins them into a showcase for Topol’s musical and comedic chops.
Topol delivers lyrics about his imagined house such as “There would be one long staircase just going up/And one even longer coming down/And one more leading nowhere, just for show.” The are lyrics that embody the daydream of a better life. They are delivered with such verve, that you can’t help but smile and chuckle.
Themes & Story
Each song on the soundtrack also extends the thematic bones of the narrative. Tevye is our clear protagonist, but not in a way that suggests we simply agree with all of his beliefs. In examining the family structure, the story juxtaposes Tevye’s steadfast faith with the dreams and individuality of his daughters.
This film may take place in 1905, but you can easily compare the themes of family, faith, and rebellion with more contemporary films like Rebel Without a Cause or Splendor in the Grass and find that they synch up.
Fiddler on the Roof positions itself solidly in the canon of films from the late 1950s into the early 1970s. Films that sought to wrestle with the changing guideposts of how children should interact with their parents, and what sorts of defiance would be accepted. This thematic track is also vital in terms of connecting the broader historical commentary to the intimate family one.
Fiddler on the Roof climaxes with the citizens of Anatevka forced by Russian soldiers to leave their homes. As a result, they become refugees because of the Tsar’s antisemitism. We reach that point after Chava decides to elope with the man she loves, instead of the one Tevya and Golde have approved of. This results in her dismissal from the family.
Resultantly, the third act of the film hones in on themes of displacement and loss. This is underscored by songs such as ‘Far From the Home I Love’ and ‘Anatevka.’ Together, these major thematic strands merge to send us off reflecting on our physical homes, connections to family, and what we have faith in.
Jewison’s Direction
Sitting at the director’s chair for Fiddler on the Roof was the now legendary Norman Jewison. His 20-year directorial run from 1967-1987 included In the Heat of the Night, The Thomas Crown Affair, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Moonstruck, to name just a few. After starting in television with experience in comedy, drama, and musical revue, Jewison transitioned to film work.
In shooting Fiddler on the Roof, Jewison navigates a visual style that coincides with the thematic push and pull between intimate and epic. At times, he opts for David Lean-esque extreme wide-angle long shots of the barren land in and around Anatevka. This relays how dwarfed this community is by the forces around them.
Then, Jewison will transition to the more hospitable rhythm of warmly-lit medium shots and close-ups. This is usually when we join Tevye and the family in their home. Most notably during the Sabbath, which is a sequence that remains striking in its impressionistic flourishes with shadows and candlelight.
Jewison and his editors Anthony Gibbs and Robert Lawrence also make a point of bringing attention to the film in contrast to the stage production. This is done via sprinkling in several still outside-the-mainstream approaches. One of these is the utilization of jump cuts and rapid transitions reminiscent of Soviet montages. This is introduced during a music break in “Tradition.”
In “Tradition,” the film cuts to a series of shots displaying parts of the synagogue, complete with canted angles and frantic pacing. Thematically, it suggests in the opening minutes that while this community sings gladly of “tradition,” there may be more askew than they hope to admit. The continued appearance of this editing style asserts that line of thinking again and again.
Performances
The entire ensemble cast of Fiddler On The Roof delivers superb work. The film succeeds as much because of Topol’s lead performance as those delivered by every supporting role. Crane captures a wonderful scratchiness as Golde, a woman giving every fiber of herself to the pursuit of assuring a better life for her daughters than she and Tevye were able to live.
Crane and Topol’s duet on ‘Do You Love Me?’ is one of the films highlights. It’s a touching song where they, for the first time in the 25 years of arranged marriage, actually tell each other they love one another. It’s moving, warm, and utterly believable because in every other scene we are treated to their somewhat combative but always caring rapport.
Similarly, Michele Marse, Neva Small, and Rosalind Harris all bring such brightness to the daughters. Each one battles with how to respect their parents, whom they love so dearly. They do this without allowing “tradition” to suffocate them. Each performance manages to balance broad comedy (their group performance in ‘Matchmaker,’), with true heartbreak.
In the case of Small’s Chava, she is, arguably, the tragic core of this story. When she is called upon to shatter our hearts, she does so without pause. It is in this sense that Fiddler on the Roof preserves the spirit of the musical most clearly: on stage, every ensemble member must bring the goods every night. In this movie, they all do the same on every take.
Conclusion
Fiddler on the Roof remains beloved, both as a musical and film. At the end of a Broadway revival a few years ago, as the ensemble wrapped up ‘Anatevka,’ they slowly changed costumes into pieces evoking the Syrian refugee crisis. With this gesture, it stated a simple yet resounding fact; these crises and issues are not simply consigned to historical fiction. They are a part of all our lives that we cannot ignore.
As Tevye told us, we are all fiddlers on the roof, fighting to maintain balance in a tumultuous and unpredictable world. And so, we must always seek to treat ourselves and our neighbors with the love and care of the citizens of Anatevka, and make that our “tradition.”
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