Tevye (Topol) is a poor milkman in a tradition-bound Jewish village in early twentieth century Russia. As he and his neighbors attempt to ignore the ever-changing world, his three daughters, Tzeitel (Rosalind Harris), Hodel (Michele Marsh), and Chava (Neva Small), bring home just how much the old ways are fading as each makes her own match, each farther from what is expected than the last.
Made during the period when every musical film had to be an epic and widescreen shots of fields, mountains, rooftops and crowds were given as much attention as characters, Fiddler on the Roof is bloated and slow. It also has memorable songs, a message worth your time, and a complex and compelling situation. Yeah, it’s a mixed bag.
I’ve seen the musical performed by both professional troops and high school students. I also grew up with the Broadway cast album blasting away, to the extent that my father blasted anything. I know the story and songs inside out and upside down. And I’m not alone. Half of you reading this can sing Sunrise, Sunset, Matchmaker, and If I Were a Rich Man without flubbing a line. I have few complaints with the show, and this isn’t a disastrous stage-to-screen translation (see Brigadoon). But it isn’t a good one either.
Director Norman Jewison blew it. He decided that since the screen has more realism than the stage, that his Fiddler on the Roof would dump the fantasy for a more grim, everyday feel. It doesn’t work. It’s a questionable move with any musical since people suddenly break into song—not a common occurrence in reality. It’s worse with Fiddler, that includes time-stops, speeches to the viewer, an elaborate dream number, and a human representation of the struggles of life that sits on the roofs and…well, he fiddles. This is an artificial show; it isn’t supposed to be a documentary.
Having the actors recite the lines as actual people would strips all the humor out of a show that has quite a bit, and needs it. Early on, the rabbi is asked if their is a proper blessing for the Czar. He replies that there is: “May God bless and keep the Czar…far away from us!” It’s a joke, and it should be delivered as a standup comic would. Recited as your neighbor might (your average, uninteresting neighbor), it fizzles. Without the humor, the characters have fewer levels, and the story’s heaviness overwhelms. Fiddler on the Roof recounts tragic events, but it should not be a tragedy.
The realistic-take also slows down the dialog and adds unnecessary shots of mud and fields. Musicals are notoriously long. No film version should be longer than the show was on stage, and this movie is 181 minutes.
With all its failings, the movie is still enjoyable because its source is so good. But if you have the option, take in a stage performance, and instead of buying the DVD, pick up the CD of the Broadway cast album.