Faith in Film Blogathon – Fiddler on the Roof (1971) – Encore Review 5

This is the first of 3 posts dedicated to The Faith in Film Blogathon being held over at Pure Entertainment Preservation Society

Tnx Tiffany and Rebekah for letting me take part!

“[talking to God] I know. You are very busy now. Wars, revolutions, floods, plagues… all those little things that bring people back to you, but couldn’t you take a second and get him his sewing machine.” – Tevye

Number of Times Seen – Too many to count (TV, video, DVD, 15 Jul 2013, 21 Sep 2015, 26 Jun 2017, 29 Jul 2019, 5 Jan 2020 and 4 Apr 2021)

Link to original review – Here, Here, Here, Here and Here

Brief Synopsis – A poor milkman living in Czarist Russia must cling to his faith in order to deal with everything going on around him.

My Take on it – Spectacular film that fits so well into the theme of this Blogathon.

As soon as I heard the theme, I knew that this would be my very first choice.

As a Jew myself, I can relate to many of the issues dealt with in this film, but what draws me to it is so much more.

The film takes the idea of tradition and faith to such a high level that we can see how they both can help a person navigate through the difficulties in life as they cling to their beliefs in order to keep them balanced.

Haim Topol does an amazing job in the lead role and brings the character of Tevye the Milkman to life in ways one could never imagine.

His character comes across so realistically and allows us to really fee and understand everything that he is going through.

The way that they adapt this stage play is wondrous because we get to really feel as if we are being transported into a time and place so foreign, yet it still feels familiar due to the way it is presented to us.

Norman Jewison was such a great choice as the director and helps bring this story to such a powerful and poignant level in all that it does.

The fact that this story is able a Jewish village is inconsequential in the grand scheme of things and that is probably why this film was such a hit in other cultures also.

For instance, it is such a popular story in Japan, because they have their own traditions and that helps make things so much more grounded for the audience.

The songs and music are superb and have become so iconic over the years.

The characters all are unique in how they are portrayed which allows us to get a better idea of how this village is composed based on the various skills and tasks of each individual along the way.

Despite having seen this films tens of times, there are still some scene that will always bring tears to my eyes.

Highly Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The “Sunrise, Sunset” scene was not lit by electric light but by hundreds of candles. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (10/10) (no change from original review)