seen from Argentina
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MR. WONDERFUL ORIGINAL 1954 CAST RECORDING. DECCA RECORDS.
New Homes for the Young Family...
Modern Homes, Waterbury Connecticut, 1949
"Is it just me, or does this look like a mobile home?"
Do you know Fiddler on the Roof (1964) ?
Yes, I’ve been in it
Yes, I’ve seen it
Yes, I’ve listened to it
No, but I’ve heard of it
No, never heard of it
Rags - book by Joseph Stein.
Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
My rating: 9/10
Lots of actors wanted the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof - Frank Sinatra, Walter Matthau, Danny Kaye - but the pressure was on for director Norman Jewison to hire Zero Mostel for the film, the actor who had originated the role in the Broadway production. Jewison felt that Mostel's fame and personality would overwhelm the character and so gave the role to the comparatively unknown Topol, who had played the role onstage in Israel and London, learning the role phonetically before he was fluent in English.
There's no doubt that Topol gives a note perfect performance in this film. What is perhaps surprising is that he is only in his 30s here! Lots of work went on his physicality, but also on his make up and hair. Legend has it that hair and make up used to pluck grey hairs from Norman Jewison's beard and add them to Topol's eyebrows!
Joseph Stein, Mel Brooks, Imogene Coca, Sid Caesar, and Mel Tolkin in 1951 in the writer’s room for “Your Show of Shows”
Review: Fiddler on the Roof (Jewison, 1971)
To celebrate my 26th birthday last week, I fit in some of my favorite movies. After rewatching The Awful Truth in the morning and dipping into the first fifteen minutes of The Social Network while taking a bath (very luxurious!), I managed to coerce a few friends to commit to remotely watching all three hours of this movie.
Listen. Fiddler on the Roof is my favorite musical. No other show moves me as deeply as this one. It cracks me up. It makes me cry. It's got one of the best musical scores ever written for the stage. It's a work of such profound human honesty that there is no possible way for it to ever be irrelevant. In its hyper-specific cultural setting, the whole world found a relatable story. As long as parents have children, this story will be needed. As long as there’s tension between people and their cultural traditions and societal expectations, there will be a spot for Fiddler.
Fiddler has a bit of a reputation for being on the long side, even for musical standards. Frankly, I think that's nonsense. I mean, people happily sit through Les Misérables, which is just as long as this. Honestly, it's amazing to me this movie is only three hours. How on earth did Joseph Stein pack in all the euphoric highs and devastating lows of being human into one palatable evening of entertainment? How did Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick craft a score that marries the script perfectly?
And then there's this film adaptation. We just have to accept that this is the best film adaptation of a stage musical. Literally nothing comes close. Don't get me wrong, I love The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady and West Side Story and Oliver! -- they're gorgeous and artful adaptations of strong shows. Cabaret is a great, great movie, but it bears almost no resemblance to the stage show. Recent films like Chicago and Mamma Mia! (yes! Mamma Mia!) are delightful as well, but c'mon. C'monnnnn. Director Norman Jewison (who famously is not Jewish) opens this story up in a genuinely awe-inspiring way. The lack of artificial sets makes the show feel achingly authentic. You almost wonder how it worked on stage to begin with.
And what can I possibly say about the cast? Topol, in the performance of a lifetime (side note: how was he only 36 when he made this?!). Norma Crane, only a few years away from her premature death, makes an entire meal of Golde. Leonard Frey's Motel makes me cry at the drop of a hat. Paul Mann as Lazar Wolfe! Yiddish theatre legend Molly Picon as Yente! Plus Oswald Morris' cinematography! John Williams' breathtaking orchestral arrangements!
It's a perfect musical. It's a perfect film. I'm so profoundly grateful to have this show in my life.
