Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
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A Jewish milkman in early 20th-century Ukraine faces the challenge of marrying off his five daughters amidst growing tensions in his shtetl.
The story
Set in 1905 in the fictional village of Anatevka, the film follows Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman, and his wife Golde as they navigate the complexities of tradition and change. Tevye must find suitable husbands for his five daughters—Tzeitel, Hodel, Chava, Shprintze, and Bielke—while the community faces increasing external pressures. The narrative explores the conflict between traditional Jewish life and the encroaching influences of modern ideas and political unrest in Imperial Russia.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In the village of Anatevka in 1905, Tevye, a Jewish milkman, struggles to marry off his five daughters. His eldest, Tzeitel, is pressured into a match with the wealthy Lazar Wolf but is in love with the poor tailor Motel Kamzoil. After some deliberation, Tevev allows the match. Meanwhile, Tevye befriends Perchik, a student with radical views, who eventually marries Tevye's daughter Hodel. However, Hodel is later separated from him when he is exiled to Siberia. Tevye's third daughter, Chava, elopes with a gentile, Fyedka, leading Tevye to initially disown her. As tensions rise and a pogrom occurs in the village, the local authorities order the Jews to vacate the area. The film concludes with Tevye and his family fleeing toward new lives in America and elsewhere, while Tevye's daughters find their own paths amidst the upheaval of the Russian Revolution.
- First release year
- 1971
- Runtime (minutes)
- 181
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Norman Jewison
- Writers
- Joseph Stein · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Chaim Topol · Tevye; Norma Crane · Golde; Leonard Frey · Motel; Molly Picon · Tzeitel; Paul Mann · Hodel; Rosalind Harris · Chava; Michèle Marsh · Shprintze; Neva Small · Bielke
- Genres
- epic; period musical; comedy-drama
- Themes
- tradition; faith; family; rebellion
- Tone and mood
- moving; emotional
- Setting
- Anatevka, a fictional village in Ukraine, 1905.
- Premise and plot tags
- musical; historical; romance
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1964 stage musical by Joseph Stein, Jerry Bock, and Sheldon Harnick; based on Tevye and His Daughters by Sholem Aleichem.
- Reception
- The film was a success for United Artists, praised for its direction, screenplay, and cast performances, and is often considered one of the greatest musical films of all time.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 81% · scale: percentage · review count: 78; Metacritic · score: 67 · scale: 100 · review count: 13
- Awards and nominations
- Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy · Golden Globes · won; Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy · Golden Globes · won
- Production trivia
- The film was the final film of actress Norma Crane.; The film was the highest-grossing film of 1971.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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