Fiddler on the Roof [Blu-ray]

Director: Norman Jewison

Overview

Norman Jewison's adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical is set in the Ukranian ghetto village of Anatevka (the film was actually lensed in Yugoslavia). Israeli actor Topol repeats his London stage role as Tevye the milkman, whose equilibrium is constantly being challenged by his poverty, the prejudicial attitudes of non-Jews, and the romantic entanglements of his five daughters. Whenever the weight of the world becomes too much for him, Tevye carries on lengthy conversations with God, who does not answer but is at least more willing to listen than the milkman's remonstrative wife Golde. After arranging a marriage between his oldest daughter Tzeitel and wealthy butcher Lazar Wolf, Tevye is forced to do some quick rearranging when the girl falls in love with poor tailor Motel Kamzoil. Fancying himself more broad-minded than his gentile oppressors, Tevye cannot accept the notion that his other daughter Chava would want to marry Fyedka, a non-Jew. And after shouting the praises of "tradition," Tevye must change his tune-and his entire life-when he and his neighbors are forced out of Anatevka by the Czar's minions. Topol's co-stars include Norma Crane as Golde, Yiddish theater legend Molly Picon as Yente the matchmaker, and Leonard Frey as Motel.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/07/2014
UPC:	0883904304876
Original Release:	1971
Rating:	G
Source:	MGM (VIDE
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono, DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	3:01:00
Sales rank:	2,982

Special Features

Fiddler on the Roof in high definition; Audio commentary by director/producer Norman Jewison and actor Topol; Norman Jewison, filmmaker; Norman Jewison looks back; John Williams: creating a musical tradition; Songs of Fiddler on the Roof; Deleted song: "Any Day Now"; Tevye's daughters; Set in reality: production design; Storyboard-to-film comparison; Tevye's Dream Sequence (in full color with side-by-side comparison and an introduction by Norman Jewison); Trailers, teasers and TV spots

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Topol	Tevye
Norma Crane	Golde
Leonard Frey	Motel
Molly Picon	Yente
Paul Mann	Lazar Wolf
Rosalind Harris	Tzeitel
Michele Marsh	Hodel
Neva Small	Chava
Paul Michael Glaser	Perchik
Ray Lovelock	Fyedka,Fyedka
Elaine Edwards	Shprintze
Candy Bonstein	Rielke
Shimen Ruskin	Mordcha
Zvee Scooler	Rabbi
Louis Zorich	Constable
Alfred Scopp	Avram,Avram
Howard Goorney	Nachum
Barry Dennen	Mendel
Vernon Dobtcheff	Russian Official
Ruth Madoc	Fruma Sarah
Patience Collier	Grandma Tzeitel
Tutte Lemkow	Fiddler
Stella Courtney	Shandel
Jacob Kalich	Yankel
Brian Coburn	Beri
George Little	Hone
Stanley Fleet	Farcel
Arnold Diamond	Moishe
Marika Rivera	Rijka
Mark Malicz	Ezekial
Aharon Ipale	Sheftel
Roger Lloyd Pack	Sexton
Vladimir Medar	Priest
Alfred Maron	Previous Rabbi
Otto Diamant	Yussel
Hazel Wright	Rebecca,Village Band Member
Carl Jaffe	Isaac
Miki Iveria	Bess
Hilda Kriseman	Zelda
Sarah Cohen	Bashe
Susan Sloman	Nechama
Cyril Bass	Village Band Member
A. Haverstock	Village Band Member
C.C. Bilham	Village Band Member
M. Winter	Village Band Member
H. Krein	Village Band Member
Ivan Baptie	Jewish Male Dancer
Michael Ingleton	Jewish Male Dancer
Ken Robson	Jewish Male Dancer
Bob Stevenson	Jewish Male Dancer
Roy Durbin	Jewish Male Dancer
Jody Hall	Jewish Male Dancer
Barry Lines	Jewish Male Dancer
Adam Scott	Jewish Male Dancer
Lou Zamprogna	Jewish Male Dancer
Albin Pahernik	Jewish Male Dancer
Ina Claire	Jewish Female Dancer
Karen Trent	Jewish Female Dancer
Tanya Bayona	Jewish Female Dancer
Petra Siniawski	Jewish Female Dancer
Peter Johnston	Russian Dancer
Larry Bianco	Russian Dancer
Walter Cartier	Russian Dancer
Rene Sartoris	Russian Dancer
Donald MacLennan	Russian Dancer
Guy Lutman	Russian Dancer
Sammy Bayes	Russian Dancer
John Williams	Conductor,Composer
Jerry Bock	Composer

Technical Credits

Joseph Stein

Joseph Stein	Screenwriter
Norman Jewison	Producer
Walter Mirisch	Executive Producer
Gordon K. McCallum	Sound/Sound Designer
David Hildyard	Sound/Sound Designer
Harold Prince	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Spirited, funny, and deeply affecting, 1971's Fiddler on the Roof is a successful adaptation of its stage counterpart. Topol makes the transition from the London stage production with ease, and the supporting performances are similarly strong. Most crucial, however, is the quality of the big set pieces: gorgeously staged and musically flawless, the joyous "Tradition" and the tear-inducing "Sunrise, Sunset" leap from the screen. Director Norman Jewison makes full use of the advantages of film; thanks to the rich, on-location scenery, the material doesn't feel as if it's been subjected to a quick big-screen makeover. Fiddler was a huge success -- it was the second highest-grossing movie of the year (after The Godfather) and took home Oscars for cinematography, sound, and score. Without a doubt, it's much more sentimental than the New Hollywood films that dominated the era, but it never hits a false note.