Daniel Raim revives the voices behind Fiddler on the Roof, putting the cast and crew in the hot seat for an unforgettable 88 minutes of nostalgia
Last year marked the 50th anniversary of Fiddler on the Roof – arguably a paradigm of quintessential Jewry and, as praised by The New Yorker, “the most powerful movie musical ever made”. Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen revisits the movie, introducing tête-à-têtes with the creators and cast, plus rare behind-the-scenes footage, original storyboards and never before seen stills.
Acclaimed actor Jeff Goldblum narrates proceedings, with the original film's director Norman Jewison detailing his personal experience in creating it – not only as a “goy”, but as one who's “always wanted to be a Jew”. Accompanied by interviews from Fiddler’s lyricist Sheldon Harnick, composer John Williams and production designer Robert Boyle, plus eloquent conversations with Rosalind Harris (Tzeitel), Michele Marsh (Hodel) and Neva Small (Chava), Raim spares no effort in taking his audience on a captivating and heartwarming journey of – all together now – tradition!
Viewers follow Jewison’s jubilant, albeit convoluted casting journey in a plea to stay faithful to Sholem Aleichem's original characters. The documentary also details the precision required in scoring and staging the spectacular songs for the same reason, with almost arithmetical accuracy in choreographing each performance. Fiddler’s Journey treats the audience to clips of its renowned, magical and evocative ballads, while reflecting on the cast’s emotional responses to their own work 50 years later.
The universal subject of tradition and family values, contrasted by intense subjugation, discrimination and displacement present in Fiddler on the Roof, is resonant throughout the documentary. Jewison strived to create a relatable narrative that appealed to Jews and non-Jews alike through dark paradoxes and lighthearted lyrics, which went hand in hand with the expert choreography of Jerome Robins. The result was a tribute to the cast, crew and viewers' own interpretations of the Aleichem stories. Raim's documentary, in turn, interprets the intense methods to seek perfection that everyone involved in the production adopted to create the phenomenon that Fiddler on the Roof became.
This captivating slice of history provides its audience with an insider's view of the construction of the Ukrainian village of Anatevka and the clever camera tricks that cinematographer Oswald Morris used to create Jewison’s vision of washed out, earthy tones. Filmgoers are also given a closer look at the synagogue that was built for the film, with every critical detail used to reflect Jewish tradition, a coherent aspect that Fiddler fans cherish to this day.
Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen gives a light-hearted, but simultaneously moving experience that goes beyond an all-singing, all-dancing masterpiece and gets right to the heart of its creation.
By Dani Silver
Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen is on Sunday 20 November. 4.30pm. £14. JW3, London, NW3 6ET. ukjewishfilm.org
UK Jewish Film Festival runs Thursday 10 – Wednesday 23 November in cinemas and Monday 21 – Sunday 27 November online.
Read more UKJFF 2022 reviews.