Fiddler on the Roof (1971) on Netflix
Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman in Anatevka, has five daughters. The matchmaker Yente has chosen Lazar Wolf, the wealthy butcher, for the eldest, Tzeitel, who loves Motel, the tailor.
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Trailer
Plot summary
In the village of Anatevka, the matchmaker Yente has arranged for Tzeitel, the eldest of Tevye's five daughters, to marry Lazar Wolf, the town's wealthy butcher, a man older than Tevye himself. Tzeitel is in love with Motel, her childhood sweetheart, a tailor whom Tevye considers timid; tradition says a matchmaker, not the couple, decides these things. Motel is poor and is saving for a sewing machine before he can support a wife, so Tzeitel urges him to ask Tevye for her hand. Into the village comes Perchik, a student from Kyiv with Bolshevik views; Tevye takes a liking to him and invites him to stay with the family in return for tutoring the two youngest girls. The Constable tells Tevye that thugs will soon attack the village and that he is powerless to stop them.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- One reason the area was chosen was the heavy snow present during location scouting in 1969; during the actual filming in 1970 there was no snowfall at all, and the producers had to ship in marble dust to stand in for snow.
- The casting of Chaim Topol as Tevye was controversial, as Zero Mostel had originated the role on Broadway; Jewison said years later that Mostel's larger-than-life personality, fine on stage, would make film audiences see him as Mostel rather than the character of Tevye. Before Topol was cast, Orson Welles, Anthony Quinn and Marlon Brando were all considered.
- Assi Dayan, a well-known Israeli actor and filmmaker, was originally cast as Perchik but had difficulty with the English dialogue and was replaced by Paul Michael Glaser.
- Rob Reiner auditioned for the role of Motel, and Richard Thomas was Jewison's original choice to play Fyedka, though Italian actor Ray Lovelock was ultimately cast in that part.
- Norman Jewison makes two cameo appearances in his own film, first as the voice of the rabbi in the "Tevye's Dream" number and later as a wedding guest.
- Fiddler on the Roof was the final film of Norma Crane, who died of breast cancer in 1973, two years after its release.
