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Fiddler on the Roof ReviewFiddler on the Roof is not actually a Holocaust movie but it is so good I decided to include it near the top of my favourites list. The theme is still the persecution of the Jews but this time in the early 1900's in Russia.
Anti-semitism was gathering pace and Jews across the country were systematically removed, from the largest cities to the smallest of villages. The film focuses on one small community and one Jewish family in particular with a mixture of humour and sadness, interlaced with some fabulous music, dancing and songs. Musicals are not normally the type of movie that I go out of my way to watch but the Fiddler on the Roof is in a different class to any musical that I have seen. Perhaps the reason is because I have always had an interest and or sympathy for the plight of the Jews in years gone by; whatever the reason I just love it. Tevye, the father of the family is a traditionalist when it comes to the ways of the Jewish faith. He has five daughters, of which three are at the age when members of the opposite sex are of interest and they each break away from one of the traditions that Tevye holds so dearly, they want to marry the men they want, not the one that is arranged as had been done for centuries. While this is happening, in the background is the arrival of a Pogrom to evict the Jewish community of their small village of Anatevka. The film does not portray the violence and level of animosity towards the Jews that feature in Holocaust films but the message is clear. One of my favourite scenes in Fiddler on the Roof is the Bottle Dance which is performed at a wedding. It is cleaver and lively, showing a terrific aspect of Jewish tradition that I hope to see live some day. Fiddler on the Roof is 3 hours, 21 minutes long. Yes it is a long movie but the time passes quite quickly, or so it seems once you get engrossed. |