In pre revolutionary Russia, a Jewish peasant contends with marrying off three of his daughters while growing anti-Semitic sentiment threatens his village.
Director: Norman Jewison
Stars: Topol, Norma Crane, Leonard Frey, ..., Paul Michael Glaser.
Tommy Abbott ... choreographer: adapted for the screen by
Sammy Bayes ... assistant choreographer
Jerome Robbins ... choreographer: New York stage production / director: New York stage production
15 songs in the Soundtracks.
Rated 6 on 2014-12-20, a little over 6 months after I retired. I was studying the Holocaust 9'14-1'15 at least. I think my reaction was feeling misled: the musical is known for its songs, and the songs fall away, revealing an ugliness that is worth facing, but is not where the songs seemed to point.
It's very interesting to watch this in context of other films of its time. Immediately preceding this are paeans to the new drug culture, and revolution for the sake of rejecting old values, without a manifesto outlining the new. Movies are made vulgar just because they can be. Freedoms are abused, and people commit crimes in the name of their revolution or just for the thrill of it.
In this film, PMG plays a student who joins/leads the Russian Revolution, and is jailed. In this film, all 3 of the marriage-aged daughters reject tradition in the choice of their husbands, each more radically than the last. So, although the song Tradition is staged as exposition for how things work in the village, tradition is soon shattered. Then the Russian government empties various towns of Jews to smash all semblance of community and tradition.
The original B'way production ran '64-'72 (3,242 performances). (Topol did Tevye in London and Tel Aviv; was not in it in America until a revival in '90-1. Tevye here was Zero Mostel.) I think '64 was a little early for the 60's revolution (recall 1st draft card burned 10'65), so it doesn't appear the play was mounted as any sort of reaction to current conditions, but a lot happened during that run. (On the other hand, Adolf Eichmann was hanged in '62.)
Songs performed (36 chapters with menu):
It's very interesting to watch this in context of other films of its time. Immediately preceding this are paeans to the new drug culture, and revolution for the sake of rejecting old values, without a manifesto outlining the new. Movies are made vulgar just because they can be. Freedoms are abused, and people commit crimes in the name of their revolution or just for the thrill of it.
In this film, PMG plays a student who joins/leads the Russian Revolution, and is jailed. In this film, all 3 of the marriage-aged daughters reject tradition in the choice of their husbands, each more radically than the last. So, although the song Tradition is staged as exposition for how things work in the village, tradition is soon shattered. Then the Russian government empties various towns of Jews to smash all semblance of community and tradition.
The original B'way production ran '64-'72 (3,242 performances). (Topol did Tevye in London and Tel Aviv; was not in it in America until a revival in '90-1. Tevye here was Zero Mostel.) I think '64 was a little early for the 60's revolution (recall 1st draft card burned 10'65), so it doesn't appear the play was mounted as any sort of reaction to current conditions, but a lot happened during that run. (On the other hand, Adolf Eichmann was hanged in '62.)
Songs performed (36 chapters with menu):
- ch1. Tradition, Performed by Topol and Chorus in the pre-credits sequence
- ch4. Matchmaker, Performed by Rosalind Harris, Neva Small, Michele Marsh, and Chorus
- ch5. If I Were a Rich Man, Performed by Topol
- ch8. Sabbath Prayer, Performed by Topol, Norma Crane, and Chorus
- ch10. To Life, Performed by Topol, Paul Mann, and Chorus
- ch13. Tradition (reprise), Performed by Topol
- ch14. Miracle of Miracles, Performed by Leonard Frey
- ch16. Tevye's Dream (The Tailor, Motel Komzoil), Performed by Topol, Norma Crane, Ruth Madoc, Patience Collier, and Chorus
- ch18. Sunrise, Sunset, Performed by Topol, Norma Crane, Paul Michael Glaser, Michele Marsh, and Chorus
- ch19. Wedding Celebration and Bottle Dance
- (ch23. Entr'acte; this is the 2/3rds mark)
- ch24. Tradition (reprise), Performed by an offscreen chorus
- ch26. Do You Love Me?, Performed by Topol and Norma Crane
- ch28. Far From the Home I Love, Performed by Michele Marsh
- ch30?. Little Bird, Little Chavela, Performed by Topol
- ch31. Chava Ballet, Danced by Neva Small, Norma Crane, Rosalind Harris, Michele Marsh, Leonard Frey, Paul Michael Glaser, Ray Lovelock and Tutte Lemkow
- ch33. Anatevka, Performed by Topol, Norma Crane, Molly Picon, Shimen Ruskin, Paul Mann, and Barry Dennen
It's funny that I think the second half didn't have as many songs. Perhaps they're just not such big show-stoppers as the 4 big hits before the intermission (which is well past the halfway mark.)
A lot happens in this film, and it's not just chaos for the sake of activity; it's meaningful. Even though the intermission was welcome, I wasn't chafing at the 3h length at all.
I'm bumping this up. I'm more receptive to a musical covering very serious stuff, and this is significant serious stuff, well done.
distr. UA, dir. Jewison; 8+
