FIDDLER'S JOURNEY TO THE BIG SCREEN, directed by Daniel Raim, and
written by Daniel Raim and Michael Sragow, is more than a
"making-of" documentary. The people involved with making the film
talk not just about making the film, but their own backgrounds and
emotions, and how they affected their work. The documentary covers
backers' initial skepticism about the stage play, and the film, and
then covers the making of the film from multiple points of view.

NOTE: See the movie before the documentary; it will not work as
well the other way around. (On the other hand, it is probably
unlikely that there will be many people who haven't seen the
original film who would watch this.)

The film FIDDLER ON THE ROOF enhance the stage play with
photographic views of the various lifestyles in Anatevka,
beautifully brought to the screen by Norman Jewison. As one would
expect, this documentary is illustrated by numerous clips that are
familiar from the film,

It is worth noting that Jewison, his name notwithstanding, is not
Jewish. In fact, he tells the story of growing up in Toronto with
the other children in his school thinking he was Jewish. The
various ramifications of that led him to a life of supporting
social justice, so it is not surprising that one of his other
Academy Award nominations was for IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT.
(Another was for MOONSTRUCK, a film with many similarities to
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF.)

Jewison had directed musical variety shows on television, a
background that served him well while directing FIDDLER ON THE
ROOF. He talks about the various people considered for Tevye
(including some surprises). As it tells the story of each character
being cast one feels like cheering for that casting. This is the
story of Tevye the Milkman and his five daughters, but the only
ones interviewed are the three oldest daughters, and the stories of
their casting and experiences are interleaved, which does tend to
make them less individualized.

John Williams was the musical director of the film, a fact not
known by many. He is better-known for such little films as STAR
WARS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, etc., etc. (Williams is
considered the most popular film composer of all time.)

Other people involved in, or affecting, the production who are
interviewed or discussed include production designer Robert Boyle,
violinist Itzak Stern, Roman Vishniak, and Marc Chagall.

The Anatevka village they produced for the film seems almost
overdone in its atmosphere of the Russian Jewish life of the time
in which the film is set (1905 and the few years following).

In places this "making-of" documentary is as touching as the film
itself. It is mentioned that the filming location, Yugoslavia, is
no more, just as Anatevka is no more. What isn't mentioned
(because the film was made too soon) is that this "Russian" village
of Anatevka is actually in what is now Ukraine, and references to
the area around Anatevka, and Kyiv specifically, as being in
Russia, are both outdated and topical, as are the scenes of the
Anatevkans being attacked by Russian troops and being forced out of
their homes as exiles.

Released 04/29/21. Rating: +2 (-4 to +4) or 7/10.

Film Credits:
<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13660266/reference>

What others are saying: <https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fiddlers_journey_to_the_big_screen>

--
Mark R. Leeper

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