Fiddler's Journey to the Big Screen

This film was an absolute treat! I grew up listening to the songs from the stage musical of Fiddler. As much as I loved them, when I eventually saw the feature film, I could tell that something had happened to the musical. A deepening of the original material. An even more profound vision had been realized. This documentary breaks down that journey. How Norman Jewison (not a Jew... who knew?) was, to his own surprise, picked to direct the film version of Fiddler on the Roof. And how he, along with great collaborators like John Williams and Robert Boyle, and an amazing cast, turned that delightful stage version into an even grander film masterpiece. The interviews in the doc are all great, especially of Jewison himself. His recollections of what some people wanted the film to be (Danny Kaye as Tevya? Sinatra?!) vs his own authentic vision are striking. I absolutely loved this film from beginning to end. Now I have to go and watch the film version of Fiddler all over again... with even more appreciation than before!

Such a pleasant film to watch. Norman is absolutely an amazing person and so talented clearly. It's amazing how the stars aligned for this production from top to bottom. Having so many interviews and stories from the actual people responsible for all aspects of the film made the difference for me. As well as the footage and images they were able to show which really helped tell the story and keep the audience interested and entertained. I went alone and was younger than everyone in the theater. I share this only to say what a great film for any age, and not even if you know or like the 1971 movie, but also an Interesting look at how films are made and how each department of a film works together and in this instance beautifully and successfully. Bravo...KUDOS TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE DOCUMENTARY TOO.