Continuing my trend of musicals this month, I decided on Fiddler on the Roof. I've heard the name of this movie/musical many times over. From seeing it performed in local playhouses (only that it was playing, I didn't actually go see it) to seeing the title mentioned numerous times in top 10/20 lists on things like WatchMojo. Most recently I saw one that was commenting on how the song "Rich Man" inspired Gwen Stefani's "Rich Girl" and I was surprised that I never knew that. I also felt more surprised that she would use such a reference for a song that she turned into such a pop hit considering it's modest beginnings. The musical is one that's been performed so many times over the decades since it was first created, but the story is about a modest man living on meager wages dreaming of having more. Sounds like most everyone I know. But since I know nothing more about the movie, it's time to start watching and fill in the blanks.
So, the first thing I noticed is that this is a 3 HOUR MOVIE!!! Holy cow! I had no idea! I'm guessing that they took the entire play and just translated it into a movie instead of doing the "movie thing" and shortening the story to just the juicy bits. They even included the intermission at the two hour mark. It took me a while to finish watching this movie because my week was chaotic with being busy at work after getting back from vacation and planning everything for mine and my nephew's birthdays this past weekend. The movie had a great storyline, songs that stick with you and amazing dance sequences. You follow the life of a man living in 1905 in a small village in Russia with his family. The way the village interacts with each other, the traditions they share and the changing political climate all play major roles in this story.
Tevye is a father of five daughters and the oldest is at the age that she is expected to find a husband. The next two are coming up quickly on the same time. It always amazes me to think back to that time when a girl only had to be 16 before her family was ready to marry her off to anyone that could give them a status gain. I couldn't even imagine being ready for marriage at 16, although I thought I had found the one that I would be with for the rest of my life. You know how it is at 16. You've decided on who you were going to be and how your life was going to be and nothing was going to change it. Until another year goes by and you've changed all of those ideas to something else and they keep changing rapidly over the next few years. When you're that young, you think you have it all figured out, but really you're just trying on different things to figure out what fits. And things that fit one month won't fit the next and you have to keep trying new things until you find what fits long term. I started learning how to do hair at 16 and never thought in a million years that it was what I'd do for my career. I just thought it'd be a fun way to spend half of my day throughout high school. Little did I know that it would be the thing that fit and I'd stick with it over 20 years later. The oldest daughter, Tzeitel, wasn't even 20 yet when they were arranging a marriage for her through the village matchmaker. Such a young age, yet they considered her older and reaching an age that would make matchmaking more difficult.
The Matchmaker did find her a suitor, though he was about 20 years older than she was. Thinking of how a Matchmaker would choose who you were to marry by how much they could pay is a terrifying thought. The song, "Matchmaker," is one I've heard before and had no idea it was from this movie. The sisters sing to bring good fortune and pleasing husbands with the Matchmaker's decisions. It's a sweet song at times, and terrifyingly realistic at others. This is a long standing tradition in the village. Traditions are very important to the villagers and Tevye. ("How did this tradition start? I'll tell you. I don't know.") I see the importance of tradition, but I appreciate the ability to choose my own path, as well. I grew up in an Irish family and, though we didn't follow traditions as deeply as this, we had many things that our family valued that was deeply rooted in tradition, so I can appreciate those things that bring a family together. Because he was considered a wealthy man in the village, Tevye agree to the terms that Lazar Wolf set and gave his permission for the man to marry his daughter. Tevye and Lazar have some drinks to seal the deal then wander over to the bar to celebrate the news. The bar dance is a lot of fun and the choreography was beautiful, but celebrating an older teen marrying a man 20 years his senior doesn't seem to sit as well with me. I know it's the way it used to be and it makes me sad how many girls through the generations were forced into those types of marriages.
The next morning Tevye tells Tzeital the news of her engagement and she stands stoic while breaking inside. A local scholar and revolutionary, who'd been staying with them in exchange for tutoring the girls, comes by to hear the news. He sees it for the tragedy it is and makes the statement, "Money is the world's curse." Tevye's response, "May He smite me with it! And may I never recover," is a statement that many can relate to. Although money can't solve all our problems, there are some with so little that money would allow them to live a little better. Tzeital breaks down and begs her father to not force her to marry Lazar. The young tailor of the village and Tzeital's childhood friend comes by and asks for her hand instead. Tevye goes through a lot of inner turmoil with this decision. He's in a tough spot because he already gave his word to Lazar, but he can tell that she looks happy with Motel. His decision to allow Tzeitel to marry Motel gives his next two daughters a little more courage to push for the marriages of their choice.
Tevye now needs to figure out how to tell his wife. I absolutely love what he comes up with. He makes up this dream that brings their ancestors in to tell him that this match with Lazar Wolf will bring great sadness to the family, including the death of Tzeitel. The whole scene is amazing with the music, the choreography, the imagery of the cemetery, the coloring of the entire thing... Just perfect. One of my most enjoyed scenes of the movie. He knew exactly what to do and say to get the situation rectified. He played off her superstitions and saved his daughter from a loveless marriage. Well done, Tevye. By getting his wife to agree to Motel instead of Lazar, it shows that his daughter's happiness is important to him. This choice will have repercussions, though and I'm actually surprised that the repercussions weren't worse. A bit of a verbal argument at the wedding? I expected a backlash for backing out on the arrangement. Some type of monetary reimbursement or something, but this isn't what happened. Lazar and Tevye just argued a bit and that was that. During the wedding, a lot of things happened. The couple were celebrated, the men danced, toasts were made and blessings were given to the bride and groom. The dance scenes were amazing once again. They did the traditional dance while on their knees with the bottles on their heads and I was truly stunned. They won a lot of awards for this movie, but, unfortunately, choreography wasn't one of them. Apparently choreography isn't even an award that the Oscars have, which blows my mind. All of the dance sequences in movies over the past century haven't been awarded accordingly? Makes no sense! Anyway! I digress... The town begins to break from tradition, allowing women and men to dance together. This allows the party to really liven up and shows that the villagers are able to find new things and grow.
During the wedding, the local authorities decide to have a demonstration to show the villagers who's in charge. Russia is changing and the Jewish population is being pushed out of the small towns around Anatevka. The destruction of the wedding and the injury to one of the guests ends the wedding fast. It's so sad that the day that represents the beginning of their lives together gets ended so abruptly, putting a damper on the happy memories of the day. It shows that change is coming to this small town where the previous generations have lived the same way, following the same traditions for decades. It's unfortunate that those traditions are what other groups hold against them.
Tevye lives and breathes for his family. His daughters bring him much happiness. One by one they find their own loved ones to build a life with. The first daughter asked for permission to marry the one she loved. The second asked for a blessing to marry the man she loved, though she wasn't asking his permission. The third asked for only acceptance. Each one pushed him a little further until he broke with the third. He couldn't find a way to accept his daughter's choice to marry outside their faith. This was one line he could not cross. He felt like she was turning her back on her faith and he could not find a way to accept it that fit with his belief system. She becomes dead in his eyes and does not allow the family to speak of her. This is one of the problems I see with religion. I understand having faith in something, but to go to such an extreme as disowning your own child because they marry outside of your faith seems harsh and against the teachings of most religions. Religious acceptance of things that differ doesn't seem to be as prevalent, though, as religious isolation.
In the end, though, Jewish persecution finds it's way to this tiny town in the middle of nowhere and they're forced out of their homes. It's a centuries old (millennia old) tale of the Jews being forced to move on because they're no longer welcome in the city they currently live in. I hope we've gotten past that point of Jewish persecution, but some prejudices still linger. It's a tale that's told over and over again of hatred of the "other." Although his third daughter isn't being forced out because she married a Christian, they decide to move along to another town that isn't capable of committing such a tragedy on it's fellow citizens. Tevye gives a small blessing to her as she leaves, passed through Tzeital, giving a small measure of forgiveness. It's the most he can do for her and still justify his faith and beliefs. The entire town splits to different places. Some to America, some throughout Europe and some even to Jerusalem. People say goodbye to their friends and neighbors. They leave their entire lives behind to start somewhere new. Most aren't young enough to really have much of a chance to rebuild. I noticed that the butcher only had two small cases to carry with him. For being considered a wealthy man, I expected him to take more with him. Tools of his trade, furniture or something of value that he's gained over the years. For everything he needed in life to only fit into two suitcases, it was a shocking visual. It showed how simple lives were and, when it came down to it, what truly mattered. When I think about needing to pack up and move out with only three days notice, it would never happen. I needed a month to pack an entire house before and I know that I would need it again now that I've been in this house for ten years. You just accumulate so much stuff and we don't want to waste anything we spend our money on by leaving it behind. It's such a crazy thing to think about.
This is definitely a movie worth watching. It gives you perspective on the things we value now and shows you how far we've come in the past century. It also shows you the value of traditions and heritage. These are ties that bind us to our families and our past. They're important and they truly enrich our lives. I loved the dances and the songs. They were beautifully worked in throughout the movie. I watched this movie through Pluto.tv for free, so you can find it there easily.
I'm still playing catch up from my vacation week, so I'm hoping to get that caught up this week. With my birthday this past weekend, everything has been a bit chaotic, so hopefully it will calm down again and I can finish this next movie before I need to finish up the month with this weekend's movie. Stay tuned for more movies I've never seen!
For more movie love, check out my other blog, "You're Watching That Again?!"
