100 Movies Every Catholic Should See #74: Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

Directed by Norman Jewison. Starring Topol.

“A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But here in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof. Trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck…and how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word! TRADITION!”

Tradition, family, love, faith - all of these are very complex things that men let act as guiding influences in their lives. However, what if some of these principles come to clash with each other, what is one to choose? This is the very premise that Fiddler on the Roof presents, following the story of a poor Jewish milkman named Tevye and his struggles in marrying off his daughters, surviving in an increasingly hostile Tsarist Russia, and of course the role of tradition in his life. Released in 1971, the film is an adaptation of the 1964 stage show of the same name; both the play and film were written by Joseph Stein and the movie was directed and produced by award winning director Norman Jewison.