Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
91%RT Audience Score: 92%
Awards & Nominations: Won 3 Oscars
9 wins & 13 nominations total
A bird may love a fish — and musical fans will love this adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof, even if it isn’t quite as transcendent as the long-running stage version.
Fiddler on the Roof is a classic musical that has stood the test of time, and for good reason. Sure, there are some moments that feel a bit forced, but overall it’s a heartwarming story about family, tradition, and the struggles of a changing world. Plus, who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned musical number? Topol’s performance as Tevye is a standout, and the film’s message about the importance of holding onto your roots while also embracing change is still relevant today. So grab some popcorn, settle in, and get ready to sing along to “Tradition” for the millionth time.
Production Company(ies)
Selznick International Pictures,, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
Distributor
United Artists
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Lekenik, Croatia
MPAA / Certificate
G
Year of Release
1971
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:3h 1m
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Language(s):English, Hebrew, Russian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1971 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 12, 2006
Genre(s)
Musical
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: $10,405,457
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $85,383,955
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,091
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 9,311,227
US/Canada gross: $10,404,330
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $85,374,707
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 829
US/Canada opening weekend: $1,726,942
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $14,170,751
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 819
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $9,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $73,851,210
Production budget ranking: 577
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $39,768,877
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$28,236,132
ROI to date (est.): -25%
ROI ranking: 1,533
Norma Crane – Gol
Director(s)
Norman Jewison
Writer(s)
Sholom Aleichem, Joseph Stein
Producer(s)
Norman Jewison
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 3 Oscars
9 wins & 13 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (41) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (34) | Rotten (7)
There are some contrived and artificial moments in Fiddler, but it becomes more convincing, naturalistic, and involving as it goes on, and finally builds to a powerful climax.
December 20, 2015
Paul Sargent Clark
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
The qualities that have kept the Broadway Fiddler running these seven years are in scant supply onscreen.
May 7, 2013
Jay Cocks
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Earthbound but not bad.
May 7, 2013
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Sentimental in a theatrical way, romantic in the oldfashioned way, nostalgic of immigration days, affirmative of human decency, loyalty, bravery and folk humor.
July 7, 2010
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Very hard to take with the film sitting up and practically slobbering in its eagerness to prove how loveable it is.
January 26, 2006
Tom Milne
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
They want to show us everything, to give us our money’s worth. In so doing, they’ve not just opened up the play, they’ve let most of the life out of it.
May 9, 2005 | Rating: 2.5/5
Vincent Canby
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
In its magnificent sound and picture … and its broad, showy performances, Fiddler is very much a traditional Hollywood musical.
July 20, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
Sean Collier
Box Office Prophets
Nearly 50 years following its release, Fiddler on the Roof remains a beautiful masterpiece.
December 25, 2018
Danielle Solzman
Solzy at the Movies
All I can say is that a very good stage show has, for me, been transformed into an equally good work of cinema.
November 17, 2017
Christopher Hudson
The Spectator
There’s a vibrant nature to the acting in this film that warms the heart and makes it feel comfortable, even when things aren’t going so great for the characters.
October 14, 2013 | Rating: 4.5/5
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures
As a musical look at family, generational and cultural conflict, and faith, Fiddler on the Roof makes a virtue of its quaintness… [Blu-ray]
May 8, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews
Topol breathes new life into Joseph Stein, Jerry Bock, and Sheldoon Harnick’s musical.
April 17, 2011 | Rating: 8/10
James Plath
Movie Metropolis…
Plot
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Jews and Orthodox Christians live in the little village of Anatevka in the pre-revolutionary Russia of the Czars. Among the traditions of the Jewish community, the matchmaker arranges the match and the father approves it. The milkman Reb Tevye is a poor man that has been married for twenty-five years with Golde and they have five daughters. When the local matchmaker Yente arranges the match between his older daughter Tzeitel and the old widow butcher Lazar Wolf, Tevye agrees with the wedding. However Tzeitel is in love with the poor tailor Motel Kamzoil and they ask permission to Tevye to get married that he accepts to please his daughter. Then his second daughter Hodel (Michele Marsh) and the revolutionary student Perchik decide to marry each other and Tevye is forced to accept. When Perchik is arrested by the Czar troops and sent to Siberia, Hodel decides to leave her family and homeland and travel to Siberia to be with her beloved Perchik. When his third daughter Chava decides to get married with the Christian Fyedka, Tevye does not accept and considers that Chava has died. Meanwhile the Czar troops evict the Jewish community from Anatevka.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Chaim Topol’s portrayal of Tevye the dairyman is “sparklingly charming” and the most memorable performance in the film.
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