Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

I had been going through all the old musicals that I was aware of, and Fiddler on the Roof was one that I had never seen.  I have heard the music many times, but never seen the film 'til now.

I have heard the songs "If I were a Rich Man" and "Matchmaker" repeatedly over the years.  And even the song Tradition sounded familiar.  Strangely, it didn't seem like there were that many other songs in the film, especially not that many that really stood out.

The film is rather long, but doesn't feel overly long, even though I feel as if the story could have been told in a much shorter time period.

The story is simple, but one that has been covered many times before in various cultural settings.  One other kind of odd thing about the film is the daughters in the film are occasionally referred to as beautiful, but they don't seem to be particularly outstandingly good looking.

For most of the story, while we are aware they live in a Jewish settlement, most of what takes place and their costumes don't stand out as being very Jewish to me.  Not that I didn't feel they were authentic, but it seems that when people mention people as being Jewish in the past, one often congers up images of orthodox Jews.

It's some what surpring how compliantly the Jews left their homes when commanded to.  But I guess they had a choice between leaving on their own or being removed.

The concept of a fiddler on the roof and the meaning are never really explained, and a source of puzzlement.