Singularly-named actor Topol scored his biggest success in the role of Russian patriarch Tevye, who anchored this epic movie musical in 1971. The old man appeared a rotund bumbler, roaming the fields of Anatevka droning on to the audience about his strict Jewish traditions. Actually he represented the passing of one way of life and the beginning of another. As young lovers formed bonds against a backdrop of social upheaval, Tevye stood as a reminder of their heritage, constantly mindful of the fiddler on the roof - a symbol of the precarious nature of the community's happiness. Helmer Norman Jewison kept the direct address from Joseph Stein's stageplay, involving watchers in events in a deceptively light-hearted way. Zero Mostel had realized the part in the live version, however Jewison declined to use him as he felt Mostel's comedic charisma might overbalance the project. Mind you, the performer did have fourth-wall-breaking experience, via the odd moment in Mel Brooks' The Producers.
I am a journalist and comedian who enjoys American movies of the 70s, Amicus horror compendiums, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, Naomi Watts and sitting down. My short fiction has been published as part of the Iris Wildthyme range from Obverse Books.
