Fiddler on the Roof

Even though I recently saw the movie version of Fiddler on the Roof on one of my streaming platforms (I can't remember which one), I couldn't miss out on an opportunity to see it on the big screen last night because I love it so much!  Tevye (Topol) is a poor Jewish milkman living in the small village of Anatevka in Imperial Russia with his wife Golde (Norma Crane) and five daughters.  He clings to his traditions to help him deal with the hardships of life but his daughters Tzeitel (Rosalind Harris), Hodel (Michele Marsh), and Chava (Neva Small) challenge those traditions by choosing to marry Motel (Leonard Frey), Perchik (Paul Michael Glaser), and Fyedka (Raymond Lovelock), respectively, without a matchmaker.  Watching this movie makes me so happy and I eagerly anticipate all of my favorite songs, especially "Tradition," "Matchmaker, Matchmaker," "If I Were a Rich Man," "Sabbath Prayer," "Sunrise, Sunset," "Far From the Home I Love," and "Anatevka."  I tried really hard, unsuccessfully, not to sing along!  The choreography is fantastic and I really love the Russian dance in "To Life," the bottle dance during the wedding, and the ballet sequence in "Chavaleh" but my very favorite production number is "Tevye's Dream" because I once played Fruma-Sarah and it is always fun to see her!  I'm pretty sure that I sang every word with Ruth Madoc!  I always really enjoy Topol's portrayal of Tevye because he imbues the role with quite a bit of humor, especially with his conversations with God and his interactions with Golde (the scene where he wants to see Motel's sewing machine kills me every time), but he also shows vulnerability when he rejects Chava.  I also really like Frey because he is so adorably dorky as Motel, particularly in the song "Miracle of Miracles."  I have seen this movie dozens of times but last night I was struck by the fact that all of Tevye's clothes are threadbare, even the coat he wears at the wedding.  I have never noticed that before (probably because I've never seen it on such a big screen).  I also noticed that the shot composition in "Tradition" is mirrored in "Anatevka" which I think is really effective.  I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing this movie (or the stage musical, for that matter) and I highly recommend seeing it as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series (go here for information and tickets).

Note:  I have really enjoyed the TCM Big Screen Classics series this year (I went to as many of them as I could).  The selections for next year have been announced and are as follows:  The Maltese Falcon, Boyz n the Hood, The Ten Commandments, La Bamba, Fried Green Tomatoes, The Birdcage, The African Queen, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Citizen Kane, The Silence of the Lambs, West Side Story, and On Golden Pond.  I think I am most looking forward to The Maltese Falcon and The Ten Commandments.  Are you looking forward to any of these movies?