The movie, Fiddler on the Roof, is 45 years
old. Winner of three academy awards, the
movie tells the story of a Jewish family in Russia of the early 20th
century. The Tevye family is economically
poor. But Tevye is a god-fearing man. He has a lot of questions to ask Yahweh but
all in a childlike trust tinged with the adult’s irony. He follows the rules and traditions of his orthodox
religion as meticulously as he can. When
his daughters fall in love one by one against the tradition of their religion,
Tevye is shocked initially but bows to the love that shines in the eyes of his
daughters.
Finally, the family has to
leave the place like the other Jews who are all evacuated. One of the many evacuations that the Jews
faced throughout their history which goes back to the biblical Exodus. The eponymous Fiddler on the Roof is a symbol
of the precarious situation of the Jews.
Perched perilously on the sloping roof, the fiddler has to produce his
music which is his duty on the earth while at the same time negotiate the fears
and dangers that accompany his situation.
He is the symbol of the Jew of the pre-Israel days.
The movie is a musical classic
which can be enjoyed even today by anyone.
Every frame is a delight to watch.
Every dialogue warms the cockles of our hearts. Like the finest art, it leaves us with
haunting thoughts and emotions. It
evokes compassion in our hearts. It
refines our souls.
I’m presenting here just one
song, one of my all-time favourites. If I were a rich man: that’s the song. Tevye
thinks that if he were a rich man, he could not only build a big house with
many staircases including one that leads nowhere but “just for show,” but also have
his wife in a happy mood strutting around like a peacock and screaming at her
servants. Important men in town would
crowd around him calling him “Reb Tevye, Reb Tevye,” seeking answers to their problems, and “it
won’t make one bit of difference if I answer right or wrong / When you’re rich
they think you really know.” He would be
able to sit in the best part of the synagogue and discuss the scriptures with learned
men, if he were a rich man.
Finally he asks Yahweh if
it would have destroyed some great eternal plan of His had He made Tevye a
really rich man.
Today is Easter. Here, through this post, I’m celebrating the “resurrection”
of Jesus, a Jew who tried to reform his religion without success. Like Tevye, I have infinite questions to ask
God if He would ever care to listen.
That's a good movie I have seen .
ReplyDeleteOne of the best in my list.
DeleteWhat a classic! One of my favorites!
ReplyDeleteAN all-time great film, which I can see again and again. The philosophy in this film needs to be pondered over by all.
ReplyDelete