Fiddler on the Roof

You don't have to be a rich man (or woman) to consider this special edition of Norman Jewison's 1971 Best Picture-nominated adaptation of the hit Broadway musical a perfect match for just about any collection. Topol stars as Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman living in turn-of-the-century tsarist Russia who is blessed/saddled with five daughters and must learn (gradually) that in the emerging new world, where individual choice is beginning to overpower the dominant system of arranged marriages, love conquers tradition. Sporting a nice digital transfer (especially considering the film's age), the DVD also features Dolby Digital 5.1 sound to enhance the one-hit-after-another soundtrack that includes "If I Were a Rich Man," "Tradition," "Matchmaker," "Miracle of Miracles" and "Sunrise, Sunset." In addition, the disc includes screen-specific audio commentary by Jewison and Topol, the National Film Board of Canada 1971 documentary Norman Jewison, Filmmaker, the contemporary featurette "Norman Jewison Looks Back," a full-color version of the "Tevye's Dream" sequence (very cool), the deleted song "Any Day Now," and Jewison narrating a segment on "Historical Background" as well as reading a pair of stories from Tevye's creator Sholom Aleichem. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review—Jan. 23, 2007—MGM, 2 discs, 181 min., G, $26.98—Making its third appearance on DVD, 1971's Fiddler on the Roof (2-Disc Collector's Edition) sports a nice transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. DVD extras new to this release include a 17-minute featurette on “Tevye's Daughters,” a 15-minute featurette on the film's songs, “John Williams: Creating a Musical Tradition” on the conductor (12 min.), and the 10-minute production design featurette “Set in Reality.” Bottom line: if you don't own the earlier “special edition,” this “collector's edition”—with nearly an hour's worth of new material—is the one to pick up.][Blu-ray Review—Apr. 12, 2011—MGM, 181 min., G, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1971's Fiddler on the Roof features a decent transfer with DTS-HD 7.1 sound. Blu-ray extras are carried over from the previous DVD release, including audio commentary by director/producer Norman Jewison and star Topol, production featurettes on “Norman Jewison, Filmmaker” (50 min.), “Tevye's Daughters” (17 min.), “Songs of Fiddler on the Roof” (15 min.), “John Williams: Creating a Musical Tradition” (12 min.), and “Set in Reality: Production Design” (10 min.), a storyboard-to-film comparison (22 min.), a “Norman Jewison Looks Back” retrospective (9 min.), a colorized “Tevye's Dream Sequence” with side-by-side comparison (6 min.), the deleted song “Any Day Now” (3 min.), trailers, and a bonus DVD copy of the film. Bottom line: a fine Blu-ray debut for a classic musical.]