Tevye

Stars: Maurice Schwartz, Miriam Riselle. Before Zero Mostel or Topol took on the role of Tevye the Dairyman--made famous in Sholem Aleichem's play--Yiddish actor/director Maurice Schwartz played the part in this beautifully filmed 1939 production. When Tevye's daughter Khave (Miriam Riselle) marries the goy next door (Fedye, son of a Ukrainian peasant), Tevye cuts her out of his life. He instructs the rest of his family that Khave is "dead. She never existed." While Khave suffers guilt and the loss of her Jewish environs, Tevye and the rest of the family go on with their lives. Eventually, on the orders of the Czar, Tevye and his family are sent into exile, before which Tevye and Khave are reunited. Almost slavishly patriarchal by contemporary standards, Tevye is nevertheless an interesting film. Although shot on Long Island, the sets look remarkably authentic and the marriage festivity sequence with the crowds dancing and wrestling is magic to watch. Although Fiddler on the Roof will unquestionably remain the most popular version, Tevye offers an interesting (and more serious) contrast. (Available from: The National Center for Jewish Film, Brandeis University, Lown Bldg. 102, Waltham, MA 02254; (617) 736-2070.) Audience: Film buffs, classic movie fans.