Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

As far as movie musicals are concerned, Fiddler on the Roof is one of the greatest ones ever made. That’s not the most popular opinion, but it’s mine. By itself, Fiddler has a profoundly beautiful story about a father’s reckoning with a changing society, a persecution of his people and the loss of control over his own daughters. Tevye is a flawed protagonist. He tries, and ultimately fails in sending off his three daughters to the men that they love. All the while, he argues with an omnipresent God who never gives him the answers that he is looking for. This is a sad story about life. A life that can be beautiful and a life that can be cursed, and ultimately, a life decided, not by God, but by our own destiny. It’s three hours of incredible entertainment. L’chaim! 5 out of 5 Stars.