Fiddler on the Roof Blu-ray Review


Fiddler on the Roof is probably one of the most beloved stage musicals from the second half of the 20th century. The stage production opened on Broadway in 1964, and seven years later director Norman Jewison brought it to the screen, further widening the audiences love of writer Sholom Aleichem’s play. The film would go on to be nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning three.

Set around 1910 in the small Ukranian village of Anatevka, the film centers around Tevye (played by Chaim Topol) and his poor Jewish family, who are living in a time of uncertainty. Unrest caused by the Pogroms gripped the country, raising anti-Tsarist sentiment, and World War One was approaching; all central what transpires. As with musicals, the focus of the story never strays far from the songs, most of which revolve around the engagements and marriages of Tevye’s daughters. In all, there are more than a dozen songs in the film.

For me this was the first time I’d ever seen the film, and I must say I was a bit disheartened. Perhaps it was all the hype I’ve heard associated with the film; it just didn’t live up to it. Director Jewison did take great care to represent Jewish customs as accurately as possible, but I found the story to be mildly interesting, and the music and songs were nearly unbearable. From a person who adores Broadway, and musicals in general, I felt it was too long with its running time of 181 minutes, and at times even brutal to sit through.

Most of you who already adore this production have your opinions of the film, therefore this is only being written out of formality. It is important to note that my opinion of the film has nothing to do with the final review score the film receives.


Fiddler on the Roof’s 1080p transfer looks as good here as you’re ever going to see any place else. The transfer appears quiet soft, which makes the film appear to have odd coloring at times, however this is, in fact, as intended by the filmmakers. The colors of the film range from bright and beautiful, to light and airy. The one thing the transfer did seem to change is the black saturation. The blacks in the film are incredibly deep, inky, and seemingly pure in comparison to other parts of the film that still retain quite a bit of the film’s natural grain; the grain is especially notable in the sky, which makes some of the scenes, in particular the opening scene, seem a bit at odds when viewing the grain against the deep black. However it doesn’t ruin the film going experience, and will probably only be picked up on by stringent videophiles.


Fiddler on the Roof sings it’s way into your home with a near perfect, and new, DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio mix. The film’s dialogue is very clear with great fidelity, however there were certain moments when I really wanted the voices of the baritones to give my bass a little bit of a rumble.

That’s not to say that the audio didn’t receive an amazing transfer; if you’re a fan of the music then you’re surely in for a treat. The vocals are clear and crisp, and score (done by the amazingly talented John Williams, with Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick) is certainly up to par with everything you’d want this release to have.


  • Commentary by Jewison and Topol
  • Norman Jewison Filmmaker
  • Norman Jewison Looks Back
  • Tevye’s Dream in Color
  • Side By Side Comparison
  • John Williams: Creating a Musical Tradition
  • Songs of Fiddler on the Roof
  • Deleted Song: Any Day Now
  • Tevye’s Daughters
  • Set in Reality: Production Design
  • Storyboard to Film Comparison
  • Trailers, Teasers and TV Spots
  • Standard Definition DVD copy of the film


As I said in the opening statement, I’m sure most of you already have an opinion about this film. If you’ve never seen it, I’d probably do a bit more independent research to get a fair and balanced perspective before deciding to buy. However if you’re already a fan of the film, I certainly recommend you purchase this release, as I highly doubt the film will ever be released with a better transfer in all the technical departments.