"Fiddler On The Roof"

            A classic movie is one that is timeless; we all can relate to it. It appeals to the universal qualities and is able to transcend the here and now, it captures the meaning of an era's burning questions and issues, and creatively uses an artistic medium. The Fiddler on the Roof is one of the greatest examples of a classic movie because it contains all of those elements. It is also a great way to understand the hardships that the Jewish Russians went through, and it shows us how tradition was so sacred. Many times we forget who we really are, and where we come from, but the people of Anatevka tried hard to prevent that from happening. Eventually they had to change along with the world, and little piece of their history was lost, but the true meaning of tradition will always remain in their hearts.
             The movie, The Fiddler on the Roof, is based in a town called Anatevka. The town is basically ruled by the Russians, but the people who live there are Jewish people. The movie leaves on this note, " the balance between tradition and change is like a fiddler on the roof". This means that the fiddler is trying to balance on the roof and play a tune at the same time, while the people of the town are trying to balance their traditions with the changes occurring in the rest of the world. The town wants to be up to date with the world around them, but they also do not want to give up what they truly believe in, and that is their history, or tradition. .
             A classic movie usually appeals to the universal qualities and never goes out of style (transcends the here and now). In this day in age we marry who we want to, when we want, and how we want. In the days when Tevye and his family lived, they didn't have that luxury. They had a matchmaker who was supposed to arrange the marriages of every person. Tzeitel changed this tradition when she and Motel decided to be married without the help of the matchmaker.