Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen

This lovingly made film chronicles director Norman Jewison’s spiritual and creative quest to adapt Fiddler on the Roof for the big screen. In documenting Jewison’s quest to film the beloved Broadway classic, filmmaker Daniel Raim draws on behind-the-scenes footage and original interviews with Jewison, lyricist Sheldon Harnick and other members of the cast and crew. Narrated by Jeff Goldblum, Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen reveals how the experience of making the film and recreating the lost world of Jewish life in Tsarist Russia deepened Jewison as an artist and rejuvenated his soul and artistic vision. In providing the backstory for the cinematic version of Fiddler, this engaging documentary also functions as a fascinating snapshot of working life in 1970s Hollywood.