--- title: "Fiddler on the Roof: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/fiddler-on-the-roof/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/fiddler-on-the-roof" critics_score: 69 critics_reviews: 12 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Fiddler on the Roof (1971): what the critics said Critics' score 69 from 12 reviews: 9 positive, 1 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics come away well disposed. Nearly every review, including the unfavourable ones, settles on Topol’s Tevye as the reason to watch: a performance most describe as warm, witty and bombastic, carrying a huge production largely on its own. The score is the other point of agreement, with John Williams’s orchestrations credited for improving on the stage version, and several reviews single out the photography, the candle-lit wedding sequence in particular, and the real Eastern European locations. The spread is wide. The New York Times argues that enlarging the show onto real landscapes drains it of the intimacy that made it work, and that the performances and choreography suffer from the literal approach. Time Out and the Evening Standard both find it too sentimental and too eager to be loved, the latter calling it unremarkable as a musical despite its star. Even admirers concede it is long, and Collider notes the first hour drags. The more recent reappraisals are noticeably warmer than the reviews of 1971. ## The Hollywood Reporter — THR Staff Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 2015. The critic praises the film as a lavish, carefully made, and splendidly designed musical that demonstrates how time and money can buy perfection when intelligently used. They single out the improved musical score thanks to John Williams's orchestrations and conducting, while noting it ranks high among the best musicals ever put on film despite some contrived moments. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/fiddler-roof-1971-film-850257/) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 13 November 1971. The film is a powerful, square, and vital movie musical that succeeds as American folk opera on the theme of Jewish immigrant heritage. Topol’s Tevye carries the huge production with brute vitality and clownish energy. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1971/11/13/a-bagel-with-a-bite-out-of-it) ## Empire — Caroline Westbrook Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic calls it one of the few screen musicals that works, crediting its authentic glimpse into a long-gone Jewish culture in pre-revolutionary Russia along with its memorable songs. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/fiddler-roof-review/) ## Radio Times — Tony Sloman Rating 4/5. The film is a lasting memorial to the great play, with memorable performances especially Topol, and a wonderful Oscar-winning soundtrack and photography, though a bit long-winded. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-jq2jzl/fiddler-on-the-roof/) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1970. The screen version of the stage smash is sentimental, romantic, nostalgic, and affirmative of human decency and folk humor. Topol brings bombast, compassion, and vitality to Tevye, though some songs lose fun in the transfer. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1970/film/reviews/fiddler-on-the-roof-2-1200422507/) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The piece reflects on Topol's definitive performance as Tevye but finds the film itself unremarkable as a musical, with poor choreography capture and overly sentimental Chagall-inspired visuals, though it respects the stage show's fidelity. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/fiddler-on-the-roof-7433231.html) ## Time Out — TM Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The critic finds the film overly sentimental and hard to take due to its excessive eagerness to be lovable, though praises the score, choreography, and Topol's performance. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/fiddler-on-the-roof) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 4 November 1971. The film enlarges the stage musical with real locations and scale but drains much of its life and intimacy in the process. The score remains strong, but performances and choreography suffer from the literal approach. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1971/11/04/archives/fiddler-on-a-grand-scalelifestyle-of-the-aleichem-characters-is.html) ## /Film — Sandy Schaefer Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 9 March 2023. The critic finds the film holds up remarkably well on revisiting and remains powerful and relevant today. Topol's charming, spit-and-vinegar performance as Tevye and Jewison's gorgeous compositions that mix intimate character study with dynamic musical sequences are singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1223109/over-50-years-later-fiddler-on-the-roof-and-topols-performance-are-more-relevant-than-ever/) ## Film Stories — Sarah Cook Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2022. The critic praises Jewison's direction for blending stage and screen elements effectively in this lavish adaptation. Topol's warm, complex performance as Tevye and the stunning candle-lit cinematography in the wedding sequence stand out as highlights of this magical, transcendent musical. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/features/old-movies-looking-under-the-bonnet-of-fiddler-on-the-roof/) ## HeyUGuys — Dave Roper Rating 4/5. 15 November 2011. The critic calls the film an utter success that remains iconic, moving, important and heart-warming decades later. Topol's perfect portrayal of the warm, witty Tevye anchors the memorable adaptation of the beloved stage musical. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/fiddler-on-the-roof-bluray-review/) ## Collider — Jackson Jackson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 23 May 2011. The critic views the 1971 film as one of the last great MGM musicals that blends classic traditions with emerging gritty realism, remaining a multiple Oscar-winner and enduring classic. The review singles out the on-location shooting and visual style for praise while noting some pacing issues in the first hour. [Read the review](https://collider.com/fiddler-on-the-roof-blu-ray-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/fiddler-on-the-roof.md