Tevye

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Audience Member *Contains SPOILERS* I should acknowledge that I'm not the best person to discuss this film. Tevya seems to be heavily steeped in Jewish culture (the film itself is in Yiddish, for one), especially when compared to more general fare like Fiddler on the Roof. That said, there were two scenes that really stuck out to me as being worthy of discussion because of how heart-wrenching they were. The first is the scene right after Chavah has married the Christian man, and Tevya tells his family that she must now be seen as dead to them, or even worse than dead: it must be as though she has never been born. A second similar scene occurs when Tevya's wife falls ill and is dying. Chavah gets word of this, and returns home, but knowing she wouldn't be welcome, she merely stands outside in the rain, looking in from the window to view her mother's final moments, while the rest of the family is gathered around their mother. I'll admit that this aspect of the film was hard for me to grapple with (especially before I did additional reading to gain some context.) I recognize that a family member choosing to leave a religion can be trying for a family that heavily defines itself by that religion, and I recognize that Tevya's reaction was probably a social norm at the time, but it was still difficult for me to view Tevya's actions charitably. However, towards the end of the film, as Tevya and his family are forced to leave, I realized that part of the reason that Chavah's choice must have hurt him so much was not just because she was leaving the tradition of her family, rather it was also because she was leaving them to join a group of people that the film goes out of its way to depict as lacking understanding or empathy for their Jewish neighbors. In short, she was leaving her family to join a group that was hostile toward her family. While that doesn't completely justify Tevya's actions, it did add an extra layer of nuance that I did not initially consider. Overall, this is a well-acted film, and a good example of how American-made cinema can reflect the multitude of cultures (and languages) that cohabit this country. It's also an interesting watch for fans of the musical Fiddler on the Roof, especially if you want to see a film that's geared toward an audience of the culture it depicts, rather than a more general audience. Join me as I watch and review all of the films on the National Film Registry: @NFRCompletist (Twitter and Instagram) Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member The best movie ever If you understand Yiddish. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Tevye

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