Norman Jewison and Ethnic Comedy: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF and MOONSTRUCK
Fiddler on the Roof, Directed by Norman Jewison Starring Topol, Norma Crane, Molly Picon USA, 1971 Rated G
Moonstruck Directed by Norman Jewison Starring Cher, Nicolas Cage, Vincent Gardenia, Olympia Dukakis, Danny Aiello USA, 1987 Rated PG (mature themes)
Norman Jewison is a great crafter of friendly, easy movies such as The Thomas Crown Affair and The Cincinnati Kid, but his resume also boasts a few titles that include provoking and thoughtful themes. Among these films are In the Heat of the Night, A Soldier's Story, and the culture-influenced Fiddler on the Roof and Moonstruck. What is so glorious about the last two movies is that both are hearty fun, not straying too far from the brilliant style that makes Jewison the accomplished moviemaker he is. Their parallels can be seen after watching them- Fiddler on the Roof is a film based in Czarist Russia and explores the traditions of a little Jewish town and Moonstruck explores Italian families in New York. Both films do it all so humorously that the "education" is painless.
Released during the year of The French Connection and A Clockwork Orange, Fiddler on the Roof had no hope of winning the Academy Awards' Best Picture, but today, it is known as the last great epic musical ever made. Yet, it is not really a musical, at least not in the way most musicals are. It tells the story of Tevye (Topol), a Russian-Jewish man who has five daughters (unfortunately no sons- alas!), a cow, and a bickering but fun wife, Golde (Norma Crane). Tevye is content with his simple life in his simple town- when he sings "If I Were A Rich Man," he only wonders; he longs, but does not grieve. He talks to God and is religious like all the people in his village. When the town matchmaker tries to find his older girls husbands, daughter Tzietel groans "The last time she got me an old, bald man!"
"You want someone with hair, marry a monkey!" says the mother.
When the matchmaker finds Tzietel a husband, the butcher, the family is overjoyed- after all, he is rich, old, and will take good care of her. Tevye laughs, "I always wanted a son, but I wanted one a little younger than me!" Tzietel is not pleased. She is in love with the town ne'er-do-well (Leonard Frey) and when Tevye discovers this, he is vexed. "No girl should ever pick her own husband!" he thinks. He soon discovers that times are changing when a young man comes to the town spreading his knowledge and reprimanding the townsfolk for not knowing the goings-on in the world.
It is difficult for Tevye to face this reality; his world is a cage of dull, yet happy life in which you settle for what you can get. This young man preaches different attitudes and it pains him to have to accept and let go of the morals and traditions he has held fast to for so long. Soon, his daughters know this thing called "desire" and are wanting to marry men they love, not old men they will have to serve. Tevye is understanding and tries to conform as best he can.
There are many gems of comedy in Fiddler on the Roof. You start to realize how narrow and outrageously funny the old Jewish traditions were, how limiting they were for people. The townspeople's lives are so simple that when Golde sends Tevye to talk to the butcher about something (he does not yet know the butcher will ask for Tzietel's hand), he thinks he will ask to buy his cow! On Tzietel's wedding day, it is hilarious to see Tevye and the butcher violently fighting only seconds after they have spoken cordially to each other. When the matchmaker finds husbands for Tevye's two little girls, Golde asks "Which boy for which girl?" In return, the matchmaker shrugs and says, "Does it matter? Take your pick."
Those who aren't fond of musicals will hate Fiddler on the Roof at first listen. At the beginning, the townspeople join in a performance of a sickeningly bland song called "Tradition". A) The song is scathing and B) it does not meet the standards an audience is likely to have set if they have ever seen other parts of this movie. This film is mammoth, an epic as grand as Doctor Zhivago, yet as simple as a childhood fairytale. Once away from that blasted and dreaded pre-title sequence, things get so much better. Isaac Stern's violin croons in the background.
Fiddler on the Roof is very literal-minded. There is nothing hidden behind its sleeves, nothing particularly striking, except for its refreshing humor and honest heart. The cinematography gives the film a dull feel- the film's palette includes subdued browns, oranges, reds, and greens. What is exceptionally intriguing is Topol, the actor behind the Tevye character. He is a big man with a deep voice. He makes a fool of himself while dancing moronically in the "If I Were a Rich Man" sequence, then becomes sincere in his conversations with God. This mixture of emotions and personalities make his performance the jewel that it is. He is a large, joyful presence that makes the film a sunny experience, at least for the first hour. The final two hours are filled with turbulent emotions, when father collides with daughter and reality collides with the little town.
The music in Fiddler on the Roof is beautiful, but the dance-and-music sequences are not used for the same purpose as they are used in a West Side Story-type musical. The songs are lyrically-mediocre, but the musical sequences are not to showcase great songwriting (the songwriting, frankly, is mere) but to tell and enhance the story. The characters use the songs for telling their story, not to show off their dancing skills and singing skills (of which most of the performers have only average capabilities). This makes the music almost operatic. It isn't opera but, like operas (which aren't showy displays of excellent songwriting; the songs are simply undulating collections of notes), their only purpose is to give a musical translation of the story, to add on to what is already being said. Most musicals use music, dance, and song deliberately- to show dancing, singing, and songwriting capabilities. Fiddler on the Roof is filled with tiny songs that are just melodic extensions of the tale being told.
Moonstruck, made a little more than a decade after Fiddler on the Roof, is not a musical, but the music gives it a certain atmosphere. Dean Martin belts out "That's Amore" during the opening titles, setting the tone for this very Italian movie. Cher is radiant here, and very funny- she, Olympia Dukakis, and Vincent Gardenia are like a chorus- each singer hitting the right note, making an extremely funny study of New York-Italian family and tradition.
The down-to-earth Loretta (Cher) accepts the proposal of a timid and nearly empty-headed bachelor (Danny Aiello) whom she has been in acquaintance with for some time. The proposal sequence is hilarious- Loretta, who has been hurt by the death of an earlier husband, demands a proper proposal, complete with groveling, a ring, and full names stated. Only minutes later, she is fighting with her fiancee over when the wedding will be. She wants a good date, one free of bad luck. Her fiancee is soon off for Palermo to see his dying mother whom he is very devoted to.
When at home, Loretta's mother asks, "Do you love him?"
Loretta answers, "No."
"Good, when you love them they drive you crazy because they know they can."
This is the rationale Loretta has been taught and her insipidness to love and romance makes for good comedy. Like in Fiddler on the Roof, Moonstruck also dabbles into its studied culture and its reasons for getting married.
Loretta has been asked by her fiancee to invite his brother (Nicolas Cage) to the wedding; they have been on bad terms for years. When the reason for the distance between the two brothers is revealed, it is outrageous! "He cut off my hand!" bellows Cage. His hand being cut off, in reality, was related to his brother but, if it was anyone's, was his own fault- the bread-slicer caught hold of his hand while he was talking to his brother.
John Patrick Shanley, the author of Moonstruck's script builds the sexual tension between Cage and Cher. It ends in an eruption including a toppling table and screaming. Cage loves Cher but she is too level-headed to believe in love. Nicolas Cage is an actor who always seems like he's in a dream- he uses this quality of his very well while his character is in love with Loretta. There is a momentous speech in which Cage's character is very direct- "I don't care about tomorrow, or the next day. All I know is I want to sleep with you and I don't care if both of us burn in hell!" It is refreshing to see such a twist on the typical movie serenade.
It turns out that the moon has concocted a spell on the people of New York and has made everyone fall in love. Dukakis becomes acquainted with a flirtatious middle-aged professor (John Mahoney); Gardenia falls for a ditzy woman; a loveless, aging marriage has been rekindled; and Cher and Cage fall madly in love.
The scenes with Olympia Dukakis are a joy, but it is Cher, Italian accent and all, that carries this film. She is bubbly in the role of a rather dry woman. She demands attention- when she's angry, like in the scene where she slaps Cage and screams "Snap out of it!", and when she's full of love, kicking an empty bottle along the street. She seems like she's floating in those scenes and has such an engaging presence that she is able to have so much responsibility on her back and still be fully enjoyable.
Moonstruck, though it has several Italian nuances and can very much be considered an ethnic comedy, is, at its core, a delicious romance. It is full of savvy, but is gooey and marshmallowey inside. Jewison, Shanley, and the cast have cooked a dish that tastes like chicken, but with Italian seasonings- and it tastes delicious.
Fiddler on the Roof is much warmer than Moonstruck, which has a bit of a sarcasm to it. Both are very slim and simple movies: Fiddler disguised as an epic and Moonstruck disguised as a culture study. Both are satisfying, and like all good movies, should be savored.
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By Andrew Chan
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