MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 3
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard), 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital Mono
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV, Pan and Scan, Color
• Subtitle: Spanish, English, French
• Features:
  • • cc Original Theatrical Trailers
    • Fiddler on the Roof also features
    • Norman Jewison, Filmmaker Documentary
    • Audio Commentary by Norman Jewison and Topol
    • Never-Before-Available Deleted Song, Any Day Now
    • Tevye's Dream in Full Color
    • Stories of Sholom Aleichem and Historical Background Read by Norman Jewison
    • Storyboard to Film Comparison

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Adaptation and Original Song Score - 1971 (John Williams)
•     Won Best Cinematography - 1971 (Oswald Morris)
•     Won Best Sound - 1971 (Gordon K. McCallum, David Hildyard)
•     Won Best Color Art Direction - 1961 (Boris Leven, Victor A. Gangelin)
•     Won Best Color Cinematography - 1961 (Daniel L. Fapp)
•     Won Best Color Costume Design - 1961 (Irene Sharaff)
•     Won Best Director - 1961 (Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins)
•     Won Best Editing - 1961 (Thomas G. Stanford)
•     Won Best Musical Score - 1961 (Irwin Kostal, Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Sid Ramin)
•     Won Best Picture - 1961 (Robert Wise)
•     Won Best Sound - 1961 (Fred Hynes, Gordon Sawyer)
•     Won Best Supporting Actor - 1961 (George Chakiris)
•     Won Best Supporting Actress - 1961 (Rita Moreno)
•     Nominated Best Actor - 1971 (Topol)
•     Nominated Best Art Direction - 1971 (Michael Stringer, Peter Lamont, Robert F. Boyle)
•     Nominated Best Director - 1971 (Norman Jewison)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1971 (Norman Jewison)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actor - 1971 (Leonard Frey)
•     Nominated Best Adapted Screenplay - 1961 (Ernest Lehman)
•     Nominated Best Color Art Direction - 1955 (Oliver Smith, Howard Bristol, Joseph C. Wright)
•     Nominated Best Color Cinematography - 1955 (Harry Stradling)
•     Nominated Best Color Costume Design - 1955 (Irene Sharaff)
•     Nominated Best Musical Score - 1955 (Cyril Mockridge, Jay Blackton)

• American Film Institute

•     Won 100 Greatest American Movies - 1998

• British Academy of Film and Television Arts

•     Nominated Best Film - Any Source - 1962 (Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins)
•     Nominated Best British Film - 1956 (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)

• Directors Guild of America

•     Won Best Director - 1961 (Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comed - 1971 (Topol)
•     Won Best Picture - Musical or Comedy - 1971
•     Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pictu - 1961 (George Chakiris)
•     Won Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic - 1961 (Rita Moreno)
•     Won Best Picture - Musical - 1961
•     Won Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Com - 1955 (Jean Simmons)
•     Won Best Picture - Musical or Comedy - 1955
•     Nominated Best Director - 1971 (Norman Jewison)
•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pictu - 1971 (Paul Mann)
•     Nominated Best Director - 1961 (Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins)
•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comed - 1961 (Richard Beymer)

• Library of Congress

•     Won U.S. National Film Registry - 1997

• National Board of Review

•     Nominated Best Picture - 1961

• New York Film Critics Circle

•     Won Best Picture - 1961

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Robert Wise, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Norman Jewison

• Producer:

  Robert Wise, Samuel Goldwyn, Norman Jewison, Harold Prince

• Screenwriter:

  Ernest Lehman

• Play Author:

  Harold Prince, Robert E. Griffith

• Screenwriter:

  Joseph L. Mankiewicz

• Book Author:

  Jo Swerling, Abe Burrows

• Screen Story:

  Arnold Perl

• Screenwriter:

  Joseph Stein

• Book Author:

  Sholom Aleichem

• Cinematographer:

  Daniel L. Fapp, Harry Stradling, Oswald Morris

• Composer (Music Score):

  Leonard Bernstein

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Irwin Kostal, Sid Ramin

• Musical Arrangement:

  Alexander Courage

• Composer (Music Score):

  Frank Loesser, Cyril Mockridge, Jay Blackton

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Jay Blackton

• Musical Arrangement:

  John Williams

• Songwriter:

  Sheldon Harnick

• Composer (Music Score):

  Jerry Bock

• Editor:

  Thomas G. Stanford, Dan Mandell, Antony Gibbs, Robert Lawrence

• Production Designer:

  Boris Leven, Oliver Smith, Robert F. Boyle, Michael Stringer

• Art Director:

  Joseph C. Wright

• Associate Producer:

  Saul Chaplin, Patrick Palmer

• Set Designer:

  Victor A. Gangelin, Howard Bristol, Peter Lamont, Michael Stringer

• Costume Designer:

  Irene Sharaff, Joan Bridge, Elizabeth Haffenden

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Fred Hynes, Fred Lau, Vinton Vernon, Murray Spivack, Roger Heman

• Makeup:

  Ben Lane, Wally Schneiderman

• Special Effects:

  Warren Newcombe

• First Assistant Director:

  Robert E. Relyea, Arthur S. Black, Jr., Terry Nelson

• Choreography:

  Jerome Robbins, Michael Kidd, Thomas Abbott, Sammy Bayes

• Script Supervisor:

  John Flynn

• Conductor:

  Johnny Green

• Book (Musical):

  Arthur Laurents

• Lyricist:

  Stephen Sondheim

• Costumes Supervisor:

  Irene Caine

• Lyricist:

  Frank Loesser

• Short Story Author:

  Damon Runyon

• Conductor:

  John Williams

• Lyricist:

  Sheldon Harnick

• Book (Musical):

  Joseph Stein

• Vocal Coach:

  Eric James

REVIEWS:

• West Side Story is remarkable for its seamless transference from stage musical to screen classic, with the complete Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim song score intact, as well as the choreography of Jerome Robbins. The story, derived from Romeo and Juliet, works on a symbolic rather than realistic level; there is no pretense that this is a true representation of what New York City gangs were like circa 1960. Veteran director Robert Wise is probably the person most responsible for the film's success, and for retaining the best qualities of the stage production, though co-director Robbins, who feuded with Wise throughout the production, would likely disagree. After several weeks of delayed production due to Robbins' insistence on extra rehearsals, Wise tired of the Broadway legend and had him removed from the set. West Side Story swept the Oscars, taking ten awards, including awards for Best Picture and its decidedly non-cordial co-directors. The Academy gave a special choreography award to Robbins, who thanked a great many people in his acceptance speech, noticeably failing to mention Wise. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi
• Frank Sinatra, who had lost the starring role in On the Waterfront to Marlon Brando the year before, was irate over losing the Sky Masterson role, for which he believed he was better suited. He was probably right. Joseph Mankiewicz's screen version of the classic musical is solid entertainment, but doesn't nearly rise to the heights of its stage source. Damon Runyon's highly stylized version of the New York 1920s demimonde of gamblers, touts, and bookies is the setting for this tale of the reluctant reform of two of their number. As a writer, Mankiewicz knew enough to use the show's book almost in its entirety, and the dialogue is still as sharp as ever. But as a director, his lack of visual flair was always a drawback in his non-musicals, and in a show like this, it's truly deadly. The camera movements have no fluidity, the groupings are unimaginative, and the mise-en-scène is flat. The sets are so overlit that one expects a helicopter to land at any moment. Sinatra, possibly resentful over being cast as Nathan, seems to have phoned his part in. Although Brando may be a bit closer to the mark as Sky, one might wish that MGM had not prevented Gene Kelly from performing in the role which he also coveted. Still, there is much to enjoy in the film, especially the outstanding score, which seems not to contain a bad song. And in numbers like "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat", "Luck Be a Lady" and "Fugue for Tinhorns", it's as good as the best musicals ever made. ~ Michael Costello, Rovi
• Spirited, funny, and deeply affecting, 1971's Fiddler on the Roof is a successful adaptation of its stage counterpart. Topol makes the transition from the London stage production with ease, and the supporting performances are similarly strong. Most crucial, however, is the quality of the big set pieces: gorgeously staged and musically flawless, the joyous "Tradition" and the tear-inducing "Sunrise, Sunset" leap from the screen. Director Norman Jewison makes full use of the advantages of film; thanks to the rich, on-location scenery, the material doesn't feel as if it's been subjected to a quick big-screen makeover. Fiddler was a huge success -- it was the second highest-grossing movie of the year (after The Godfather) and took home Oscars for cinematography, sound, and score. Without a doubt, it's much more sentimental than the New Hollywood films that dominated the era, but it never hits a false note. ~ Matthew Doberman, Rovi