Movie and Book Comparison

In our Humanities 10 class we recently read and studied the classic Fiddler On The Roof. After finishing the book we watched the movie which we felt was an okay but not amazing portrayal of the book.

One of the extreamly noticable diferences was scene four where Lazar asked Tevye for Tzietel's hand in marriage. Instead of happening in the original bar the scene started in Lazar Wolf's home. Tob us it seemed less of a fun drinking atmospher wich subtracted from the film because it downplayed how the Russians and the Jews had a good time together, which in the end downplayed the ability of the Jews and Russians to work together.

Another thing that happened in the book that we really didn't get from the movie was that the book had a far better use of humor. Almost every scene was played up so that at one point or another you laughed. In the movie though a lot of the things that made you laugh so hard in the book weren't  brought forth in a humorus sense, so they didn't even seem funny.

One of the things that was very clear in the book and also came through in the movie was Tevye internal struggle of wanting what's best for his daughters and wanting to keep tradition. In both the moive and the book he struggles to keep the rules of traddition while his daughters fight him to find happiness.

As an overall rating Active Rythym enjoyed the book far more than we enjoyed the movie because it had a better use of humor and a plot line you could follow.