Award-winning “Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles” to open documentary film series

By Richard Prosten, Associate Director, MCA Doc Films Group

The MCA/WCA documentary film series will kick off in early November with "Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles." The award-winner traces the history of the beloved Broadway musical "Fiddler on the Roof," from its conception to the iconic status it has enjoyed since it debuted over 50 years ago. This film is an unabashed love letter to the original.

Les Nizin and Patti Boochever, the heads of the MCA and WCA respectively, noted their delight that a production based on tradition will headline their groups' traditional collaborative effort to bring festival films to members without charge.

Participants will be offered a chance to view the film at their convenience, along with an opportunity to attend a followup Zoom session with Patti Kenner, the Executive Producer of "Miracle." Kenner, president of Campus Coach Lines in New York, is a member of many Jewish and artistic Foundation boards and a noted women's rights activist.

As many who appear in the film emphasize, a production about an elderly, impoverished, shtetl-bound Jewish milkman (Tevye) and his family, caught in the pogroms of early 1900's Ukraine — a musical no less — seemed an absurd undertaking when it was first proposed. Who would want to watch such a thing? And a documentary about a half-century old musical seemed equally improbable. Ideas so "far out" that any success they might enjoy would truly be a miracle.

"Miracle of Miracles" shows us how the original happened. Artfully pulling together interviews with, and performances by, the producers, writers, cast and crew of the original “Fiddler on the Roof” musical, the developers of this cinematic event provide an intimate view of the years-long creative process. We get to sit in on the interplay between Jerry Bock, who wrote the music, and Sheldon Harnick, the lyricist whose collaboration produced songs that became instant classics. They were simultaneously working with Joe Stein, who was writing the script — and all of them were concurrently reading Sholem Aleichim for inspiration and authenticity.

Joel Gray, one of the many storied directors that have staged the work (Gray's was in Yiddish), opens the film by asking, "What is it that makes it speak in so many languages and everybody thinks it's about them?" The film proceeds to show us just how universal the story is, collating clip upon clip of performances in unexpected locations and languages. Clips from productions as diverse as those of African-American high schoolers in Brooklyn and kids in Japan are among the examples offered. Oh yeah, talking of cross-culture, did you know that "If I Were a Rich Man" was covered by The Temptations? Watch the film for an amazing clip.

Others in the film note that many of the issues addressed by the original play are just as relevant today as they were in Tevye's shtetl over a century ago. Immigrants still flee persecution. Tevye's daughters yearn to be free to make choices for themselves instead of yielding to the whims of the matchmaker, and antiSemitism is a ubiquitous threat.

The MCA/WCA documentary screenings, which have been, dare we say, a tradition of the Naples area cultural circuit for many years, have had to adapt to the coronavirus. Instead of attending in-person screenings for over 300 members, viewers will watch the films on their own devices at their individual convenience.

Steve Brazina, the head of the Naples Doc Films group, sees the impact of the pandemic as mixed.

"We know there was a valued social component to our showings in the past. Unfortunately, we won't be able to enjoy and react to the films sitting together, but COVID-19 has moved us to add new features to the Doc Film experience. Our online, live interview/Q&A sessions with filmmakers, inaugurated last summer, have been a big hit. The Patti Kenner session should be a lot of fun and a great learning experience. She is a busy lady and we were lucky to secure her participation," says Brazina.

Brazina wants group members to know that reservations will be available starting on Oct. 15, when signups will be available through the MCA & WCA e-blasts. "By agreement with the distributor, the number of seats allocated to our organizations is limited," he noted, "so please, only one reservation per household."

If you’re interested in joining MCA, go to MCAnaples.org for more information.