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For this Friday Movie Night, first up is one of the great Hollywood musicals, and arguably the last of the classic era: Fiddler on the Roof (1971)! Enter the shitty world of 19th-century tsarist Russia as a Jewish peasant arranges the marriages of his three daughters, all the while having to deal with government-sanctioned persecution, up to and including pogroms. The stage version was a sensation in its day, and this film adaptation was up for a bunch of awards, scoring a Best Picture Oscar nomination, among others. Director is Norman Jewison, who also did Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), which we previously watched, as well as In the Heat of the Night (1967) and Moonstruck (1987). Strap in, it’s gonna be a long one; at least it has an intermission.

After that is Czech absurdist comedy Happy End (1967), the simple tale of a man’s execution for murdering his wife. Well, it would be simple, except that the entire movie is shown in reverse, including the dialogue, leading to some brain-melting twists and turns. It pretty much did Tenet (2020) over 50 years beforehand and with tongue placed firmly in cheek. This is the best-known and best-regarded film of director Oldrich Lipsky, and is considered one of the best films of the Czech New Wave. Looks cool; let’s check it out.

We’ll start at 8PM EST on Hextube, right here:

https://live.hexbear.net/c/movies

Be there, comrades!

Letterboxd:

  • Fiddler on the Roof: https://letterboxd.com/film/fiddler-on-the-roof/
  • Happy End: https://letterboxd.com/film/happy-end-1967/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

  • Fiddler on the Roof: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/9589
  • Happy End: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061029/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg

CWs for Fiddler on the Roof:

  • Domestic violence.
  • Alcohol abuse.
  • Injured horse.
  • Dead animal.
  • A woman is surrounded by men who intend to r*pe her, but someone intervenes before anything happens.
  • Someone is crushed to death.
  • Antisemitism.
  • Pogroms.
  • Ghosts.
  • Spitting.
  • Crying baby.
  • Broken fourth wall.
  • Fat jokes.
  • Age gap.
  • Arranged marriage.
  • Homelessness.
  • Sad ending.

CWs for Happy End:

  • Cheating.
  • Sex (offscreen).
  • Dismemberment.
  • Decapitation.
  • Blood and gore.
  • Guillotine.
  • Profanity.
  • Smoking.
  • Drunkenness.
  • Domestic violence; the film is about a man who murders his wife.
  • Suicide attempt.

Links to movies:

  • Fiddler on the Roof: https://tankie.tube/w/5vaWzXFbgdSgZYjYMhWPRc
  • Happy End: https://tankie.tube/w/wRqorUEwzegMKWeYgaUu5u