The Fiddle (Der Fidle)

For those familiar, the name Sholem Aleichem evokes laughter, empathy, and nostalgia—even to those who did not grow up in Eastern Europe. He is, of course, the author of the short stories, from which the Broadway hit and feature film "Fiddler on the Roof" was born.

Did you know that the central figure from the play and movie—the fiddler—does not appear in Sholem Aleichem’s original story, “Tevye the Dairyman”? The name of the play, and the fiddler himself, were invented by the creators of the play, inspired by Marc Chagall's painting—The Fiddler on the Roof.

In the play, the fiddler is not a person, but a metaphor. He appears on a roof, playing the fiddle for Tevya the Dairyman whenever he's feeling down. The fiddle, which symbolizes the imbalance between tradition and the 'modern world,' haunts Tevya each time his daughters ignore his beloved traditions.

As Tevya says in the play:

"Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as...as...as a fiddler on the roof!"

Sholem Aleichem's other works are less popular, and less celebrated. Many of his stories focus on the lives of simple Jews in the shtetels of Russia.

When I discovered a book of short stories by Sholem Aleichem, I was immediately entranced. The stories seamlessly weave together irony, sadness, joy, and humor—while keeping Russian Yiddishkite alive.

But the story I kept coming back to was called "The Fiddle." The story is about a boy named Sholom who wanted nothing more than to play the fiddle. Sholom's father, however, adamantly opposed it. He was ashamed of Sholom's passion, and would not allow fiddle playing in his house.

The stories of "The Fiddle" and The Fiddler on the Roof needed to be brought together somehow. They connect quite perfectly—and after some deliberation, I turned the story of Sholom, the young starry-eyed fiddle fiend, into the childhood tale of the fiddler from The Fiddler on the Roof.

The music in "The Fiddle" is described as deeply emotional and colorful. As an animator and a musician, I found it an exciting challenge to bring the music to a visual format in classic animation technique.

While the theme of my movie may follow the story "The Fiddle," the overall vision is an homage to the collection of brilliant stories that Sholem Aleichem left behind.

The message I hope to convey through my movie is one which highlights the struggle for balance in our daily lives. Some people find that their passions challenge the norm, making them feel they are constantly swimming upstream.

Sholom's passion for music is the primary source of tension between himself and his father. Sholom's father is determined, and wishes that his only child should follow in his footsteps by getting married and studying, which was of course, tradition. Sholom, on the other hand, wants nothing more than to break away from his father's wishes and become a fiddler.

Sholom decides to follow his dreams. He escapes the arranged marriage to play the fiddle. He then enters a life which is unstable—unbalanced. Sholom does not belong here nor there. It is from Sholom's choice to break away that he becomes a symbol. Sholom represents the struggle to keep tradition. On one hand, the world is moving forward—on the other hand, tradition is what we lean on; it is our past.

There is no dialogue in the film. The narrator is Sholom as an adult, telling his childhood story. The narration is performed by the actor, Mike Burstyn. I chose to work with Mike, who has had not only a successful American film and stage career but has many years of experience in Yiddish theater and would surely do Sholom’s character justice.

The atmosphere of the film is light and humorous with a dark undertone. The free lines of animation technique symbolize Sholom's childish side, and the semi-monochromatic colors will express Sholom's passions which cannot be fully realized.

I am looking forward to bringing this colorful and enchanting story to wider audiences.