Sholem Aleichem's tale of Tevye the Milkman had been filmed twice previously, but it was the hit Broadway musical version that became this spectacularly heart-warming United Artists movie in 1971. As the Russian Jew touching trying to conserve his heritage against all the odds, the role became a personal triumph for Israel's Chaim Topol. Ossie Morris won an Oscar for his Panavision photography, shooting through a nylon stocking lens to achieve an authentic period look, as did music maestro John Williams for the magnificent soundtrack featuring violin genius Isaac Stern playing for the symbolic fiddler.