Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Really Surprised!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

"Dr Zhivago" represents a sort of last hurrah for David Lean, whose works after that have spluttered into insignificance (including 1984's "A Passage to India"). The British-Italian production is an adaptation of Boris Pasternak's Russian novel, first published in the West after being smuggled out at the height of the Cold War--an intimate, sweeping, panoramic narrative which Lean specializes in, much like his earlier critical hit "Lawrence of Arabia". Lean was never the tightest of directors, his direction often have a stagey, theatrical feel to them; even in 1965 this movie feels just a bit old-fashioned, coming at a time when the French New Wave was in vogue. Overall the film delivers as the romance in Pasternak's novel is intriguing, production value is high, the musical themes are memorable, and many actors like Omar Sharif are well cast. Certainly "Dr Zhivago" isn't perfect but still works for moviegoers used to sumptuous, well crafted spectacles.My main criticism is that the movie feels more British than Russian. Pronounced British accents proliferated throughout, distracting to the very Russian narrative: Alec Guinness never really convinces as a "Russian" bureaucrat in his stiff upper-lip enunciations, while Ralph Richardson is also more English than Russian. While Omar Sharif and Geraldine Chaplin are excellently cast--Sharif especially bringing an earnest romanticism as the leading man--Julie Christie isn't at her best as capricious Lara. The rest of the cast are adequate. Zhivago's screenplay, penned by British playwright Robert Bolt, is on the long-winded side. The movie pits together massive resources--some which deliver onscreen, others which don't; the end product though, in 3 hour 20 minutes. still holds much attention. An old-fashioned, romanticized flick, "Dr Zhivago" feels more like a 1930s movie, but is nonetheless Lean through and through.

Doctor Zhivago (1965) Director: David Lean Watched: April 2018 Rating: 7/10 Lean's timeless epic In time, setting, cast, sheer scope- Without CGI Lush costumes and sets Grand cinematography Gorgeous winter scenes Read Nobel Prize book Find the real "Lara" poems Listen to soundtrack A love triangle Russia's tragic history Three wars, three hours Epic ambitions led to Characters hard to care for Haiku Sonnets are comprised of 4 3-line haiku plus a couplet of either 5 or 7 syllables, adding up to 14 lines, the same number of lines found in a sonnet. (5-7-5, 5-7-5, 5-7-5, 5-7-5, 7-7/5-5) #HaikuSonnet #PoemReview #BestCinematography #Classic #GoldenGlobesBestPicture #Epic #Russian

While not quite as good as David Lean's other masterpieces The Bridge on the River Kwai or Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago is still a stunning cinematic achievement. It has, much like the previously named titles, beautiful cinematography & an excellent score by Maurice Jarre once again.The most obvious and greatest thing about this film is definitely the cinematography. It is a beautiful film to look at, with many memorable scenes and extraordinary camera techniques ( Such as the one where it follows Rod Steiger's character sideways from room to room ). The shot right before Zhivago is picked up by the reds when trying to return to his wife is also one that springs to mind, a bit reminiscent of the final scene in The Third Man (1949), the shots of Varykino, the train ride, or any other shot in general of the beautiful winter scenery. It has critically acclaimed cinematography, and for good reason since it is one of the most beautiful movies you could ever see.However, i found that the performances seemed to be a bit flat in general. Omar Sharif doesn't have that ability to absord you as the audience into feeling a lot of sympathy for his character like Peter o'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia could or the raw natural acting talent that Alec Guinness and William Holden show in The Bridge on the River Kwai, except for the couple of teary eyed scenes which he pulled off extremely well. The two women in Zhivago's life, played by Julie Christie & Geraldine Chaplin, also seemed to be able to lack this strong screen presence most characters had in Lean's previous films. The only actors that really had excellent performances were probably Rod Steiger & Ralph Richardson, especially the former as the intelligent businessman. Ofcourse Alec Guinness is in this film too, but surprisingly he also seems a bit flat and does not quite compare to his great role in The Bridge on the River Kwai.The first half of the movie is a character piece whereas the second is more of a romance picture. It does a tremendous job of taking its time to properly set up its characters in the first half of the film, something that if often way too hasty these days. The second probably features more great shots, but still seems inferior to the first as a character development piece. Still, the second half is beautiful enough on its own and as a motion picture it is a stunning achievement.In the end this creates an epic atmospheric historical epic of a film, unfortunately devoid of the performances that made Lawrence of Arabia and The Bridge on the River Kwai stand out, but still a very worthy picture.

This is a film like no other. Set in a period of great strife in a place of cold violence and indifference. This is a love story and a story of revolution. This is a portrayal of what is worst in humankind and what is best. We have a love story that transcends the elements and carries on to future generations. These are excellent performances by Julie Christie and Omar Shariff and impeccable direction by David Lean, who has produced some of the greatest works of the cinema. As we travel the endless vistas of the Soviet landscape we are given a taste of the Russia of the time, but there is threat at every turn. The young Yuri is shown the ugliness of politics at an early age and must confront this throughout his life. He is a man of great courage and compassion. If you've never seen this, by all means do so.