Sentiment mars the epic love story set against the backdrop of revolution as privileged Russian lifestyle crumbles.
A sweeping Technicolor epic, an approach to filmmaking beloved by director David Lean from the early 1960s onwards, Doctor Zhivago unravels its narrative over many decades as the orphaned Yuri Zhivago, adopted by the Gromeko family and raised in Moscow, trains as a doctor. With the expectation Yuri (Omar Sharif) will marry Tonya Gromeko (Geraldine Page), a comfortable lifestyle is mapped out for the couple. But a chance encounter with Lara (Julie Christie) is the beginning of an obsession by Zhivago for the beautiful 17 year-old as social unrest increases and the revolution takes hold. The Gromekos are forced out of their Moscow home for the isolated wilds of the Urals where, in spite of marriage and children, Zhivago’s love for Lara is rekindled when he discovers she has settled in nearby Yuriatin.
Huge in episodic scope, Doctor Zhivago demands investment of time in its 197 minute running time. The film looks spectacular with snowy wastes and unending plains but overriding sentimentalisation of the period and reductivism of the evolving social repositioning following the revolution makes Doctor Zhivago a romance of privilege born out of inconvenience.
Nominated for 10 Oscars in 1966 including best film, director, supporting actor (Tom Courtenay) won 5 for cinematography (Freddie Young), adapted script (Robert Bolt), art direction, costume and original score (Maurice Jarre).
Rating: 56%
Director: David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia, A Passage to India)
Writer: Robert Bolt (Lawrence of Arabia, A Man For All Seasons) – based on the novel by Boris Pasternak
Main cast: Omar Sharif (Lawrence of Arabia, Monsieur Ibrahim), Julie Christie (Darling, Away From Her), Geraldine Page (Nashville, Talk To Her)
*The second biggest box-office film in 1965, adjusted for inflation, Doctor Zhivago stands in the global top 10 most successful films of all time.*
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