Doctor Zhivago (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Told in a scheme of elaborate flashbacks, this romance/political saga, 'Doctor Zhivago' (based on a Nobel Prize-winning novel & directed by the great David Lean, Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia) covers the years prior to, during, & after the Russian Revolution, as seen through the eyes of poet-turned-doctor Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif) & his adoring wife, Tonya Gromeko (newcomer Geraldine Chaplin, daughter of Charlie). She loves him deeply, & he loves her. But during WWI, he fatefully crosses paths with the beautiful Lara Antipova (Julie Christie), a dressmaker's daughter who has been raped by his mother's lover/ruthless politician Victor Komarovsky (Rod Steiger). With time, Yuri & Lara serve together at the battlefront as medics (he, a noble doctor; she, a kindly nurse).
And, of course, they fall passionately in love. Their forbidden affair is interrupted, however, by the beginnings of the brutal Bolshevik Revolution. All the while, Zhivago's half-brother Gen.Yevgraf Zhivago (Sir Alec Guinness) & the idealistic, yet revenge-seeking reformer Pasha Strelnikov (a great Tom Courtenay) represent the positive & negative elements of said Bolshevik Revolution. Yuri must choose btwn. his wife & his mistress, though the political turmoil of the period also forces him to make some hard decisions to survive in the newly established regime. Melodrama of the highest order ensues.
'Doctor Zhivago' is what you call ... epic. I mean, when you have: director David Lean, a 3 hour + running time, a story spanning many years during a revolution, the great Omar Sharif, gorgeous Julie Christie, thespians like Alec Guinness, Ralph Richardson, & Tom Courtenay ... you've got quite the motion picture on your hands. Freddie Young's cinematography is simply exquisite. The Russian winters look fitfully stark, yet beautiful. Close-ups of Julie Christie are painterly. The production design is mind-blowing; I'm reminded of the palace encased in ice & snow. Phyllis Dalton's costumes are ornate (I'm reminded of all the hats & boots). And Maurice Jarre's musical score is as memorable, sweeping, & sentimental as you can get. Like I said, this movie looks, feels, & sounds Epic with a capital "E".
Julie Christie lends a subtle intensity & sensuousness to Lara. You can almost {I'll explain later} see why a normally stand-up man such as Dr. Zhivago could potentially leave an already happy marriage for her. She's stunning & beguiling. Omar Sharif impresses - as he did in 'Lawrence of Arabia' - in the titular role. Rod Steiger is stellar as the manipulative, disgusting man who rapes Lara, yet, winds up becoming the lovers' dubious benefactor. And Tom Courtenay would be my Best Supporting Actor Oscar win for his role as Strelnikov. By his final scene, you see how cold Strelnikov has become due to the war. Courtenay provides a great character arc from warm & idealistic to slowly becoming dangerous & a hollow shell of a man.
On the whole, I don't think that this film merits its 197 minute running time. I admire the film. And I think it is one of the 'greats' of the 1960s. But there are more than a few occasions where dramatic momentum stalls. Like many 3 hour + films ... this one is overlong. Also, as a basic plot element, it is a tad difficult to comprehend how Zhivago would betray a loving marriage for an extramarital fling; no matter how wonderful Lara is. But I digress - it's all part of the story; and you wither go with it or you don't. Bloated, to an extent, 'Doctor Zhivago' is also an involving saga of a spectacular nature that David Lean is now known to provide.
And, of course, they fall passionately in love. Their forbidden affair is interrupted, however, by the beginnings of the brutal Bolshevik Revolution. All the while, Zhivago's half-brother Gen.Yevgraf Zhivago (Sir Alec Guinness) & the idealistic, yet revenge-seeking reformer Pasha Strelnikov (a great Tom Courtenay) represent the positive & negative elements of said Bolshevik Revolution. Yuri must choose btwn. his wife & his mistress, though the political turmoil of the period also forces him to make some hard decisions to survive in the newly established regime. Melodrama of the highest order ensues.
'Doctor Zhivago' is what you call ... epic. I mean, when you have: director David Lean, a 3 hour + running time, a story spanning many years during a revolution, the great Omar Sharif, gorgeous Julie Christie, thespians like Alec Guinness, Ralph Richardson, & Tom Courtenay ... you've got quite the motion picture on your hands. Freddie Young's cinematography is simply exquisite. The Russian winters look fitfully stark, yet beautiful. Close-ups of Julie Christie are painterly. The production design is mind-blowing; I'm reminded of the palace encased in ice & snow. Phyllis Dalton's costumes are ornate (I'm reminded of all the hats & boots). And Maurice Jarre's musical score is as memorable, sweeping, & sentimental as you can get. Like I said, this movie looks, feels, & sounds Epic with a capital "E".
Julie Christie lends a subtle intensity & sensuousness to Lara. You can almost {I'll explain later} see why a normally stand-up man such as Dr. Zhivago could potentially leave an already happy marriage for her. She's stunning & beguiling. Omar Sharif impresses - as he did in 'Lawrence of Arabia' - in the titular role. Rod Steiger is stellar as the manipulative, disgusting man who rapes Lara, yet, winds up becoming the lovers' dubious benefactor. And Tom Courtenay would be my Best Supporting Actor Oscar win for his role as Strelnikov. By his final scene, you see how cold Strelnikov has become due to the war. Courtenay provides a great character arc from warm & idealistic to slowly becoming dangerous & a hollow shell of a man.
On the whole, I don't think that this film merits its 197 minute running time. I admire the film. And I think it is one of the 'greats' of the 1960s. But there are more than a few occasions where dramatic momentum stalls. Like many 3 hour + films ... this one is overlong. Also, as a basic plot element, it is a tad difficult to comprehend how Zhivago would betray a loving marriage for an extramarital fling; no matter how wonderful Lara is. But I digress - it's all part of the story; and you wither go with it or you don't. Bloated, to an extent, 'Doctor Zhivago' is also an involving saga of a spectacular nature that David Lean is now known to provide.