Rating: 
Summary: Truly one of the greatest movies ever made.
Review: Both Boris Pasternak's extraordinary novel and David Lean's magnificent film version are among my favorites of all-time. The story is basically about a poet/physician (Omar Sharif) who loves two women--his adoring wife, Tonya (Geraldine Chapin), and his enigmatic mistress, Lara (Julie Christie)--through the events of World War I and the Russian Revolution. Robert Bolt's screenplay balances the political upheaval with exquisite, heartwrenching romance--one of the few films to succeed at this level. Lean, who seemed to make a specialty of making films about illicit love (Brief Encounter, Summertime, etc.), also works a tightrope, giving the film the necessary grandeur and sweep required for an epic while never losing sight of the intimacy of the characters. He is aided considerably by a magnificent cast: Sharif, despite or perhaps because of his Egyptian background, provides the perfect perspective of an individual observing things around him, each time as if it were new--it's a wonderful performance; Christie is simply luminescent; Chaplin nicely understated; and there's terrific support from Alec Guinness, Rod Steiger, Tom Courtney, etc. What makes Zhivago a must on DVD is the awe-inspiring cinematography of Freddie Young, who deservedly won the Academy Award. I was lucky to see Zhivago at a theater, on the big screen proper, several years ago when it was re-issued; unbelievably, the DVD transfer here is even BETTER!!! There are shots in this film that are simply jaw-dropping beautiful. Doctor Zhivago is, like the book it's based on, a challenging film that will reward the viewer with one of their most extraordinary cinematic experiences.
Rating:
Summary: Life was madness in revolutionary Russia...
Review: ..but life went on nontheless, and this long and twisting story is redemptive and moving and completely worthwhile for its humanity and portrayal of bravery. Boris Pasternak, the story's author, was born in Moscow before the revolution and tells of the tragedy masterfully. Doctor Zhivago represents the thin flame of humanity and, ultimately, sanity in a society beset by madness. Omar Shariff performance conveys this human dignity flawlessly, with his burning eyes. Lara, Zhivago's second love played by Julie Christie is equalled by Tonya, played by Geraldine Chaplin for their beauty and brave kindness in the face of their descent into sadness and sorrow. And the film is radiant, with stunning colors, facinating period costumes, and a good deal of symbolic and cinemtographic experimentation that makes the film much more than a shmaltzy epic. With this DVD version, you can watch the 3 hour and 20 minute movie once, then watch the entire thing again with a commentary track. The bonus DVD is loaded with historical and film documentaries. Buy this film, it's an inspiration.
Rating:
Summary: A exceptional romantic extrapolation of the novel
Review: I have to confess that when I read the book I was unimpressed with the character of Dr. Zhivago: he struck me as a shnook, weak-willed and narcissistic. Lean's movie (perhaps to Pasternak's outrage) totally transformed the character to one far more palatable: poetic, romantic, with great artistic depth and quiet strength. As a result, the attitude of the proletariet characters toward him (almost identical to mine towards the book's character) are suffused with great irony. This movie is not only a great cinematic poem; it is also filled with observant yet sympathetic social and political commentary, as lush as that of any Russian novel I've read. But of course, the greatest appeal remains with the central character, who represents the artistic ideal: the light on the landscape outside the dingy window that we can only glimpse and sigh at as we toil.
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking Romance Set Against The Horrors Of Revolution
Review: David Lean's masterpiece "Doctor Zhivago", is a cinematic journey into the yesteryear world of movie making on a scale of lavishness and grandeur largely unheard of nowadays. With no expense spared on transferring this unforgettable love story to the screen, even now almost 40 years on this film still amazes me with it's sheer artistry and outstanding qualities in every department. I see it as one of the greatest classics to come out of the 1960's combining as it does a perfect marriage of romance, tragedy, human emotion and passion, all set against the terrifying upheavels of one of the most significant periods in modern history, in this case the Russian Revolution. Such a film as this only comes along rarely. "Doctor Zhivago", tells its story in a long flashback from the Russia of the 1960's. General Yevgraf Zhivago (Alec Guiness in another superb role), is searching for his half brother's lost child and believes he has found her (Rita Tushingham) at a power plant somewhere in Central Russia. During his examination of her he recalls the story of her possible parents, the idealistic, poetry writing young doctor Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif) and the mysterious Lara (Julie Christie), the beautiful girl who won Yuri's heart but who vanished into Stalin's labour camps never to be heard of again. The flashback now takes us back to Pre Revolutionnary Russia where the orphaned Yuri is taken in by the wealthy Gromenko family of Moscow. We see Yuri train to become a successful doctor and eventually marry the Gromenko's lovely daughter Tonya (Geraldine Chaplin in her adult debut). War and revolution however sweep away Yuri's comfortable life as we witness the horrors of the great war and then the outbreak of the Russian Revolution. Working in a military hospital at the front Yuri encounters Lara again who is working as a field nurse and finds himself instantly drawn to her beauty and quiet strength of character. Yuri is torn between his love for Lara and his commitment to Tonya back in Moscow. Peace is declared and the two part company determined to get on with their lives. Yuri however finds that much has changed in his absence from Moscow as the Soviets have seized his home and moved in a large number of factory workers with his family now reduced to living in a couple of rooms of their former home. Starvation and deprevation are the harsh realities of life in Communist Russia and now Yuri encounters his half brother who warns him that the party does not look kindly on his free thinking poetry and have him targeted as an enemy of the new order in Russia. Moving to the country to escape possible persecution Yuri by chance encounters Lara now living on her own in the local town. The two reignite their passion for each other until Yuri is captured by the Red Army and taken away to provide medical assistance to them in the bloody civil war that is now tearing Russia apart. After much hardship he escapes and returns to Lara only to experience the unwelcome reappearance of Lara's old suitor Victor Komarovsky who informs the couple that they are about to be the next targets of the Soviet regime. He offers to take them to safety via the Orient but Yuri, concerned about Lara's safety allows Komarvosky to take her and her daughter on ahead but does not follow thus never seeing her again. "Doctor Zhivago", is certainly an ambitious effort and one of the high water marks in film making in any decade. It boasts impeccable credits such as a fine literary source in the classic novel by Boris Pasternack, able direction with obvious reverence for the source material by the gifted David Lean, the hauntingly majestic "Lara's theme" by composer Maurice Jarre, and outstanding cinematography by Freddie Young. The superb cast is centred around Omar Sharif ideally cast in the best role of his career. Never has he been better than as the young doctor who is changed forever by war and revolution. Equally outstanding are Julie Christie in the role she is still best remembered for as the enigmatic Lara, Sir Ralph Richardson,brilliant as the long suffering head of the Gromenko family, Geraldine Chaplin as Tonya the ever loving wife of Yuri, and Tom Courtney as the ruthless revolutionary Strelnikov. The beautiful visuals used in this film also help enhance this unforgettable story with the wonderful location photography in Spain standing in for Russian landscapes. The many exciting and beautifully realised sequences in "Doctor Zhivago" constantly keep the viewers attention such as the brutal battle scenes in the frozen ice of the Russian Steppes, the frantic train escape from Moscow, and the scenes in the peaceful expances of Siberia with its daffodils and Silver Birch trees. The whole spectrum of violence, terror and beauty are captured in this one story make a viewing of "Doctor Zhivago", an awe inspiring journey. Daid Lean displayed a genius in transferring a complex literary work onto the screen and a better screen version of the sprawling novel could not be achieved in my opinion. Every time I hear the hauntingly beautiful "Lara's Theme" I'm automatically transported back to this romantic story set in Russia and to images of daffodils and ice covered houses in the snow. For all lovers of romance "Doctor Zhivago", is unsurpassed entertainment of the first order and always manages to stir up all kinds of emotions which each screening. An outstanding viewing experience.
Rating:
Summary: A Timeless Classic
Review: "Doctor Zhivago" with Omar Sharif and Julie Christie is almost forty years old, yet it seems as fresh today as it did in 1965. Boris Pasternak's book was epic in scope and I think director David Lean made the best choice when he decided to film the movie version as an epic rather than as an intimate love story between Yuri and Lara. This is the story of a doomed, but beautiful, love and Lean captures its essence so well. Omar Sharif was perfectly cast as Yuri Zhivago although, at times, I wish the scriptwriters would have made him a bit more of the poet than physician. Julie Christie was also the perfect Lara. She was more beautiful in this film than in any other and it's easy to see why Zhivago, Kamarovsky and Antipov were all in love with her, each in his own way and why Tonya admired her, even after realizing her own adored husband loved Lara. I loved Rod Steiger's portrayal of Kamarovksy. I know people who preferred the miniseries version because Kamarovsky was more "human" and "softer" but I don't think Kamarovsky was "soft." At least not on the exterior. He loved Lara, to be sure, but he didn't care what happened to Yuri Zhivago. Personally, I didn't care for Geraldine Chaplin as Tonya, but that's a quibble with me where this film is concerned. She played her part well and was quite believable. The cinematography in this film is perhaps the most beautiful ever filmed. The springtime fields of daffodils nodding in the breeze, the majesty of the Urals, the forest where Yuri meets Strelnikov, the snow-covered, ice-laden "summerhouse" where Yuri and Lara spend some of their happiest (and unhappiest) times are simply unforgettable in their beauty and their grandeur. The script was perfect, the timing was perfect and the score was the perfect accompaniment. "Doctor Zhivago" is a movie I watch regularly and I always will. The emotions it depicts are timeless, the doomed love between Yuri and Lara is perfectly captured by Sharif and Christie. It is truly one of the most beautiful stories ever filmed.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: This movie was absolutely amazing. Everything from the soundtrack to the settings were perfectly done. The actors are all excellent and the director was really able to represent the horrors of the Revolution in a way that we can all understand. I would definitely recommend this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Zhivago's Love, Suffering and Tragedy
Review: Film Name: Doctor Zhivago (1965) 3 Hours 17 Minutes
Actor: Omar Sharif as Yuri Zhivago, Tom Courtenay as Pasha Antipova/Strelnikov
Actress: Julie Christie as Lara, Geraldine Chaplin as Zhivago's wife Tonya
Director: David Lean
Format: Color, Dolby
Rated: PG-13
Release Date: 1965 30th Anniversary Edition
Based on the Novel written by: Boris Pasternak
Genre: Epic/Classic/Romance This movie is based on the revolution in Russia in the early 1900's. The story is being told by Zhivago's half brother that is looking for his niece. It is about a man that lost his
parents at an early age but was taken in by friends of his fathers. Zhivago becomes a doctor and marries Tonya. He is a man of peace and loves his country (Russia). Doctor Zhivago endures suffering and tragedy throughout the revolution, surviving freezing temperatures and going without food. He and his family endures degradation by having to share their home with thirteen other families and going without fuel for their stove. Doctor Zhivago is based on the novel written by Boris Pasternak and is a story about Pasternak's life. It is a heartbreaking film that makes you wonder how anyone could endure the harsh, cold winters of Russia and the cruel and unjust treatment by their fellow Russians. I recommend this movie to everyone. It will make you very proud and thankful to live in America.
Rating:
Summary: Epic romance by the king of epic films
Review: David Lean's "Doctor Zhivago" had a difficult task when it was released, following two of the greatest films ever made in "Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Lawrence of Arabia." That is stands up so well to those two titans is impressive indeed. "Doctor Zhivago," based on the novel of the same name, is a tale of love, loss and life during the Russian Revolution. Grand in scope (do we expect anything but from David Lean?) yet personal in scale, the film is less a point A to point B story as it is snippets of a man's life, the trials he faces and the women he loves. At three hours and twenty minutes, this is a long film. We linger in seemingly small moments of life. The first hour is spent simply setting up the cast of characters whose lives will become so intertwined later, or whose unexpected appearance will startle us late in the film. Yet rarely does the film feel slow. The pace, while deliberate, works. The sweep of the landscape and scope of the story is epic in proportions. We see stunning vistas and gorgeous landscapes; sprawling masses of people; a beautifully rendered Moscow; and locations that are a joy to see. Others have mentioned that "Doctor Zhivago" comes from the same realm of storytelling as "Gone With The Wind." That is an accurate assessment. Lean pulls out a series of great directing tricks, with stylish cinematography and cuts on par with "Lawrence of Arabia's" famous match-to-desert cut, giving this film a number of memorable filmmaking moments. Movie fans should be thankful that once again, one of Lean's classic films have been given a worthy DVD release. The quality on this special edition DVD release is wonderful. An impeccable image with vibrant colors and fantastic clarity, as well as rich sound, this will look great on any home theater. The only disappointment is that the film is on a two-sided "flipper" disc. If they don't bother you, great; they bother me, and so I mention it. The second disc of extras is jam-packed with great material, in depth looks at the film, interviews and plenty of shorter featurettes. A worthy collection of behind the scenes material by any measure. Epic storytelling fully remastered in a great package, all by the incomparable David Lean? No question, this is a must buy for fans of epic romance.
Rating: 
Summary: BORING
Review: I have a confession to make. I didn't finish the movie. It was so uninteresting. If you cannot even make it to the second tape that says something. I can watch long movies, I've never had a problem with that. I watched THE DEER HUNTER, CASINO, JFK, and THE GODFATHER films. So as you can see I can handle long movies. But DOCTOR Z is not my cup of tea.
Rating:
Summary: really great
Review: Everything about this movie is really great: its length, its story, its cast, its drama and its shots. Even the music is worth mentioning: in particular 'Lara's theme', its title melody, has been with us since 1965. Since then many new-born West European girls have been named Lara, by the way.
Knowledge about Russian/European history from some 100 years ago does help to appreciate this movie. But even without such knowledge I guess 'Dr. Zhivago' is worth watching. Another testimony to its greatness.
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