Rating: 
Summary: GOOD BUT NOT GREAT TRANSFER OF LEAN'S EPIC LOVE STORY!
Review: "Doctor Zhivago" is the epic tale of a poet who marries but cheats on his wife. Largely panned by the critics upon its theatrical release, the public took to the film for obvious reasons, not the least of which was Maurice Jarre's immortal "Lara's Theme". You have to appreciate the film for what it is, a love story, instead of hoping for it to become something it never will, a definitive look at the Russian revolution. Omar Shariff, Julie Christie, Rod Steiger, Ralph Richardson, Rita Tushingham and Geraldine Chaplin are all amply suited for their roles. Travelogue enthusiasts will not be disappointed though I must ruin things a little to tell you that none of the film was actually shot in 'Mother Russia'! Sorry.
Warner Home Video has given us a deluxe 2-disc special edition that, while a nice effort, rather falls short of expectations. The film has been remastered from restored elements but suffers from edge enhancement and aliasing problems that are quite distracting in several scenes. Colors are nicely balanced though and contrast levels are very well represented. As for extras, the documentary isn't all it's cracked up to be, with Omar Shariff pretty much hogging the screen in his remeniscences about director David Lean and the rest of the cast. There's also the original making-of featurette, some outtake footage, interviews and theatrical trailers. Overall, a let down, considering that David Lean's following in the years since his death continues to grow.
Rating: 
Summary: Powerful cinematography
Review: Like so many of the great films actually made by Russian filmmakers, David Lean's adaptation of "Doctor Zhivago" is best when the camera tells the story. This film is full of such memorable images, including the ice palace, the weeping sunflowers, the red train carrying Pasha. The story, however, is a little long, and it takes nearly two hours before you see Zhivago and his great love, Lara, together.
What's most surprising about this film, however, is the fact that it resonates with you. The story is almost like a soap opera (except Zhivago really does love both his wife and Lara), but once the film is over and you've sat through all three hours and twenty minutes, you feel as though you've really witnessed something spectacular. That's the essence of a good film, I guess.
Rating: 
Summary: Sweeping love story set during the Russian Revolution
Review: This 1965 film certainly is an epic. Adapted from the novel by Boris Pasternak and directed by David Lean, it is about the Russian Revolution. It is also a sweeping love story.Omar Sharif is cast as Yuri Zhivago, who is not only a physician, but a poet as well. He loves his wife, played by Geraldine Chaplin. But he also loves another woman, Julie Christie, who is married to a political activist and is also beholden to her former lover and mentor played by Road Steiger. Everyone experiences hardships during the revolution, especially Doctor Zhivago and his wife because they were formerly of the upper class. In one scene in particular, when they are fleeing to the countryside with their young son, they are crowded with more than dozen others into a train car where they have to stay in their berths for a full 11 days, where soup is served from a large central pot, and where they have to use the straw on the floor of the car as a bathroom. Most of the scenes are set in the snow and the cold. It is masterfully done, especially one scene in which all the furnishings in an abandoned house are covered in snow. I was surprised to learn that it was filmed in Spain, where a set had to be constructed to look like Moscow at the time of the revolution. This film was produced in 1965, at the height of the cold war. The film's impact must have been a good lesson in history for audiences too. Even though the film was over 100 minutes long, I was never bored. I was swept up in the story and what would happen next. And the overlapping love stories introduced a very interesting element. Acting was excellent, so good in fact that they really lived and breathed their parts and I ceased thinking about their performances and just let the drama unfold. Considering that there was a whole disk in the DVD set devoted to special features, I was expecting some interesting interviews. However, they were all fluff promotional pieces and didn't really add any insight into the film itself. It didn't matter though, because Dr. Zhivago, as a movie classic, stood on its own. Definitely recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Great Romantic Epics Are Not Made Like This Anymore
Review: 1965: Doctor Zhivago won numerous Oscars ands swept audiences with its lush cinematography, superb drama, graphic historic portrayal of Russia during the 1918 revolution and its sublime romanticism. It was precisely for its frank depiction of the Russian Revolution, and rise of Communism, that Russian writer Boris Pasternak was censored by Russian critics. For years his novel and his poetry were banned. By 1965, Pasternak's novel and poetry was published and Doctor Zhivago was made into a stunning film. It starred Omar Shariff as the eponymous doctor, Geraldine Chaplin as his wife, Julie Christie as his mistress, and Alec Guiness as a military detective. The musical score to the film was composed by Maurice Jarre. Doctor Zhivago is right up there with such romantic epics as Gone With The Wind and Titanic, most recently. It is an engaging and poetic tale of raw human emotion. The film begins in the last days of glittering, Imperial Russia. Doctor Zhivago is a brilliant doctor by profession and practice, a romantic poet by heart. He is married to Tonya, who gives birth to his first born son, Zasha. Julie Christie portrays Lara, the young woman who escapes an abusive relationship with a cruel older man and ends up as a nurse during the war. Here, she meets Doctor Zhivago and they fall in love. Adultery and extramarital relationships have been romanticized by films and literature before. It is not to be judged harshly, for romantic love comes in all forms. In the case of Doctor Zhivago, Lara becomes a source of inspiration and a lasting love. He does not, however, turn away his love for his wife, Tonya. In fact, if you take a good look at the film (or perhaps read the novel in my perspective), you will discover that Zhivago loves two women equally. He is in love with both his wife and his mistress. It is one of the most romantic tales of adultery, or for that matter, polyamorous romance. There is an impressive scene in which Zhivago, lost and wandering a landscape covered in snow during a storm, calls out to both Tonya and Lara, as he believes he is dying. The idea is that, if one is at the verge of death, loved ones come to mind. The Impressionist style of cinematography helps to fuel the romanticism, especially striking are the landscapes of rural Russia in the winter and the spring. The shot with Zhivago looking at the field of sunflowers is particularily memorable. After the hardship and terror of war, in a vein similar to Gone With The Wind, Zhivago manages to keep himself, his wife and his child alive. Lara gives birth to a daughter by Zhivago, a young woman who later grows up without knowing the story of her father's romance with Lara. Zhivago dies, but saves the two women he loves from immediate danger. When his daughter by Lara begins to wonder about her father, Alec Guiness investigates through rummaging photoprahps and Zhivago's poetry, which, most suspect are dedicated to Lara, but I personally believe he was writing to both women, and in short, praising the power of love. The music is composed by Maurice Jarre, and this film made popular the romantic "Lara's Theme" which makes use of string orchestra and balalaika, the Russian folk guitar that Zhivago used to play as a boy and eventually his daughter by Lara learns to play. "Then it is a gift" says Alec Guiness as the film concludes.
Rating:
Summary: Can I Give This A 6 Stars
Review: Many years past, Dr Zhivago is still on the top of my favorite movie list. I remember seeing this probably more than 4 times now - first time in cinema when I was young, then on video tapes, LD, and now on DVD. I cannot find any single thing to critize. The directing of David Lean, acting by Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Rod Steider, the screenplay and cinematography are absolutely perfect. I also remember that I was actually amazed when I first watched the movie in the cinema as a young boy - how could such a masterpiece be produced ?? A must see all time classic. I probably will watch another two times on DVD this year. I am giving an overall rating of A+, my highest in my rating scale.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Film Maker at His Peak
Review: In the middle part of the last century, director David Lean created a series of wide screen movies that would set the highest standard for this relatively new format. Starting with 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' and then the stunning 'Lawrence of Arabia', Lean used his exraordinary gift for artistic visualization to transform two stories about courageous men performing exraordinary deeds of daring into classic, eye-filling films. The followup to 'Lawrence of Arabia' was 'Doctor Zhivago', adapted from the novel by the Russian poet, Boris Pasternak. The book was banned by the government of what was then the Soviet Union and was originally publised in Italy. It is written in the style of the classic Russian novelists, reminiscent of Tolstoy, creating a large cast of characters whose lives intertwine as they are swept along by historical events, in this case the First World War and the Russian Revolution. The book seemed to be tailor-made for the style of epic film-making that Lean had developed in the two previous films. But there are one or two major differences between 'Doctor Zhivago' and the two classics that preceded it. Once again, the characters lives are shaped by historical events. But for the most part, the characters in Doctor Zhivago are ordinary people who are helplessly swept along in the tides of the times. There is no T. E. Lawrence towering over the action, taking charge and playing a major role in the shaping of events. There are few iron-willed men among the main characters, determined to outwit and subvert an enemy that oppresses them as in 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'. Instead the title character is an upper middle-class doctor and poet, a family man whose personal struggles with survival and his own conscience make up the main storyline of 'Doctor Zhivago'. Another major difference from Lean's two previous masterpieces is the presence of female characters and the story of Zhivago's love for two very different women. It may be that the romantic aspect of 'Doctor Zhivago' is the reason why many reviewers have rated it slightly below the two previous films. Male reviewers in particular may have had a tendency to classify 'Zhivago' as 'soap opera' and have taken a somewhat disparaging attitude toward it. But the reality is that 'Doctor Zhivago' is one of the great films of the 1960s and one of the great screen epics of all time. The love story humanizes the film and the characters leave a deeper impression than they do in 'Lawrence' and 'Bridge'. Omar Shariff brings great sensitivity to the role of Yuri Zhivago, the poet who is more an observer than a man of action. Zhivago's emotions flicker across Shariff's face and are beautifully reflected in his large and soulful brown eyes. Geraldine Chaplin was a newcomer to movies when she played Yuri's wife, Tonia, a woman raised in luxury whose appearance and demeanor suggest a finely made porcelain figurine but whose strength and backbone are the main forces that help her family survive the privations and terrors of the Revolution. Julie Christie is exquisite as Lara, a girl raised in poverty who crosses paths with Zhivago who falls hopelessly in love with her. Christie's Lara is by turns innocent, vulnerable, fiery, strong and passionate, a complex characterization beautifully realized in a truly fine performance. Lara's despoiler is the Machiavellian Victor Komarovsky, perfectly portrayed by Rod Steiger as a man of shrewd intelligence and very few scruples. The cast is rounded out by veteran actors such as Ralph Richardson & Siobhan McKenna with standout performances from Tom Courtenay as the man Lara marries to escape Komarovsky and who later becomes the merciless Commander Strelnikov and Alec Guiness as Yuri's half-brother Evgraf Zhivago, an official in the fledgling Communist regime. These characters play out their stories against a backdrop of sweeping battle scenes, vast snow covered landscapes and meticulously detailed settings that depict the time and place, giving the viewer an amazingly complete sense of Russia in the early 20th century. Lean once again teamed with cinematographer Freddie Young who so beautifully photographed the vast grandeur of the Sahara desert in 'Lawrence of Arabia' to make 'Zhivago' into yet another feast for the eyes. And Maurice Jarre's moving score sets the whole story to beautiful soul-stirring music making the film an aural delight as well. The score features an entire section of balalaikas, an instrument that tugs at the heartstrings and gives great poignancy and depth to the music, particularly the popular 'Lara's Theme', a beautiful melodic piece that is the musical expression of Yuri's passionate love for Lara. Unfortunately 'Lara's Theme' has been trivialized over the years by over-exposure and schlocky renditions. The original treatment of this theme in the film is ravishing. If you're looking for a fast-moving action flick, or a testosterone-driven war movie, you will want to skip 'Doctor Zhivago'. It isn't your cup of tea. But if you feel like sitting back with some popcorn on a rainy afternoon to enjoy an eye and ear-filling movie with a story that will stir your soul and move you to tears, by all means, pick up 'Doctor Zhivago', settle in and prepare to be swept away. You will want to own this movie to enjoy it again and again. It is truly a timeless classic from one of the greatest directors of the last century.
Rating:
Summary: Epic, heroic, and finally, a love story
Review: Doctor Zhivago is a romantic idealist whose chosen profession becomes a bane to his existence and true happiness and whose eyes well up with sensitivity at human suffering. Less a flawless Hollywood hero than the Russian ideal of a savior from harsh revolution and communism, Zhivago is a bourgeoisie who cares for the lower classes and writes beautiful poetry. Zhivago's only lapse in honor comes as a result of love and passion; a peaceful man, his biggest fight come between passion and fidelity. The relationship between Zhivago and Lara may perhaps reflect the longing of a harmonious coexistence between the bourgeois and proleteriat classes -- almost socialist, but not cruel. I love the score, which soars up and down emotionally. almost like the Urals the Zhivagos escape to.
Rating:
Summary: A sweeping epic, but not for the ADD-prone.
Review: This is a sweeping, magnificent epic, and I can't think of a single thing wrong with it: great actors, terrific cinematography, beautiful score, interesting and intriguing story. Russophiles such as myself will adore it! But if you have ADD or are easily confused by intricate story lines and flashbacks, I would caution against this movie. This is one you need to follow closely or you will lose track of its direction. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Dr. Zhivago a classic mistake?
Review: Dr. Zhivago is not a classic that I feel everyone should watch.The plot is mediocre at best and is very predictable. While I could see the "surprises" coming a mile away it also had a very confusing and strange story the way they cut from scene to scene without explainations.
The music is also not my style. It is very good classical music but it doesnt seem to fit the soap opera style of film. The actors and actresses are very good but the characters are clearly defined and change personalities from scene to scene.
Dr. Zhivago is a seemingly caring husband and father but Lara changes that. Omar Sharif who plays Yuri Shivago does a marvellous job at portraying a poet-doctor in the throes of war but it doesn't offset the horrible script. Lara is the person in Yuri's life who inspires poetry.
The cinematography is extremlly well done. It captures the tone of the movie in a way the actors couldn't. Every scene is highlighted by the great cinematography and brings the whole movie up. The best scene is the protest scene. The camera starts by showing the whole mob then slowly pans to the leaders. When the soldiers come it reflects their fear and panic by showing the panic and unordered retreat.
This movie is not my favorite and i wouldn't recommend it to people who get lost in intricate plot twisrs. It is almost worth it to see the wonderful cinematography. Rated:PG-13, Runing time 3 hours 17 minutes.
Rating: 
Summary: Doctor Zhivago
Review: I am writing this review for my film appreciation class at Lowry High School in Winnemucca Nevada.
Doctor Zhivago was a very long an boring movie (3 hours-17 minutes)! I just kept on going without having any exciting parts to it. At times it was hard to understand what was going on. I don't even know what the point of it was.
The only good part about this movie was some of the scenery. The snow, trees and mountains looked pretty good. The photography was exceptional The movie needs to have a better plot to it.
The only part i really understood about the movie was that Lara (Julie Christie) was Doctor Zhivago's(Omar Sharif) mistress.
I wouldn't recommend watching this movie. Rent or buy some other movie instead.
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