Rating: 
Summary: A Timeless Classic
Review: I've probably seen this timeless classic at least twenty times. Each time I see it I find something new to love. If anyone doubts this is a classic, all he need do is ask himself how many other thirty-seven year old films still seem as fresh and vibrant as they did the day they were released? Precious few, would be my bet.Doctor Zhivago is one film that doesn't need to rely on special effects to achieve its drama, beauty and magic. The cinematography, the score, the script, the actors' performances...all are perfect. Although Doctor Zhivago is set against the rich backdrop of the Russian revolution, its really the penultimate love story...the tale of a love that could never be and yet, somehow, lives on. As the doomed lovers, Omar Sharif and Julie Christie play their parts perfectly...they really become Yuri and Lara. In most instances, I definitely prefer the book over the movie and while I loved Pasternak's book, this is one instance in which I definitely prefer the film. There's less historical richness in the movie, but more raw emotion. I don't know how anyone who has ever loved can come away from Doctor Zhivago without being changed forever for the better. Every time I watch this movie, I feel as though I'm rediscovering an old love, as indeed, I am.
Rating: 
Summary: A great epic...brush up on your Russian History first
Review: This is a classic epic set prior to and during the Russian Revolution. While the movie is entertaining, one might gain a better understanding of the circumstances if they read up on the Russian history a bit. Either way, it's a must see.
Rating:
Summary: True Classic plus a good look at Russian/Soviet History!!
Review: Although not really made clear in the movie, this great epic takes place from the pre- 1917 revolution period, to the late 1930's, and post-war in the final scene . The best scenes, and most of the film, actually take place during the Russian Civil War of the early 1920's, a period most Westerners, mainly Americans, may not be familiar with. After the Revolution, the Reds and Whites battled it out some more in some of the bloodiest battles of the century. It is historically accurate with the Reds riding around in their armored trains, machine guns at the ready, producing such horrors as the massacre of the boys dressed in white in the snow. The love stories all the way through, and Zhivago's exile are true, based on the autobiographical novel, and the winter scenes are fabulous and mesmorizing. Even though it gets a little dragged down in the soap opera aspect, this is without doubt a great historical epic, the specialty of David Lean, among the great British directors. In fact you don't even notice the obvious fact that English is spoken all the way thru in this totally Russia-based masterpiece. Even the dam, as shown in the end, represents the Soviet industrial might, as it did from the 1930's-50's. The story is summarized nicely by Amazon,but the historical context does not seem to be given its due, so perhaps this review will assist in that aspect of this magnificent classic!!
Rating:
Summary: A great one by the Rembrandt of filmmaking
Review: For me, there is no question. Doctor Zhivago is the greatest film ever made. Its scope, while daunting, is tamed to a fare-thee-well by David Lean, its director.
The film spans fifty years, bridging a turn-of-the-century past, which dug its own grave, with a present and future containing a few seeds of modest hope for a truly longsuffering and civilized people.
This DVD version incorporates the fruits of some monumental efforts by the people at Turner to resurrect sounds and colors which, quite frankly, had been lost by the time a VHS version was marketed in the 1980s. That version had been woefully yellowed and was inexcusably uneven in the mixtures of the spoken and musical/sound-effects aspects of the soundtrack. What a difference a few million digits make! What vivid colors. David Lean's remarkable genius for defining and obtaining "the shot" is given its due once again.
Some, on first blush, perceive the Doctor Zhivago to have been a film of frustration and despair. Not I. Having seen it 222 times and memorized its every line, I see it as a metaphor on hope and the creative spirit. Even in the symbolism of the balalaika, we should be able to perceive a "gift", reborn -- a gift which lay dormant through a whole generation's hard knocks, but preserved by dint of a man's unshakable courage and tenacity, then handed, even though unbeknownst, to another generation in a better day. How fitting that the sweeping pizzicattoes of balalaika music grace the film's every turn.
I could no more grow tired of this film than I could cease to enjoy looking at the huge Rubens paintings in the gallery in Brussels (or the 16 Rembrandts in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg).
Rating: 
Summary: Not for me
Review: While it has some stunning cinematography this movie is horribly dated and the romance falls flat. I would much rather watch The english patient, summer of 42 or Titanic over a hundred times than watch this once more. Where is the plot? It's all melodrama and no content, just not for me.
Rating:
Summary: Doctor Zhivago and Postmodern Political Correctness
Review: In our so-called "postmodern" period, with its pestilence of political correctness, David Lean's Doctor Zhivago remains resoundingly resonant. As Yuri Zhivago learns from a Red partisan commissar, "All men will be judged" on their political reliability. Interrogated by the cunning, ruthlessly politically correct Peoples' Commander Strelnikoff, "What will you do...?", Yuri Zhivago answers, "Just live." A superb cast's unforgettable performances, John Box's evocative production design, Robert Bolt's letter-perfect screenplay, David Lean's gripping macro and microscopic contrasts of the personal and the political, Phyllis Dalton's meticulous costuming, and Maurice Jarre's haunting score powerfully combine to touch us in our tenderest parts, and to leave us as thoughtful, and as hopeful, in 2002 as audiences were at film's 1965 debut. The film's sole want was for 70mm Panavision, but producer Carlo Ponti either could not, or would not, afford Lean that capacity. Despite this precondition Lean crafted, in the face of contemporary reviews that were either lukewarm or condescending, that most curious, engaging creature of film immortality: an enduring cinematic triumph that audiences loved then and go on loving now. Though other movies, in purely technical terms of film medium, can be judged superior, Doctor Zhivago remains my favorite because, through brilliant interplay of the film's vast scope and intensive personal focus, it captures perfectly our human experience. Doctor Zhivago distills the classical three-horned dilemma: parade in groupthink lockstep with fashionable ideologues, opportunistically go along to get along, or march to the beat of the different drummer. As much as I wish to see myself as the passionate, loving Lara, or as much as men might wish to see themselves as the insightful, honorable Yuri, the wholeness of Doctor Zhivago's embrace embarrasses each of us into acknowledging the less than redeeming traits each of us must, in truth, admit. For that solitary, compelling reason Doctor Zhivago binds us, and those who come after us, in its thrall.
Rating:
Summary: One of Lean's Greatest Films
Review: Within the heart and mind of the true poet resides a grasp and perception of life and the human condition unequaled in it's purity by any other art form. From Rimbaud to Frost to Jim Morrison, he will in a few words or lines create or recreate an experience, thereby enabling his audience to know that experience, as well, albeit vicariously. The poet, of course, will choose the medium through which he will share his vision. For director David Lean, that medium is the cinema; and with "Doctor Zhivago," a film of sweeping and poetic grandeur, he reveals that within, he harbors the heart and soul of the poet. Indisputably, this is the true nature of David Lean; and it is evident in every frame of this film from the beginning to end. To borrow a line from the more recent "Moulin Rouge," this is a story bout "love." A love story set against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution. Dr. Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif) is a general practitioner, but he is also a poet; through his vocation as a man of medicine, he tends to those in need in everyday real life. But it is through his avocation as a poet that he expresses what he sees. He marries Tonya (Geraldine Chaplin) and has children; but the War and revolution intervene, and it is during these tumultuous times that his life becomes inexorably intertwined with a government official, Komarovsky (Rod Steiger), a young revolutionary, Pasha (Tom Courtenay), his half-brother, Yevgraf (Alec Guinness), and finally, Lara (Julie Christie). It's desperate times for Russians from all walks of life, and Zhivago does what he can to do what he can to keep the fragile threads of his life-- and of those around him-- intact. But fate plays a hand, and in the end, even Zhivago must go where Destiny leads. With "Zhivago," David Lean has crafted and delivered a magnificent and monumental motion picture of epic proportions that at the same time is disarmingly intimate, rendered as a world within a world, with each a vital part of the other. Lean blends actors, cinematography, story and music with his own compassionate perspective to create a true work of art; a work of true poetry. In telling his story, he offers breathtaking visuals, like the awesome vistas of the snow-covered Urals, or a long shot of a wide open Russian plain with a solitary figure in the distance trudging through the snow, juxtaposed against the enormity of the landscape. Often, however, what he doesn't show you, but suggests, is even more effective and emotionally stirring. Consider the scene in which a complement of mounted dragoons, sabres drawn, ride down upon a crowd peacefully demonstrating in the city streets; Lean sets it up so that you understand what is about to happen, then trains his camera on Zhivago, watching from a balcony overlooking the street as the carnage unfolds below. And in Zhivago's eyes, in the expression on his face, in his reaction to what he is witnessing, there is more horror because of what Lean has established in your imagination-- and which significantly enhances the impact of it-- than anything the most graphic visual depiction could have produced. Similarly, when the Czar and his whole family are shot, Lean does not take you there; instead, you learn of it and realize the impact of it through the reaction of Alexander Gromeko (Ralph Richardson), Tonya's father, and it places it into a context that makes it all the more effective. This is filmmaking at it's best, and an example of what makes Lean's films so memorable. Put a talented actor into the hands of a gifted director, and results of more than some distinction can be expected; and such is the case with Omar Sharif and David Lean. In 1962, Sharif received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his work in Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia," and in "Zhivago," Lean's next film, Sharif gives a sensitive, affecting performance for which he should have received a Best Actor nomination, but inexplicably, did not (It was Lee Marvin's year for "Cat Ballou"). Still, as Yuri Zhivago, he has never been better. Sharif successfully manages to convey his deepest, internalized emotions, expressing them through the genuine compassion with which he imbues his character. Lean allows his star the time he needs to share with his audience his appreciation of the beauty he perceives in the world around him, and it's in those pensive moments that we, in turn, perceive the inner beauty and poetic nature of the man. You have but to look into Zhivago's eyes to know his sense of joy in all living things. It's a wonderful collaboration between actor and director that so vividly and poignantly brings this character to life. 1965 was a career year for Julie Christie; she received the Oscar for Best Actress for her work in "Darling," yet in this film created an even more enduring and memorable character in Lara (aided in no small part by the hauntingly lovely "Lara's Theme," by Maurice Jarre, which indelibly etched Christie/Lara in the consciousness of "Zhivago's vast, international audience). Lara's beauty is obvious, yet of a kind that goes much deeper than what you see on the surface; her station in life has made her vulnerable to misuse, but at the same time has endowed her with a strength born of necessity. And Zhivago sees in her a quality and a resourcefulness that fulfills his romantic notions of perfection, and with a beguiling screen presence and a performance to match, Christie makes those notions credible and believable. Guinness, Richardson and Courtenay are exceptional in their respective roles-- Lean without question knows how to get the best out of his actors-- and also turning in noteworthy performances are Siobhan McKenna (Anna), Rita Tushingham (The Girl) and Klaus Kinski, who is unforgettable as Kostoyed, manacled and designated for forced labor, yet the "Freest man on this train!" One of Lean's greatest films.
Rating:
Summary: "Night Of The Generals..The Fixer..Villa Rides..El Condor"
Review: Composer extraordinaire...born in Lyons, France on September 13, 1924...came on the scene composing "Hotel Des Invalides"(1951)...still going strong today with a beautiful haunting score from "Sunshine"(1999), featuring the talented Ralph Fiennes(playing three roles)...and his latest film "Uprising"(2001), can only mean one thing...Jarre hasn't run out of ideas about his favorite past-time...composing for the films of TODAY. Let us take a stroll down this release from Silva Screen Records..."LAWRENCE OF ARABIA"(1962), director David Lean's masterpiece, with never-to-be-forgotten music from Jarre---"DOCTOR ZHIVAGO"(1965), another Lean project, probably one of the most recognizable themes around the world, passion abounding from counterpoint to counterpoint---must make a note to the "film-score-buffs" out there...within this collection are "hard-to-find" soundtracks...take for instance "JESUS OF NAZARETH"..."THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING"..."IS PARIS BURNING?"..."THE FIXER"..."EL CONDOR"..."RYAN'S DAUGHTER"..."THE NIGHT OF THE GENERALS"..."VILLA RIDES"...each score with specific cues make this a worthwhile "must have" for your ever growing collection. Once again, under the watchful eye of James Fitzpatrick(producer)...Reynold da Silva(executive producer)...The City Of Prague Philharmonic(world renown)...conducted by Paul Bateman(excellent interpretations)...and of course the ageless and legendary icon himself...MAURICE JARRE...truly a classic individual in the field of FILM MUSIC! You might try other Silva Screen Digital Film Scores Series ~ "The Essential Maurice Jarre Film Music Collection:Doctor Zhivago"(SSD-1108)..."Music From The Films Of Harrison Ford"(SSD-1040)..."Citizen Kane:The Essential Bernard Herrmann Film Music Collection"(SSD-1093)...all worthy of a good listen. Total Time: 77:50 on 15 Tracks ~ Silva Screen Records SSD-1047 ~ (1995)
Rating:
Summary: Great failure
Review: This movie version of Boris Pasternak's novel is so far removed from that novel as to be virtually another entity. The characters have little relation to Paternak's descriptions or his insights into the inner lives of Lara and Yuri. Sharif is very poor as a Russian poet, and his sparkling eyes are bad substitutes for good acting. Jukie Christie is woinderful, she can muster through, but she is too British, and there is also Ralph Richradson and Tom Courtney and G. Chaplin and Siobahn McKenna...too western by far. And that script by Bolt is atrocious! Read P{asternak and pray the Russians re film it as it should be filmed. The score is pleasant, but stereotypical and syrupy. Not Lean's best. His best and greatest is Lawrence of Arabia. See this and know how hampered hje was by Ponti and Metro Goldwyn Mayer and Bolt's total lack of understanding of the novel!! Avoid this campy movie...
Rating:
Summary: They don't make them like this any more
Review: I don't have much to add beyond my title for this review. A
great thing about DVD is that it allows people to get a sense
of how classic films really sounded, looked, and were put together. When I watched this for the first time, not long
after seeing Lawrence of Arabia on DVD for the first time, I began to understand why my parents didn't get all that excited about current movies. David Lean knew how to tell stories, create images without computer graphics, and to bring actors together in a vision. There are few if any American directors who can do that now. A word on the lead actors: in addition to having good looks, they also have presence, charisma, and talent. Those qualities are what you think about when you see them inhabiting their roles. Now how many of today's superstars truly come close to this? Yes, watch this twice before you watch
Gladiator and similar products even once.
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