197 mins |
Rated
PG-13 (Rated PG-13 for mature themes)
Directed by David Lean
Starring Alec Guinness, Rod Steiger, Klaus Kinski, Geraldine Chaplin, Tom Courtenay, Omar Sharif
CHELSEA CLASSICS: ANNIVERSARIES
DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (David Lean, 1965, 197min)
Boris Pasternak's only novel, Doctor Zhivago, was critical of the Bolshevik Revolution and thus was banned by the Soviet regime and labeled dangerous propaganda. David Lean's Doctor Zhivago and Warren Beatty's Reds represent two different romantic visions of the sweeping, dangerous, and passionate upheaval during the ten days that shook the world and the reverberations thereafter. Regardless of how you feel about the need for a monarchy and serfdom to be overthrown in the Twentieth Century, Doctor Zhivago is a stunning achievement in film from David Lean's team of expert artists.
"This is an example of superb old-style craftsmanship at the service of a soppy romantic vision, and although its historical drama evaporates in the fresh air, watching it can be seductive.” Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times, 1995 Told in flashbacks, David Lean’s epic version of Boris Pasternak’s 1957 novel revolves around Zhivago (Omar Sharif), a decent medical man who loves life and writing poetry. Although married with a young son, he falls for nurse Lara (Julie Christie) during the Russian Revolution, and endures many hardships as he and his family are forced to leave Moscow. Lean’s film reunites many of the team from his 1962 triumph Lawrence of Arabia – screenwriter Robert Bolt, cinematographer Freddie Young, production designer John Box, composer Maurice Jarre, and of course Omar Sharif. But despite huge crowd scenes and vast landscapes, the Russian Revolution seems at times little more than a thunderous counterpoint to the everyday heartaches of its hero.
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CHELSEA CLASSICS: ANNIVERSARIES
DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (David Lean, 1965, 197min)
Boris Pasternak's only novel, Doctor Zhivago, was critical of the Bolshevik Revolution and thus was banned by the Soviet regime and labeled dangerous propaganda. David Lean's Doctor Zhivago and Warren Beatty's Reds represent two different romantic visions of the sweeping, dangerous, and passionate upheaval during the ten days that shook the world and the reverberations thereafter. Regardless of how you feel about the need for a monarchy and serfdom to be overthrown in the Twentieth Century, Doctor Zhivago is a stunning achievement in film from David Lean's team of expert artists.
"This is an example of superb old-style craftsmanship at the service of a soppy romantic vision, and although its historical drama evaporates in the fresh air, watching it can be seductive.” Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times, 1995 Told in flashbacks, David Lean’s epic version of Boris Pasternak’s 1957 novel revolves around Zhivago (Omar Sharif), a decent medical man who loves life and writing poetry. Although married with a young son, he falls for nurse Lara (Julie Christie) during the Russian Revolution, and endures many hardships as he and his family are forced to leave Moscow. Lean’s film reunites many of the team from his 1962 triumph Lawrence of Arabia – screenwriter Robert Bolt, cinematographer Freddie Young, production designer John Box, composer Maurice Jarre, and of course Omar Sharif. But despite huge crowd scenes and vast landscapes, the Russian Revolution seems at times little more than a thunderous counterpoint to the everyday heartaches of its hero.
