Review of Doctor Zhivago (1965) by Chris B — 29 Jan 2012

I love large scale films and no genre is larger than epics.

Especially if David Lean directs. He's one of these guys who put an extreme emphasis on the right looks of his settings, costumes and equipment and you see this in his films.

Doctor Zhivago succeeds technically on every level from great cinematography over editing (various superb montage-like cuts from one character to another), costumes right up to make-up that stands the test of time.

Sure, it's a melodramatic love epic about a bunch of Russians (with their obligatory three nicknames that make the beginning a bit confusing) in revolutionary Russia and the deeper meaning and criticism on the revolution gets a bit lost in the intrigues and affairs it somehow kept me entertained the whole three hours.

Although Lean somehow tiptoed on the fine line to anti-communist propaganda he makes tracks after all. I wondered more about a small group of people meeting over and over again in a huge country like Russia (in such locations like Moscow, Ukraine and Ural) but that's just movie fate...

Sharif anchored the film with a solid performance as Zhivago and I kinda liked and felt with him although he's an adulterer and free of ideology or principles (idealistic however) and rather opportunistic.

Lean pretty much captured the chaos of revolutionary Russia where civilians stopped making difference between "red" and "white" troops as one refugee points out in one scene late in the film.

PS: Times must have been great for cinephiles when such a masterful 3-hour epic was a box office marvel...