Review of Doctor Zhivago (1965) by Uditha D — 10 Dec 2011

It may be too romanticized, too long, and too unfaithful to the original classic novel, but one thing Doctor Zhivago is not is being too sentimental. True, I did get even wearied watching Omar Sharif glistening with moistened eyes at each and every "poetic" moment, including the arrival of spring at the Zhivago estate in Varykino.

But this does not in any way make the film less beautiful. It's an epic exploration, almost an odyssey, of the human spirit, although cutting down the First World War to less than 15 minutes of the duration wasn't exactly epic in my view.

However, Doctor Zhivago is a genuinely tragic love story. It justifies the victory of the individual spirit over the stifling brutality of collectivism, and even rationalizes Zhivago's infidelity to the point of us sympathizing with his plight.

And in the end, after Zhivago's shocking death, after Zhivago's supposed daughter is asked by Yevgraf to consider accepting Zhivago and Lara as her parents, and right after his memorable last line ("Ah.

.. then it's a gift") at having realized that she IS Zhivago's daughter, the end credits roll over a rainbow encompassing a giant dam, giving us an uplifting sense of hope that the story has not altogether ended in tragedy.

Maurice Jarre's waltz-like score just adds to that epic proportion which, not even for one minute, gets absent from the plot-line. It never becomes tedious, and altogether, it's a film that deserves being commended and watched over and over again.

Julie Christie and Sharif are splendid as the onscreen couple, as is Tom Courtenay, Geraldine Chaplin, Rod Steiger, and even a brief appearance by Klaus Kinski ("I'm the only free man on this train!").

Overall, due to its hefty length, I would rate this 4 out of 5 stars. It deserves that in the least.