Review of Doctor Zhivago (1965) by Brett B — 11 May 2010

4: Zhivago is by no means my favorite David Lean epic, that would obviously be Lawrence of Arabia, but it is still a powerful and lasting film. It is certainly a tribute to Lean's greatness that this is probably #5 on my Lean list, behind Lawrence, Brief Encounter, Bridge on the River Kwai, and Passage to India, yet it still merits a 4.

Ryan's Daughter, Summertime, and Blithe Spirit, and the Dickens pictures aren't far behind either. There are few other directors equal to this task (Hitchcock, Ford, Kieslowski, Almodovar, and Kar-Wai come immediately to mind).

Beatty's Reds certainly owes a debt of gratitude to Lean's Zhivago for showing him the way as well. One of the things I regret about the film is the lack of screen time for Guinness, because he really steals the show whenever he is present.

It was a very happy event when Lean convinced him to expand his horizons and take on dramatic, as well as comedic, roles. It's a monumental and epic story that is compelling from beginning to end, despite and in some ways because of the long running time.

One really gets a sense of the vastness of Russia, even if it wasn't actually filmed there. The performances are top notch, even if Sharif's has grown less potent for me over the years. It doesn't necessarily inspire strong emotions in me, but I still appreciate its scope and grandeur.

It is rather remarkable that a picture of this scale, which focuses on Soviet Russia, was ever made in the 1960's. It is also a great romance of course, which probably didn't hurt. It's no surprise that epic romances are often extremely successful commercially (All-time Adjusted Box Office: #1 Gone with the Wind, #3 The Sound of Music, #6 Titanic, # 8 Doctor Zhivago, #14 Avatar, etc).

Zhivago also doubled the combined grosses of Lean's two other incredibly successful epics, Lawrence and Kwai.