Review of Doctor Zhivago (1965) by Chris W — 14 May 2008

I actually liked this a little better than I thought I would. The 3 1/2 hour runtime didn't feel near that long. Still, I would have cut the bookends from the film, as well as Alec Guinness' character all-together; he was about as unnecessary as a character gets. Other than that, a few 'Hollywood' flaws (Russians with British accents?), and a personal dis-like for Yuri's treating of his wife, this was pretty good.

Several times throughout the film I noticed the cinematography would shift from terribly bland to absolutely stunning, and I kept wondering why the DP couldn't get his act together. Then, reading on IMDB, it seems Nicolas Roeg was an uncredited co-DP, and it made perfect sense. Oh, and whoever designed the set for the snow covered estate did a fantastic job. Additionally, the acting was very good in this movie. Rod Steiger, Omar Sharif, and especially Julie Christie were all very good.