David Lean focused all his talent as an epic-maker on Boris Pasternak's sweeping novel about a doctor-poet in revolutionary Russia. The results may sometimes veer toward soap opera, especially with the screen frequently filled with adoring close-ups of Omar Sharif and Julie Christie, but Lean's gift for cramming the screen with spectacle is not to be denied. The streets of Moscow, the snowy steppes of Russia, the house in the country taken over by ice; these are re-created with Lean's unerring sense of grandness. The movie is so lush and so long that it becomes an irresistible wallow, even when logic suffers--like Gone with the Wind before it and Titanic after. Sharif, who achieved stardom in Lean's previous film, Lawrence of Arabia, mostly looks noble, but the supporting cast is spiky: Rod Steiger as a fat-cat monster, Tom Courtenay as a self-righteous revolutionary, and Klaus Kinski and Alec Guinness in smaller roles. Geraldine Chaplin, in her adult debut, plays the doctor's compliant wife. Robert Bolt's screenplay won one of the film's five Oscars, with another going to perhaps the most immediately recognizable element of the movie: Maurice Jarre's romantic music, with its hugely popular "Lara's Theme" weaving in and out of a swooning score. --Robert Horton

Customer Rating:
Summary: Creating Russian Memories
Comment: Again I am trying to give my adopted Russian granddaughters some sense of their homeland history through any visual or written words. They came with no material links just memories that will fade as they get older.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Love for the Ages
Comment: I've seen "Zhivago" many times and consider it easily among the 100 best English-language films of the past half-century. It was my mother's favorite, she of Russian roots. But I purchased the DVD as a parting gift for the unrequitted love of my life, who counts herself a movie buff but nonetheless had no knowledge of this great David Lean epic. Though I'm certain she is my "Lara," she has recently chosen instead to commit herself to a Komarovsky-like character who will inevitably be unfaithful to her. Tragically, she's been subconsciously convinced by her mother's history that the Komarovskys of the world are all she deserves. When I stop feeling sorry for myself, perhaps I'll work the whole sorry tale into a screenplay of its own, and 50 years from now some heartbroken chump will write a non-review review of my great film.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A Review
Comment: This is an overblown, pretentious Hollywood adaptation of an uninsipiring novel by an outcast author from Russia. This film demonstrates that Hollywood and the West cannot make a plausible film about Russia. Instead of watching this, it is recommended to watch movies about Russia by Russian directors.

In the 1950s, Pasternak underwent a profound crisis, as shown by his novel "Doctor Zhivago." Dr Zhivago is just one more novel of petty-bourgeois intellectual disillusion with life in the world as it is. This book expresses a negative attitude toward the Russian people and their Revolution, as well as a total lack of faith in social transformation. The viewer of this film sees the Revolution not from the perspective of the working class and their political organizations but from that of the self-indulgent petit-bourgeoisie. Working-class people and their leaders in this film are depicted as crude caricatures. The central character Zhivago is a failure: he is spineless, endlessly vacillating, and unfaithful to his wife. He has no inspirational qualities.

It is unsurprising that the publication of this novel abroad in 1957 and the politicized decision to award Pasternak a Nobel Prize in 1958 aroused sharp criticism in Russia. Hence, Pasternak was expelled from the Writers' Union. It would be a waste of time to watch this film. Film adaptations of excellent novels on the Russian Revolution include "Silent Don" by Sholokhov", "Life of Klim Samgin" by Gorky, and "Chapaev" by Furmanov.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Movie great...DVD, just OK
Comment: I won't get into a detailed review of the movie itself. That has already been done many times here. I find this an excellent movie to "watch" and can forgive its few flaws.

The DVD itself is a bit frustrating. For one thing, I hate two sided discs. Having to turn the thing over is annoying, but not terribly inconvenient. Worse is the way the DVD starts with the commentary activated. After sitting through the lengthy overture, I was quite surprised to hear the commentary start immediately. I had to go back to the main menu and make a language selection and turn off the subtitles to view the movie properly. Again, not the end of the world, but it has a way of ruining the mood.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Sad Story of a Sad Country
Comment: Dr. Zhivago is a sad story of a sad country. It gives great insight into the problems with socialism that have inflicted the country of Russia for a long long time. It is also interested to note that to my knowledge, Russia never has had a major movement of God in their history. Perhaps this is the reason for all the despair. I find it interesting that the book and the movie were banned for many years in Russia. Makes me think that there was too much truth within it for those in control. It is a very well done movie, but be prepared to be effected by the emotions of the story. I was depressed for a week after watching it. However, I am better off for having viewed it.

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