User Reviews

Ningún calificativo sería suficiente para describir lo mucho que me encantó esta magnífica obra de arte.

The oft-lauded classic "Doctor Zhivago" is an epic telling of love, political turmoil, and the woes that the two can conjure up when combined. Little did I know, however, that one of the other woes involved would be this film's running time. Sitting at a weighty three hours and twenty minutes, this at times searing indictment of 20th century Russian politics certainly got its point across. It was a rough time, man. And no one seemed to realize that more than Boris Pasternak (author of the eponymous novel the film is based on). What the film seems to suffer from, however, is a genuine lack of development when it comes to the relationship between the two leads (i.e. what the movie's kind of actually about). We have this running time for a reason, nay, many reasons. And I'd expected one of those reasons to be setting up the underpinnings of this central romance beyond simply stating "oh, well, this one time they were the only two people standing in this one room for a good amount of time and that's how they fell in love." We're given a montage of the two lead characters working together over a longer period of time, yes, but that development is only implied at best. It's a film with a rather shallow and predictable main plot, yet a fairly outstanding look and feel, featuring some typically brilliant cinematography and music throughout. I only wish I'd cared a bit more overall.

Yuri Zhivago is a young Russian from a well-placed family and has just graduated as a doctor. It has everything to have a happy life, within the reach of few in Tsarist Russia. But war and communist revolution will radically change his country and his life, while living an extra-marital love with the wife of a bloody and cruel revolutionary. Directed by David Lean, the film has a screenplay by Robert Bolt inspired by the novel by Boris Pasternak. The cast is headed by Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Alec Guinness and Tom Courtenay. This film, an war epic, shows us the harshness of the events affecting Russian society during the first decades of the twentieth century: hunger, social instability, servitude, participation in World War I and, finally, political upheaval with the rise of Bolshevism... Considered by many a landmark in film and one of the most iconic films of Omar Sharif's career, is a "must see" for any lover of epic cinema. The script does justice to the Pasternak's novel and the interpretation of the actors is excellent, showing clearly the dichotomies and contrasts of each personality. The public follows and feels the life of Zhivago and his romance with Lara, and truly fears Strelnikov and abhors the pedantry and hypocrisy of Komarovsky. Visual effects, stunning sets and detailed costumes help us to enter inside the film and let ourselves be carried away by it. The soundtrack, composed by Maurice Jarre, is one of the most beautiful compositions for cinema, in particular its main theme. The film earned five Academy Awards (Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Color Cinematography, Best scenery in Colored Film, Best Costume Design in Colored Film, Best Original Score) and was nominated for five more (Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Sound and Best Film Editing). It still won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama, Best Actor Main Drama, Best Screenplay and Best Soundtrack.