Doctor Zhivago (1965)

“Doctor Zhivago” is a truly epic classic with an esteemed cast, stunning cinematography, lavish production design and five academy awards to its name. It’s a fascinating watch from a filmmaking perspective alone (as we don’t tend to see this type of mammoth three-hour epic in modern cinemas anymore), and although I didn’t love it, I would recommend “Doctor Zhivago” to anyone whose interested in the history of film, or anyone who has three hours to kill!

David Lean is probably my favourite director from this era of film, his movies always have a great atmosphere, exceptional lighting and compelling characters; “Doctor Zhivago” is no exception. The film is enormous in scope and scale, but it also retains more human moments that drive the epic narrative forward. The sequences with hundreds of extras are stunning because the audience knows that every person on screen is real, rather than computer-generated doubles that are found in modern movies. Although certain aspects of “Doctor Zhivago” are very much of their time (the overture and interval music sequences are relics of a by-gone era), this is still a magnificently-made technical marvel.

Cast wise, “Doctor Zhivago” is top-notch. From Omar Sharif to Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin and Alec Guinness, every legendary actor does a terrific job in their roles. The only issue is that these are about the most English-sounding Russian characters I’ve ever heard!

Maurice Jarre did an incredible job composing the score for “Doctor Zhivago”, it’s sweeping, personal and worthy of its Oscar.

It’s worth noting that “Doctor Zhivago” happens to be one of the top ten highest grossing films of all time (if adjusted for inflation.) I find it strange that, despite how much film snobs bemoan that modern blockbuster franchises are ruining cinema (just look at Martin Scorsese’s recent comments on superhero movies), most of the world-wide highest grossing movies (adjusted for inflation) were released before many people who watch modern blockbusters were even born!

I don’t think “Doctor Zhivago” has flaws in a traditional sense, as it’s faultless on a technical level, but there were a few story decisions that didn’t sit right with me.

Mainly, I found the finale of this film very unsatisfying; whilst the future section of the movie received a well-rounded ending, the protagonist’s journey has a dead-end conclusion. He doesn’t really resolve any of his relationships with the other characters (he spends the entire second half of the film abandoning those around him), and the way that he leaves the story is abrupt and disappointing. I understand that “Doctor Zhivago” is trying to be realistic, so the idea that everyone gets a happy ending to their arcs is out of place with the rest of the movie, but it would have been nice to have some closure after you’ve spent so long with these characters.

Also, I’ve noticed that almost all characters in “old movies” who commit adultery die horrible deaths or become depressed (e.g. “Angel Face” or “Brief Encounter”), so the conservative attitudes of the time may have had something to do with the brusque culmination to “Doctor Zhivago.”

Quibbles aside, “Doctor Zhivago” is still a solid film. The cast are all very good, the direction is masterful and the practical sides of the movie (costumes, sets, etc…) are spectacular. It may not be my cup of tea, but I can still appreciate how well constructed it is. It’s definitely worth a watch!