IMDb > Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Doctor Zhivago
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Doctor Zhivago (1965) More at IMDbPro »

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Doctor Zhivago (1965) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   25,768 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 14% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Boris Pasternak (novel)
Robert Bolt (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Doctor Zhivago on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
22 December 1965 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
The entertainment event of the year! more
Plot:
Life of a Russian doctor/poet who, although married, falls for a political activist's wife and experiences hardships during the Bolshevik Revolution. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won 5 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 10 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(37 articles)
Exclusive Interview: Chris Weitz (New Moon Director) - Part I
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MGM Sounds a Death Rattle; Auctions Imminent
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User Comments:
Classic Filmmaking more (204 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for mature themes.
Runtime:
197 min | UK:192 min (1999 re-release) | UK:193 min | UK:200 min (1992 re-release)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints) | DTS (re-release) (35 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm optical prints)
Certification:
Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:12 | South Korea:12 | Brazil:Livre | West Germany:12 (f) | USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:GP (re-rating) (1971) | Canada:PG (video rating) | USA:PG-13 (re-rating) (1995) | UK:15 (1987) | UK:A (1966) | UK:PG (1992) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Several producers and studios bid for the rights to the novel, which Carlo Ponti won in 1963. He wanted the film to be as grand as Lawrence of Arabia (1962), so he recruited the crew of that film, including director David Lean, screenwriter Robert Bolt, cinematographer Freddie Young, production designer John Box and composer Maurice Jarre. more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: Director David Lean reflected in the glass door as Yuri gets off a trolley and enters a house. more
Quotes:
Komarovski: [speaking to Lara of Pasha] He's a very fine young man. That's obvious. more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Prelude in G minor, Op.23-5 more

FAQ

Who does Pasha tell Lara slashed his cheek during the "peaceful" demonstration?
Why did Pasha change his name to Strelnikov after joining with the Bolsheviks?
Was Tania Komarovsky really the daughter of Lara and Yuri?
more
80 out of 111 people found the following comment useful.
Classic Filmmaking, 12 January 2004
10/10
Author: FANatic-10 from Las Vegas, NV

"Doctor Zhivago" is a film whose like we will not see again. This was one of the last gasps of true epic film making, a story of human beings set against a vast historical panorama, made without any computer-generated images and featuring only people to keep your interest, with not a space alien or hobbit in sight. Who can believe now that there was a time when that was sufficient?

I first saw this film when I was 8 years old. Certainly I was not able at that time to understand all aspects and nuances of the story, but I was nonetheless mesmerized by the production: the sheer scope and spectacle of it, the absolutely glorious cinematography, the rich characters. It was unforgettable to me, and along with a few other films from that period like "The Sound of Music", fostered a lifelong love for movies. For that alone, I have a soft spot in my heart for this film and will always be grateful for it (and David Lean).

So, I admit I'm prejudiced. I'm unabashedly in love with this movie, and find it hard to take criticism of it even when the rational part of me acknowledges that there might be some accuracy in it. We all have our weaknesses! Its especially blasphemous to me to hear anyone criticize Julie Christie as Lara - even as an 8 year old who wasn't too fond of girls, I thought she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen and well, she's still right up there on my list! For those people who question why Yuri would be with her when he was married to Tanya...well, look at her for God's sakes (no disrespect to the lovely Geraldine Chaplin)! Is any further justification really needed? As to the ingrate who slammed her performance and downgraded her subsequent career implying she had no talent, it has always been my impression from all I've read that Miss Christie has never been one of those to pursue stardom and her career at all costs. She certainly had many opportunities to do splashy commercial films, but instead has had an interesting, long and varied career working in quality projects with many great filmmakers (Truffaut, Schlesinger, Altman, Beatty, Lumet, Branagh, etc.) She has been true to herself and has proven to be an outstanding talent. There are certainly many more deserving targets for the gentleman to heap venom upon than this wonderful actress.

"Doctor Zhivago" was a reflection in the 60's of the 1930's "Gone With the Wind" and a precursor to the 1990's "Titanic": a sweeping love story with charismatic leads set against a cataclysmic event. Old-fashioned undeniably, but would you really want it any other way? I still find myself able to be swept up in it though I've seen it umpteen times, so whatever flaws it may possess, there must be something inherently powerful in it that draws me to it. Or else I'm just a sucker for Julie Christie, I don't know...

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