Doctor Zhivago (1965)

The life of a Russian physician and poet who, although married to another, falls in love with a political activist's wife and experiences hardship during World War I and then the October Revolution.

Director:

David Lean

Writers:

Boris Pasternak (novel) (as Boris Leonidovic Pasternak), Robert Bolt (screenplay)

Stars:

Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin

Won 5 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Omar Sharif	...	Yuri
Julie Christie	...	Lara
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Tonya
Rod Steiger	...	Komarovsky
Alec Guinness	...	Yevgraf
Tom Courtenay	...	Pasha
Siobhan McKenna	...	Anna
Ralph Richardson	...	Alexander
Rita Tushingham	...	The Girl
Jeffrey Rockland	...	Sasha
Tarek Sharif	...	Yuri at 8 Years Old
Bernard Kay	...	The Bolshevik
Klaus Kinski	...	Kostoyed
Gérard Tichy	...	Liberius (as Gerard Tichy)
Noel Willman	...	Razin

Storyline

During the Russian Revolution, Dr. Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif) is a young doctor who has been raised by his aunt and uncle following his father's suicide. Yuri falls in love with beautiful Lara Guishar (Julie Christie), who has been having an affair with her mother's lover, Victor Komarovsky (Rod Steiger), an unscrupulous businessman. Yuri, however, ends up marrying his cousin, Tonya (Geraldine Chaplin). But when he and Lara meet again years later, the spark of love reignites.

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Plot Keywords:

cold weather | russian revolution | bolshevik | world war one | poet | 

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Taglines:

The entertainment event of the year!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature themes

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Priest (José Nieto), to whom Lara (Julie Christie) talks, sounds like Richard Burton, although it was likely to be someone else's voice.

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Goofs

In the scene where Dr. Zhivago first arrives in Moscow (near the beginning of the movie). He is boarding a tram on Tverskaya street. In the background, is a statue of Yuri Dolgoruky, the founder of Moscow in 1147. The statue was placed there in 1947 on the 800th anniversary of Moscow's founding. It wasn't there before the Bolshevik revolution, the time during which the scene is supposed to have taken place.

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Quotes

Pasha: The private life is dead - for a man with any manhood.
Zhivago: I saw some of your 'manhood' on the way at a place called Minsk.
Pasha: They were selling horses to the Whites.
Zhivago: It seems you've burnt the wrong village.
Pasha: They always say that, and what does it matter? A village betrays us, a village is burned. The point's made.
Zhivago: Your point - their village.

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Alternate Versions

In the original 1965 version, the film has a prolonged end title with just "Presented by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer" superimposed over a shot of water rushing out of the dam. For the 1999 re-release, the MGM line was removed and replaced with "Presented by Turner Entertainment Co." followed by restoration and sound remixing credits, also superimposed over the shot.

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Connections

Referenced in Spies Like Us (1985)

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Soundtracks

The Internationale
Lyrics by Eugène Pottier
Music by Pierre De Geyter
[Sung by crowd in the street]

User Reviews

There are some things that we just can't get over.

Omar Sharif remains indelibly associated with Dr. Yuri Zhivago, a Russian physician-poet who participates in the Bolshevik Revolution, only to have political history affect him against his will. Julie Christie is beautiful as ever as Lara Antipova, Zhivago's true love.

"Doctor Zhivago" certainly pulled off a coup by showing the conditions that led to the revolution: the czar's despotic rule, the crushing poverty, and forced conscription (especially since the generals cared nothing about the men under their command). Then, of course, the Russian people thought that they would have a workers' society, but it didn't turn out that way. The theme song "Lara's Theme" kept the movie going every step of the way. Maybe not the greatest historical drama of all time, but this is a movie that I recommend to everyone.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English Russian French

Release Date:

31 December 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Doctor Zhivago

Filming Locations:

Aldeadávila de la Ribera, Salamanca, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$111,721,910

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$111,918,564

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Carlo Ponti Production, Sostar S.A.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

197 min 192 min (1999 re-release) 200 min (1992 re-release)

Sound Mix:

3 Channel Stereo (Westrex Recording System) (5.0) (L-R)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1