‘Dr. Zhivago’ (1965) is the epic life story of Dr. Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif) during the tumultuous times in Russia of the World War I, the Bolshevik Revolution and the ensuing civil war.
Based on the novel of the same name by Boris Pasternak, (Nobel Prize winner for Literature, 1958) it is a beautifully crafted movie with frame after frame of haunting images, including the opening scene. Yuri, the young child, peers through a gap in a frost covered window pane to find a howling blizzard scattering the flowers placed on a freshly covered grave — that of his mother.
Then there is the sight of a vast snow-covered plain and a steam driven train chugging away at breakneck speed across it.
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The train is full of refugees packed in the compartments like cattle — fleeing their homes for a safer place — people with broken families, uprooted by the violence and scattered by the chaos and vicissitudes of the revolution and civil war.
The sight of a pack of wolves baying mournfully in the distance across a snowy expanse on a wintry evening is particularly memorable.
Director David Lean shot the film in locations as varied as Canada, Finland and Spain (The Soviet authorities refused permission for filming in Russia, as the novel was banned in the Soviet Union for its negative portrayal of the Bolsheviks as cruel and violent). Zhivago’s life is also affected by the revolution and he is also a victim of the troubled times. A handsome Omar Sharif played the role to perfection except for one flaw — his pronounced middle-eastern accent. This was one area where David Lean showed inconsistency, for example, Zhivago’s half-brother (Alec Guinness) had a perfect British accent.
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In contrast, Lean’s ‘Ryan’s Daughter,’ which had the American Robert Mitchum playing an Irish school master, had the actor delivering his lines with an Irish accent.
Love blossoms in the harsh desolate Russian winters as Zhivago romances not once but twice in the course of his experiences during the war. As the movie runs to its full 3 hours duration, one follows Dr. Zhivago’s ascent to fame, not only as a doctor who treats victims and soldiers of the war alike but also as a poet.
Sharif sensitively demonstrated the multi-faceted personality of Zhivago — husband, father, lover, battlefield doctor and poet.
Director Lean treated viewers to the superficial sight of Zhivago writing poetry. The poems themselves were ignored, which would have made the film insightful and more engaging.
The movie ends on an ironic note as a middle-aged Zhivago comes across his long lost lover, Lara (Julie Christie), in Moscow (now under control of the communists) and as he hails her and runs to catch up with her, suffers a massive heart attack and drops dead.
The music in the movie was made memorable by the famous ‘Lara’s Theme.’
The film won five Oscars and is considered to be one of David Lean’s best directorial ventures. The Oscars were for Best Art Direction (John Box, Terence Marsh, Dario Simoni), Best Cinematography (Freddie Young), Best Adapted Screenplay (Robert Bolt), Best Costume Design and Best Original Score (Maurice Jarre).