Doctor Zhivago [1965]

RRP £13.99
Lowest New Price
£4.70

Suitable for 15 years and over

Warner Home Video

Release date: Thursday 1st of June 2006

Starring:
Omar Sharif, Geraldine Chaplin, Rod Steiger, Julie Christie, Alec Guinness,

Director(s):

Format: PAL,
Number of discs: 1
Region code: 2
Running time: 200 minutes
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: French (Subtitled)
Language: Italian (Subtitled)
Language: Dutch (Subtitled)
Language: Arabic (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)
Language: German (Subtitled)
Language: Romanian (Subtitled)
Language: Bulgarian (Subtitled)

RRP: £13.99
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

David Lean's wintry adaptation of Boris Pasternak's melodramatic Russian Revolution romance, Doctor Zhivago, is a masterpiece of epic filmmaking, but one that risks leaving the viewer cold. Though none of the film was shot in the then USSR, Lean's assured technique nevertheless illuminates the breathtaking backgrounds magnificently: from the snowy wastes of the Urals to the strife-torn streets of Moscow, Lean stages a series of wonderful set-pieces showing war, revolution and its terrible aftermath. The problem lies in the foreground. Omar Sharif's entirely passive Zhivago is, we are told, a romantic poet of great sensitivity who internalises all his emotions and expresses them in verse. The trouble is the audience never gets to see a line of his poems, not even the centrally important "Lara" cycle. Thus Zhivago at the end of the picture is as much an emotional blank to us as he was at the beginning. His affair with the idealised beauty that is Julie Christie's Lara is also taken for granted by the filmmakers rather than set up in any convincing way, their mutual attraction remaining a mystery that creates a vacuum at the core of the picture. Given that none of the central characters with the exception of Rod Steiger's fire-breathing lecher Komarovsky ever give way to strong emotions, the romantic heart of the film remains oddly frigid. Matters are not helped by composer Maurice Jarre's incessant "Lara's Theme", which many will find teeth-grindingly irritating. Still, any David Lean epic, even a flawed one, is always going to be a first-class cinematic experience, and Zhivago is assuredly that.

On the DVD: A stunning anamorphic widescreen print is the ideal way to appreciate David Lean's craftsmanship and this movie's glorious, wintry cinematography. Maurice Jarre's "Lara's Theme" and the rest of his patchwork score can be heard in a music-only track, while Omar Sharif is joined by Lean's widow Sandra and Rod Steiger for an intermittent commentary. The second bonus disc contains a good hour-long making-of documentary plus 10 shorter contemporary documentaries giving various insights into the location shooting and the cast and crew. But it's the sheer beauty of the picture that will astonish and make this disc forever treasurable. --Mark Walker

One of the Greatest
Review date: 2008-07-23 Rating: 10 out of 10

I first saw this film 30 years ago and was bowled over by the scenery and the actors. Recently I decided to watch it with a more critical eye and found to my surprise that I was even more captivated by the vastness of the landscape which throughout the film forms the backdrop for the tragic love story that unfolds.
At first I thought that Sharif's Zhivago was too "soft" but as the film unfolded I realised that he was "the poet". Christie was as always perfect as Lara and we shouldn't forget Chaplin as the dutiful and loving wife. She plays the role with just the right amount of pathos. However it is Steiger and Courtney who carry the film.
The sight of Courtney standing at the front of a military train rushing past civilians that he neither sees or hears. Here is a man now utterly devoted to the cause of the revolution, who had finally overcome any emotional attachment he may have had to anyone. The train rushing through only served to symbolise the inevitability of civil war on a grand scale.
Steiger produced his best in this film as a greedy, powerful and deeply flawed man who when confronted with Lara (whom he desired) would risk all to help, although there would always be a price to pay.
Yes, Steiger and Courtney were superb,very well cast and for me they carried the film.
Of course Hollywood, being Hollywood the Revolution itself was glossed over to some extent. The book has a much sharper focus.
This film must stand as one of the greatest ever made and believe me I rarely give such praise.

Reviews

A decent failure, I suppose
Review date: 2007-10-27 Rating: 6 out of 10

Ultimately this multi Oscar winning epic is a filmic failure. Winning Oscars has never been a guarantee that the movie is actually any good to watch, such a strange bunch sit on the Acadamy's voting panel. Here, we have a film that is a good case in point: The movie is certainly an epic production, has very good technicians at the creative helm, the director, cinematographer and screenwriter unit are very rightly regarded as one of the all time best teams in cinema's history, and yet the movie undeniably lacks something in the end, something it vitally needed - dramatic tension.

Who only knows what the fault is for that, but I'd start with questioning the cast list here. Lean has always stood by the decision to have Sharif in the Star role, but forty odd years of criticism of this surely must carry some credibility as a view. In my humble layman's view, like many others I cannot at all see how Sharif can be considered a success in that role. His memorable eyes apart, he is severely lacking in presence and just simple acting ability to be able to really get a hold of his role and attract our constant attention. Christie looks rather overwhelmed by it all, as well, and doesn't spark with any of her suitors, least of all Sharif as Zhivago.

Two performances do standout, the actors responsible are Steiger and Courtney, but it's almost as though they're being asked to carry the film themselves, because the leads haven't turned up. Lean shows some of his great artistic touches again in places, and generally the film looks best when the focus is on the landscape or crowd scenes, rather than close up human drama. At the end of it all I'd still like to know what on earth was all that white stuff? - it certainly wasn't snow! Why on earth did they shoot in Spain, when there were surely opportunities to film in Scandanavia?? Oh well, it's too late now.

No one loves poetry like a Russian!
Review date: 2007-03-29 Rating: 10 out of 10

From the stern opening shot of the commisar to the sweeping scenery of the urals, no other film will capture the feel of russia in revolution.

If you are thinking of getting this film just hold this in mind, You are in good hands. David Lean photography and direction are seamless, few post war directors use fades to such effect. The music score won many awards at the time of release and so one of the special features is watching the film with no dialogue, just music.

Omar is great, i think i love him (and i'm a bloke!) but the real eye opener is Lara (julie christie) i mean, if i was koromofsky i would do all i could to get her, What a stunner!

Many scenes in the film are innovative with the actors perfoprming the narration with no sound. Few will see the likes of strelnikoff or pasha on screen again, the shot from the red train, the ice bound dacha, the charge across frozen ice, the massacre in the streets.

Dr zhivago is the best film i have ever seen.

beautiful,Brilliant,Breath taking
Review date: 2006-09-03 Rating: 10 out of 10

Bridge on the River Kwai,Lawrence of Arabia brilliant films but David Lean cant do another amazing film of course he can Doctor Zhivargo is a masterpiece of a movie set in the russian the cinematograpy is beautiful acting is superb i defently recomend this if you havent seen it and if you have seen it i recomend you to get the DVD it has the dvd all togther incuding the cast comentary has over 5 hours of special features.
Just thing i dont like is that the dvd has a side a and side b would have been good to put it on one disc and have the film picture on the dvd but apart from that the dvd is crystal clear and brilliant.

Yes, I Know It's Flawed.....
Review date: 2006-07-24 Rating: 10 out of 10

It's long. It's indulgent. One or two chunks of backstory have been jettisoned, leaving the character of Komarovsky and his connection to Zhivago half-formed. Pasha's transformation into Strelnikov is a little hard to swallow.

But. It is magnificent! On a huge and bewitching canvas, Lean daubs a suitably poetic hero, swept up to just the right degree in cataclysmic events, and a Lara you can understand men falling out over. Add THAT theme music, memorable set pieces, an essentially pretty sound set of supporting performances, and you have ... a 5. Can't help it.

Product Details/Specifications

Actor(s):
Omar Sharif
Geraldine Chaplin
Rod Steiger
Julie Christie
Alec Guinness

Creators:
Omar Sharif (Primary Contributor)
Julie Christie (Primary Contributor)
Freddie Young (Cinematographer)
Nicolas Roeg (Cinematographer)
Norman Savage (Editor)
Arvid Griffen (Producer)
Carlo Ponti (Producer)
Boris Pasternak (Writer)
Robert Bolt (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900655712
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2006-06-01
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 200 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1965-12-22
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: French (Subtitled)
Language: Italian (Subtitled)
Language: Dutch (Subtitled)
Language: Arabic (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)
Language: German (Subtitled)
Language: Romanian (Subtitled)
Language: Bulgarian (Subtitled)

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Doctor Zhivago [1965]

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