Doctor Zhivago (1965)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Doctor Zhivago (1965) – D. Lean

Falling back to the theme of “impossible love” that he examined in Brief Encounter (1945), director David Lean tries to situate his investigation within the epic drama that was the Russian Revolution.  But in doing so, he doesn’t quite manage to capture the political or philosophical dynamics at play in the context; instead, the communists are evil ideologues (or pragmatically partisan) and the deposed rich are sympathetic victims of the sweeping changes.  Omar Sharif’s Zhivago stakes out a detached middle ground, avoiding involvement – until he can’t.  He feels like the moral center of the film, using his medical skills to assist wherever he can, especially in contrast to the evil Komarovsky (played by Rod Steiger) who uses people whenever he can.  But then even Zhivago takes a wrong turn, falling for nurse volunteer Lara (Julie Christie) during a six month stay in an army hospital despite the fact that he is married (to Tonya played by Geraldine Chaplin) and has a young son.  Lara had been previously exploited by Komarovsky and then married to revolutionary Pasha (Tom Courtenay) who is reportedly killed in the war.  She also has a child.  After everyone is exiled to the Urals, the impossible love blooms again, for a short while. Zhivago writes poetry about it (which we never hear). All of this is told years later in flashback by Alec Guinness’s General Yevgraf (somehow the half-brother of Zhivago).  So, should the audience identify with Zhivago? Or with Lara? Is their love pure? I didn’t see it.  But the larger sweep of the staged historical events (many extras) and Freddie Young’s cinematography (gorgeous mountains) did capture my attention from time to time; I wanted badly for the style of the film to counteract the schematic nature of the script, but alas.  Yet, there is something about a 197 minute movie that demands respect and who can deny the film’s popularity at the time (boffo box office)? It struck a romantic chord as hearts broke when dashing Omar Sharif and winsome Julie Christie sacrificed their love (but to what end?).