Doctor Zhivago (1965)
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A physician and poet's life is transformed by the upheaval of the Russian Revolution and the civil war that followed.
The story
Set in Russia during World War I and the Russian Civil War, the story follows Yuri Zhivago, a physician and poet. His life becomes complicated by the political turmoil of the Russian Revolution. He finds himself entangled in a complex relationship with Lara Antipova, a woman he meets while serving as a battlefield doctor. As the country descends into chaos, the personal lives of those involved are shaped by the shifting political landscape and the escalating conflict of the civil war.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The story begins with Lieutenant General Yevgraf Zhivago searching for his nephew, the daughter of his half-brother Yuri Zhivago. The narrative flashes back to 1913, where Yuri, a doctor and poet, becomes engaged to Tonya. Meanwhile, Lara Antipova is seduced by the older Victor Komarovsky. During World War I, Yuri serves as a battlefield doctor and meets Lara, who is searching for her friend Pasha. They fall in love, though Yuri remains married to Tonya. As the Russian Revolution erupts, Yuri's poems are condemned as anti-communist, and he is forced to move his family to the Urals. There, he begins an affair with Lara. After years of turmoil, including Yuri's imprisonment and eventual return to Lara, the two are eventually separated by the realities of the war. In the final years, Yuri suffers a heart attack before reaching Lara. The film ends with Yevgraf and Lara searching for their lost child, whom Yevgraf believes is Tanya Komarova.
- First release year
- 1965
- Runtime (minutes)
- 193
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- David Lean
- Writers
- Robert Bolt · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Omar Sharif · Yuri Zhivago; Julie Christie · Lara Antipova; Geraldine Chaplin · Tonya; Tom Courtenay · Pasha; Rod Steiger · Komarovsky; Alec Guinness · Yevgraf; Ralph Richardson; Siobhán McKenna; Rita Tushingham
- Genres
- epic historical romance; romance; drama
- Themes
- love; war; revolution; art; identity
- Tone and mood
- romantic; epic; somber
- Premise and plot tags
- historical; romance; war; political
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1957 novel by Boris Pasternak
- Reception
- The film was praised for its visual beauty and the intensity of its love story, though critics were divided on its length and the extent to which it romanticized the revolution.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 84% · scale: percentage · review count: 50; Rotten Tomatoes · score: 7.60 · scale: 10
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Adapted Screenplay · Won; Academy Award · Original Score · Won; Academy Award · Cinematography · Won; Academy Award · Art Direction · Won; Academy Award · Costume Design · Won; Golden Globe · Best Motion Picture · Won
- Production trivia
- It was influenced the 2013 Disney animated film Frozen.; It is the most popular film of all time in Italy.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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