Doctor Zhivago (1965)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

David Lean

Writers:

Boris Pasternak (novel)
Robert Bolt (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 December 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

The entertainment event of the year!

Plot:

Life of a Russian doctor/poet who, although married, falls for a political activist's wife and experiences hardships during the Bolshevik Revolution.

Plot Keywords:

Russia | Bolshevik | Epic | Russian Revolution | Poetry

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Omar Sharif	...	Dr. Yuri Zhivago
Julie Christie	...	Lara
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Tonya
Rod Steiger	...	Komarovsky
Alec Guinness	...	Gen. Yevgraf Zhivago
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
Geoffrey Keen	...	Medical Professor
Adrienne Corri	...	Amelia
Jack MacGowran	...	Petya
Mark Eden	...	Engineer at Dam
Erik Chitty	...	Old Soldier
Roger Maxwell	...	Beef-Faced Colonel
Wolf Frees	...	Delegate
Gwen Nelson	...	Female Janitor
Lucy Westmore	...	Katya
Lili Muráti	...	The Train Jumper (as Lili Murati)
Peter Madden	...	Political Officer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Luana Alcañiz	...	Mrs. Sventytski (uncredited)
Assad Bahador	...	Colonel of Dragoons (uncredited)
José María Caffarel	...	Militiaman (uncredited)
Emilio Carrer	...	Mr. Sventytski (uncredited)
Catherine Ellison	...	Raped woman (uncredited)
Pilar Gómez Ferrer	...	(uncredited)
Víctor Israel	...	(uncredited)
Inigo Jackson	...	Major (uncredited)
Gerhard Jersch	...	David (uncredited)
Jari Jolkkonen	...	Siberian boy (uncredited)
Leo Lähteenmäki	...	Siberian husband (uncredited)
María Martín	...	Gentlewoman (uncredited)
José Nieto	...	Priest (uncredited)
Ricardo Palacios	...	Extra (uncredited)
Ingrid Pitt	...	Extra (uncredited)
Robert Rietty	...	Kostoyed (voice) (uncredited)
Mercedes Ruiz	...	Tonya at 7 (uncredited)
Aldo Sambrell	...	(uncredited)
Virgilio Teixeira	...	Captain (uncredited)
Brigitte Trace	...	Streetwalker (uncredited)
María Vico	...	Demented woman (uncredited)

Directed by
David Lean

Writing credits
Boris Pasternak		(novel)
Robert Bolt		(screenplay)

Produced by
Arvid Griffen	....	executive producer
Carlo Ponti	....	producer

Original Music by
Maurice Jarre		(original music composed by)

Cinematography by
Freddie Young
Nicolas Roeg		(some scenes) (uncredited)

Film Editing by
Norman Savage

Casting by
Irene Howard		(uncredited)

Production Design by
John Box

Art Direction by
Terence Marsh
Gil Parrondo		(uncredited)

Set Decoration by
Dario Simoni

Costume Design by
Phyllis Dalton

Makeup Department
Anna Cristofani	....	hair stylist (as Anna Christofani)
Grazia De Rossi	....	hair stylist (as Gracia de Rossi)
Mario Van Riel	....	makeup artist (as Mario van Riel)

Production Management
John Palmer	....	production supervisor
Agustín Pastor	....	production manager (as Agustin Pastor)
Douglas Twiddy	....	production manager
Tadeo Villalba	....	unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Roy Rossotti	....	second unit director
Roy Stevens	....	assistant director
Pedro Vidal	....	assistant director
Peter Beale	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
José María Ochoa	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Michael Stevenson	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Ernest Archer	....	assistant art director
Fred Bennett	....	construction
William Hutchinson	....	assistant art director (as Bill Hutchinson)
Gus Walker	....	construction
Roy Walker	....	assistant art director
José María Alarcón	....	assistant set decorator (uncredited)
Benjamín Fernández	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Mickey Lennon	....	chargehand dressing prop: Spain (uncredited)
Julián Martín	....	painter (uncredited)
Wallis Smith	....	draughtsman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Paddy Cunningham	....	sound recordist
Winston Ryder	....	sound editor
Van Allen James	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Franklin Milton	....	sound director (uncredited)
William Steinkamp	....	sound (uncredited)
A.W. Watkins	....	supervising sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Eddie Fowlie	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Gerald Larn	....	matte painter (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Manuel Berenguer	....	photographer: second unit
Ernest Day	....	camera operator
Miguel Sancho	....	chief electrician
Anthony Busbridge	....	focus puller: second unit (uncredited)
John Crawford	....	clapper loader (uncredited)
John Crawford	....	clapper loader (uncredited)
Kenneth Danvers	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Jim Dawes	....	grip (uncredited)
Jim Kane	....	grip (uncredited)
John Kerley	....	clapper loader: second unit (uncredited)
Dennis C. Lewiston	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
Anthony B. Richmond	....	clapper loader (uncredited)
Alex Thomson	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Kenneth J. Withers	....	focus puller (uncredited)
Ted Worringham	....	camera maintenance (uncredited)

Editorial Department
John Grover	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Maurice Jarre	....	conductor
Bob Bain	....	musician: balalaika (uncredited)

Other crew
Barbara Cole	....	continuity
Hugh Miller	....	dialogue coach
Andrew Mollo	....	consultant (uncredited)
Lee Turner	....	continuity: second unit (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
• Sostar S.A.

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1965) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1965) (UK) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1965) (France) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1965) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1965) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Ibérica S.A. (1965) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1992) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1966) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1972) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Neue Visionen Filmverleih (????) (West Germany) (theatrical) (re-release)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1975) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Sandrews (2001) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• MGM Sound Department  sound re-recording
• Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore  book publisher (as Feltrinelli Editore of Milan)
• Iberduero  sincere appreciation to (as Iberduero S.A. Aldeadavila Dam)
• Spanish Railways National System  sincere appreciation to
• VR  sincere appreciation to (as Finnish State Railways)
• Canadian Pacific Railway  sincere appreciation to (as Canadian Pacific Railway Company)
• CEA Studios  sincere appreciation to (as C.E.A. Studios, Madrid)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature themes.

Runtime:

197 min | UK:192 min (1999 re-release) | UK:193 min | UK:200 min (1992 re-release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints) | DTS (re-release) (35 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm optical prints)

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:12 | South Korea:12 | Brazil:Livre | West Germany:12 (f) | USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:GP (re-rating) (1971) | Canada:PG (video rating) | USA:PG-13 (re-rating) (1995) | UK:15 (1987) | UK:A (1966) | UK:PG (1992) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11

Filming Locations:

Alberta, Canada

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The film was not shown in Russia until 1994.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When a near-frozen Zhivago gets back to civilization after deserting the Red Partisans, he is almost run over by a train. After jumping out of the way, he asks a man in front of the train station where he is. The sign in Cyrillic on the station reads (due to transposed letters) "Yuryaitin", not "Yuriyatin".

Quotes:

Gromeko: What I want to know is how we're going to stay alive this winter.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Coming Attractions: The History of the Movie Trailer (2006)

Soundtrack:

Prelude in G minor, Op.23-5

Classic Filmmaking

"Doctor Zhivago" is a film whose like we will not see again. This was one of the last gasps of true epic film making, a story of human beings set against a vast historical panorama, made without any computer-generated images and featuring only people to keep your interest, with not a space alien or hobbit in sight. Who can believe now that there was a time when that was sufficient?

I first saw this film when I was 8 years old. Certainly I was not able at that time to understand all aspects and nuances of the story, but I was nonetheless mesmerized by the production: the sheer scope and spectacle of it, the absolutely glorious cinematography, the rich characters. It was unforgettable to me, and along with a few other films from that period like "The Sound of Music", fostered a lifelong love for movies. For that alone, I have a soft spot in my heart for this film and will always be grateful for it (and David Lean).

So, I admit I'm prejudiced. I'm unabashedly in love with this movie, and find it hard to take criticism of it even when the rational part of me acknowledges that there might be some accuracy in it. We all have our weaknesses! Its especially blasphemous to me to hear anyone criticize Julie Christie as Lara - even as an 8 year old who wasn't too fond of girls, I thought she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen and well, she's still right up there on my list! For those people who question why Yuri would be with her when he was married to Tanya...well, look at her for God's sakes (no disrespect to the lovely Geraldine Chaplin)! Is any further justification really needed? As to the ingrate who slammed her performance and downgraded her subsequent career implying she had no talent, it has always been my impression from all I've read that Miss Christie has never been one of those to pursue stardom and her career at all costs. She certainly had many opportunities to do splashy commercial films, but instead has had an interesting, long and varied career working in quality projects with many great filmmakers (Truffaut, Schlesinger, Altman, Beatty, Lumet, Branagh, etc.) She has been true to herself and has proven to be an outstanding talent. There are certainly many more deserving targets for the gentleman to heap venom upon than this wonderful actress.

"Doctor Zhivago" was a reflection in the 60's of the 1930's "Gone With the Wind" and a precursor to the 1990's "Titanic": a sweeping love story with charismatic leads set against a cataclysmic event. Old-fashioned undeniably, but would you really want it any other way? I still find myself able to be swept up in it though I've seen it umpteen times, so whatever flaws it may possess, there must be something inherently powerful in it that draws me to it. Or else I'm just a sucker for Julie Christie, I don't know...