Doctor Zhivago’s 45th Anniversary Blu-ray | DVD Review

Doctor Zhivago is a difficult film to put ones finger on, perhaps because the film is so many things. Sweeping romance, historical piece, political statement, daring adventure, the film encompasses all of this, thus leaving definable by only one category, Epic, and no one does epic like director David Lean.

The film tells the story of the Russian revolution through the life of a man (Omar Sharif as Zhivago) who while trying to survive the uprising and do his duty, gets caught up in a love triangle between his wife (Geraldine Chaplin) and a mysterious, alluring woman (Julie Christie) whom consequence continually throws into his life.

Sharif’s character is a doctor and a poet and he is passionate about both professions, though it is clear that poetry is his first love. This is mirrored wonderfully by the struggle he faces in choosing between his wife and his mistress. One choice is responsible, sensible and correct while the other is irrational and selfish. Its science verses art told through romance.

At several points the film feels disjointed and random, and often it is difficult to make out how much time has passed since the last scene. Though not too much of detraction, this makes the film seem a little sloppy. Until we get to the end, where we are reminded that we are not seeing this tale play out as it is happening, these are the memories of a man’s life being recounted as they were told to our storyteller (the amazing Alec Guinness). Gaps in time logically become blurred, the most important points, most of them highly emotional, are vivid and detailed, while the bridging events between each become vague and forgotten. When asked to think back this is how most would recount their lives. It’s how our memories work and the economy and subtlety with which this is accomplished in this film is masterful against such an enormous back drop.

No discussion about Doctor Zhivago (or for that matter any David Lean film) would be complete without mention of the visual power of the film. Zhivago may be one of the most stunningly beautiful films ever shot. Each frame is a master work of composition movement and lighting, quite often to absolute jaw-dropping effect. The most noticeable element is the striking use of the color red. Red, traditionally, is known as the hardest color to work with in film, but every time it makes even the smallest appearance it creates such a powerful impact running the gamut of its symbolism; love, danger, sin, evil, pain, and of course communism.


Audio: This is a major disappointment for this disk. The dialogue is poorly mixed with the SFX and music. I found myself riding the volume on my remote so that I could hear the dialogue without getting blasted the sound of trains and explosions. I remember having the same problem with Lawrence of Arabia on DVD so perhaps there is an issue with the original mixes of the time.

Image: DoctorZhivago was originally released in 70mm which even Bluray can’t match, but this transfer does more than justice. The picture quality is gorgeous.

Commentary: It’s a shame that now that we have a format which allows us to hear the director provide their insight on what they were thinking when they made the film, that the greats (Lean, Hitchcock, Kubrick, etc…) are no longer around to provide it. That being said David Lean is well represented by Steiger and Sharif in the commentary on this disc.

Doctor Zhivago: A Celebration: A handful of very accomplished directors and producers (among them, Kathleen Kennedy and Taylor Hackford) discussing the influence that Zhivago and David Lean and on them and the films that they make.

Doctor Zhivago: The Making of a Russian Epic: An hour long documentary originally made as part of the celebration commemorating the films 30th anniversary. Brilliantly and passionately narrated by Omar Sharif the doc explores in detail the making of the film, working with the somewhat difficult and demanding David Lean and the story of Pasternak. The selection of anecdotes and the detail with which they are recounted make this is a top notch making-of.

The rest of the special features consist of archival studio docs used to promote the film during its production and release. There is a great deal of repetition of footage and information, but these were never made with the intention of being watched all at the same time. It’s always interesting to see the difference in the way films were marketed during that time. The lack of flash and gloss is really refreshing.

Zhivago Behind the Camera with David Lean: Along with information about the film and how it’s cast and creative team were put together, the director offers his insight about how he made his decisions.

David Lean’s Film of Doctor Zhivago: Almost the same as the “behind the camera” feature only without the one on one with Lean.

Moscow in Madrid: A studio piece reporting on the making of Doctor Zhivago with Madrid standing in for Russia. Considering that the book the movie is based on was still banned in Russia at the time of filming, not to mention the then on-going cold war, shooting in the Soviet Union was not an option.

Pasternak: A short documentary which begins with recounting the fascinating life of Boris Pasternak, writer of the novel, but then morphs into another promotional piece of the studio. A great extra from the archives for the disc, but it’s a shame that there wasn’t more focus on Pasternak at the time it was made.

New York Press Interviews Julie Christie: A very old school press junket with the star sitting at a table as reporters rotate in at predetermined intervals. What’s curious about this particular interview session is how nervous and uncomfortable Julie Christie looks. At times she looks positively frightened.

New York Press Interviews Omar Sharif: Same as Christie’s only Sharif replaces rattled nerves with suavity, which later morphs into politely guarded boredom.

Geraldine Chaplin Screen Test: It’s always very interesting to see how the portrayal of a character can change, in this case subtly but noticeably, between the audition process and the print. The scene used here is the reading of Zhivago’s letter.

This is Julie Christie, This is Geraldine Chaplin, This is Omar Sharif and Chaplin in New York: These are all promotional spots for the film’s stars made by the studio. Before the days of Entertainment Tonight this is how audiences learned more about stars. A real disparity of dignity from what we are subject to today.

CD Soundtrack Sampler: This was a really nice touch to add to this release of the film. The Oscar winning score for this film received enormous attention at the time of its release and compliments the film brilliantly. Naturally the gem amongst the gold is Lara’s theme.

Zhivago is the type of film that most put on their “List” of films to see but unfortunately never get around too and no doubt part of that could be attributed to the intimidating running time coming in at 200 minutes. Those who do finally invest their time in this sprawling, magnificent epic, will find themselves asking why they didn’t get to it sooner. Like other films that are constantly referred to as the best the medium has to offer, Doctor Zhivago earned its place.

Movie rating – 5

Disc Rating – 5