Doctor Zhivago (1965)
David Lean is best known for his epics and this is the third he made and also his third collaboration with actor Alec Guinness. Adapted from the novel of the same name this is the age old story of one man trying to balance being in love with two women while the Russian revolution kicks off in the back ground.
Shot in Spain, Finland and Canada as Russia was off limits for obvious reasons there are some outstanding backdrops and jaw dropping sequences. While the film explores the ideas of individualism and how a revolution can be hijacked we do have to wonder if the main character is so self interested is he indeed part of the problem that caused the revolution rather than a hero who stands against crushing Bolshevik homogenisation.
The main criticism of the film is always going to be that it tries to do too much and even with cutting some elements of the novel still comes in at a whopping 197 minutes in length, while the main subject of the film is supposed to be the romance between Omar Sharif and Julie Christie it takes them a full 2 hours to get together. Some times you just have to accept that a novel can do more than a single film ever can without ending up with a crazy run time but this does remain a very good film. Despite it's length the film is well paced and does not drag.
Certainly worth watching and a solid addition to Lean's cannon but it does require a time commitment! 4/5
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