IMDb >
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsDoctor Zhivago (1965) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 68 | slideshow) | Videos |
Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
22 December 1965 (USA) moreTagline:
The entertainment event of the year! morePlot:
Life of a Russian doctor/poet who, although married, falls for a political activist's wife and experiences hardships during the Bolshevik Revolution. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Won 5 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 10 nominations moreUser Comments:
Flawless beauty - the fact that it's not Lean's best is beside the point more (204 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| 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 |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for mature themes.Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
197 min | UK:192 min (1999 re-release) | UK:193 min | UK:200 min (1992 re-release)Country:
USAColor:
Color (Metrocolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 moreSound 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:11Fun Stuff
Trivia:
David Lean wanted Audrey Hepburn to play Tonya, but was so impressed by Geraldine Chaplin's audition that he cast her on the spot. moreGoofs:
Factual errors: Much of the Cyrillic lettering in the film is inaccurate, as it relied on the post-Soviet version of Cyrillic rather than the version which had been used in Tsarist Russia. One of Lean's assistants tried to point this out to him, but Lean ignored him. moreMovie Connections:
Referenced in "Animaniacs: Video Review/When Mice Ruled the Earth (#1.47)" (????) moreSoundtrack:
Prelude in G minor, Op.23-5 moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (204 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Doctor Zhivago (1965) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Sunshine | Die Blechtrommel | Novecento | Gone with the Wind | Across the Universe |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |












David Lean had just directed two of the greatest films ever made ("The Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Lawrence of Arabia"), the more recent of which was easily the greater. As you'd expect "Doctor Zhivago" isn't as good. But this isn't to say that it's flawed in any way; there is, in fact, NOTHING wrong with it.
Of course, the previous two films had exceptionally strong stories; this one, while rich in incident, has almost no story - which would not be interpreted as a defect. The point of the film is to sketch a historical epoch by showing us the thin life-lines of a handful of people who lived through it. It's like looking at a stretch of a vast river and seeing the illuminated pathways of half a dozen or so minute particles. If there seems to be an undue amount of coincidence in the way these pathways repeatedly intersect ... well, we had the whole river to choose from.
It was fashionable to criticise Maurice Jarre's score at the time, but, in addition to being undeniably attractive and catchy, it comes across as a model of intelligent and tasteful scoring today. Bolt's script is based on less promising material than "Lawrence of Arabia" so is less inspired, but still flawlessly crafted. Particularly good are the gaps in the narrative. Some things we simply don't see: anything of Yevgraf's life before he enters the story, anything that happens to Pasha when he isn't in the vicinity of Zhivago ... but we have the material available to infer, and as it happens, it's the fact that we infer rather than see that makes the story feel so convincingly large.
Most of all, this is a beautiful film, with some of the most breathtaking location footage (it doesn't matter that it's Spain and Finland standing in for Russia) ever shot. As always, the real test is whether the characters look like they're really there (Moscow, the distant Russian countryside), their feet really touching the ground and leaving footprints. If "Doctor Zhivago" had done nothing but convey this impression so well it would still be a masterpiece.