Dr. Zhivago - Worth Seeing Or Not?

[liberalpragmatist]

Dr. Zhivago



So I've heard conflicting things about this.

On one hand... "One of the most beloved movies of all time"...

And on the other... "sappy, overblown pap."

So, in other words, is it really great, or just the 1965 equivalent of Titanic? (I actually don't dislike Titanic, but if Dr. Zhivago is more in line with that then it's less of a priority for me to see.)

[NMDemDist2]

1. it's better than titanic, made when the actor had to ACT instead of

just fill between special effects

[greatauntoftriplets]

5. Thank you....

Dr. Zhivago is a WONDERFUL movie. Everyone in that had the most incredible eyes, it was amazing. Excellently acted.

In no way can it be compared to Titanic, during which I cheered on the damn boat to sink.

[Darth_Kitten]

2. One of my Mom's fav movies..........

:)

[Shine]

3. You should ABSOLUTELY see it. It's one of the all-time classics.

everybody should see it, at least once, in their lifetime. That's what I think, anyway.

I said the very same thing to the kids today for "Gone With the Wind", which was showing on TMC.....for 5 long hours. :D

Another classic, indeed. :thumbsup:

Enjoy!:hi:

[OllieLotte]

4. I liked it. It's not what I was expecting.

It is worth watching IMHO.

[SharonRB]

6. You should absolutely see it.

It's a classic -- and a great one.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

7. Aside from a couple of spots that cause present-day youth to giggle,

this is a fine movie, although somewhat changed from the book.

The cast is great: Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Alec Guiness, Tom Courtenay, Rita Tushingham, Rod Steiger, Ralph Richardson, Geraldine Chaplin, and all sorts of other well-known actors and some whose faces you will recognize, even if you don't know their names.

[cwydro]

8. Dr. Zhivago

I love that movie. Great love story.

Watch it. And then decide for yourself.

[rockymountaindem]

9. My Russian history prof gave us two choices: Zhivago or Reds

He said "On the one hand, Dr. Zhivago is very sad. On the other hand, Reds is about six hours long! Which one would you prefer?"

That said, Zhivago was very good. But, if you want something even better in my opinion, watch "Ballad of a Soldier", or "Ballade Soldatye" if you find it with the Russian title. That one was fantastic.

[Road Scholar]

10. Make no mistake, it's a classic. My favorite movie of all times.

:bounce: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[bikebloke]

11. David Lean was the director

So the cinematography ought to be great on wide screen.

I've never seen in all the way through. Only in pan & scan with commercial breaks and in black & white. As a kid, I saw the beginning a couple times, but had to go to bed for school.

[twilight_sailing]

13. Saw it on the big screen at the cinema

when it was new. For years and years I would have said, if asked, that it was my favorite movie. Still in my top 5.

[femmocrat]

15. It's still my all-time fave.

It was the top "date" movie when it was out.

[twilight_sailing]

18. Darn, now you've made me want to see it again.

Maybe it's at the video store.

[Demoiselle]

12. It's a spectacular movie...but...

the characters get a little lost in the spectacle. Remember, the hero Dr. Zivago just observes, he watches things happen in his country but he really doesn't make them happen. That's a good technique for a novel, I'm not so sure it works for a movie.
The hero of Lawrence of Arabia, for example, actually leads people into battle, makes mistakes, behaves heroically, badly, wisely, foolishly.. He's an action figure, if you will, while Zivago is very passive as a player in the story.
There are lots of extraordinary scenes in Zivago, though. It is well worth watching.

[achtung_circus]

14. Zhivago is a very Russian hero

blown along with the winds of change. Fatalistic, yet trying to salvage humanity in the midst of horror.

[kwassa]

33. You hit on my problem with the film .... Zhivago's passivity.

He floats through some of the most tumultuous events possible, and yet under reacts to all of them. I had trouble understanding Julie Christie's attraction to him because of that.

The film is visually spectacular, though. I love the ruined dacha covered in snow.

[JVS]

16. It could use more nudity, but it's basically a good movie

[Sequoia]

32. Are you kidding....too much snow for that sort of thing. Cold as ever!

[mainegreen]

17. Oooh, thats a very good movie!

[ikojo]

19. I LOVE this movie...watch it and then watch

Reds.

[Nicole]

20. I loved it. n/t

[crim son]

21. Umm, yeah, worth seeing!

Without question.

[Blue_In_AK]

22. I enjoyed it very much on the big screen

when it first came out, being 22 and a big romantic. I loved the grand sweep of the cinematography. It truly is an epic movie with unforgettable characters and a heartbreaking love story.

[Vidar]

23. Wonderful movie.

[shanine]

24. Absolutely worth seeing

Also my favorite movie of all time . .

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

25. Most definitely worth seeing.

I was lucky enough to see it in 1966 in all it's cinematic glory. Dr. Z is definitely in my top 5 movies of all time.

When Mr. Wonderful and myself broke down in 2003 and bought a DVD player, Dr. Zhivago was the second DVD I bought. The first one was Lawrence of Arabia. I guess I have a thing for David Lean movies.

[Paladin]

26. Please See It, But Keep In Mind......

....that like so many great movies, it's the BAD GUYS who really make it special. Sharif's Zhivago is a bit of a prig, but the characters played by Rod Steiger and Alec Guiness are absolutely perfect.....

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

27. ITA. Rod Steiger was excellent in this movie. What a creep!!

Tom Courtney as Strelnikov??(sp) was great as well.

I still don't think Alec Guuiness's character was a total bad guy, but IMHO Alec Guiness never made a bad movie.

[Paladin]

28. Remember The Part Where Guiness Is Talking......

.....about his brother being a "better man" than he was, and then commenting that it didn't matter, because he (Guiness) had "executed better men than me with a small pistol."? Bone-chilling stuff. I'm with you: If Alec Guiness ever gave a bad movie performance, I never saw it, and I think I've seen them all....

[reyd reid reed]

29. I don't ever remember seeing it myself...

but I remember it was, hands-down, my mother's favorite movie.

[begin_within]

30. Try to watch it on a big-screen TV, or in a theater if possible.

It's one of those movies, like Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, and 2001, which were designed with a big screen in mind, and the grand spectacle of it all is hindered by watching it on a small TV.

[Sequoia]

31. It is so good this time of year too!

The book is exceptional. Read it around Christmas by the fireplace and it was snowing outside.