Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

John Allard Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this. I haven't read the book, and only remember fleeting glimpses of Shariff and Christie in the original. It does have a distinct "TV-film" feel to it, but the pace, script and acting are good, the sets look reasonably authentic, and there is good use of archive film where appropriate and the management of crowd scenes with minimal extras is cleverly done. Hans Matheson is excellent as Yuri, and Kris Marshall does a good job as Pasha. The stand-out performance for me is Alexandra Maria Lara as Tonya, who affects an understated Russian accent very well. Sam Neill turns in a fair performance as the evil (rather smug) Viktor, but the disappointment is Knightley, who gives the standard performance of Keira Knightley saying someone else's words that we've all become very familiar with. I do feel that the film fails a little in that it seems to want to show the story in all its glory, but without shocking *too* much ... so we have people dying in battle and skirmishes, with bloody wounds, but rather sanitised. The possible exception is in the 3rd episode, where a recent amputee is shown, but even then, we are spared the worst, which dilutes the impact for me, of what is a powerful story set in barbaric and inhumane times. It is a similar story with the bedroom scenes, which are an odd mixture of explicit sexual content with virtually no nudity to speak of. I admire the intent of the film(s) - the spreading of the story over three episodes, each over an hour long - which allows the characters to develop over time as I'm sure they must do in the book. With a little more willingness to shock for added realism, and a more convincing performance from Knightley, this would have been quite wonderful.

benbrae76 This serialised version of Dr Zhivago was extremely enjoyable with memorable performances from all the cast. I can't comment on how faithful it is to Pasternak's text as I've never read the book, which also leaves me with an unanswered question.Both David Lean's more poignant movie, and this adaptation left me wondering what happened to Lara's son and daughter, and how they managed to survive alone in the turbulence that was Russia at the time. I suppose I'll have to read the book after all.Also I thought it rather odd that the serial started narrator-less, yet ended with said son's adult narrative as if he'd been telling the story all along. If he had been, I'm afraid I missed it.One last point, albeit a little picky...Yuri Zhivago's corpse looked remarkably healthy. Did they have thermostatically controlled coffins in those days or what? However, the ending apart, applause should be given for an excellent production of this Goliath of a story, keeping in mind that David Lean is a hard act to follow.

aussiebrisguy I'm not sure why Doctor Zhivago was remade as the David Lean film was quite brilliant. I do think the mini-series had its moments but it will always sadly be compared with the earlier film with the most beautiful Julie Christie as Lara and the incredibly dashing Omar Sharif as Zhivago. Who after all can outdo these two I ask myself? This is the battle the leads in the mini-series have to constantly face as everybody wants to see Christie and Sharif rather than their new counterparts. I still enjoyed it all but not nearly as much as if the earlier film had not been made. Pasternak's story remains powerfully strong and deeply moving. Sometimes I think remakes are made because creative forces are not imaginative enough to find new projects to work on. It would seem this was the case with this good remake.

Harm ten Napel Having seen the older rendition with Shivago played by Omar Sharif I couldn't help but comparing Hans Matheson with his predecessor and gradually they seemed to become more alike. Especially in the final scenes with all the despair about the choices in life that had brought him to the end of it. A deeply moving story. It surprised me at first they had cast Keira Knigthley for this great epic, her being so young at the time, to carry such drama. But her performance is exceptional with a natural refreshing lightness. It's hard for a young woman to moan, so Lara makes the best of it despite her ordeal of having to cope with three men who all afflict her in such different ways and Keira neatly strikes a balance in showing us Lara's mixed emotions. Spoiled by a mogul played by Sam Neill, unhappily married to the revolutionary Pasha a.k.a. fearsome Strelnikov and finally seduced by our romantically inclined but still adulterate Doctor Shivago, Lara is not bound for a happy life and she pays dearly at the end which is so intentionally dreadful still solidly performed. Intertwined with this great love story is the background of the great revolution, which this work was written as a charge against, for many years the book had been banned so the story itself justifies it being told and retold. To sit it out is once again an experience that leaves you with a lasting impression about the relentless force of passion and the ever so harsh nature of man.