One of my top 5 films of all-time

Rating: 10/10 (17 September 2013)

I was 16 when this film was released, and I thought it was one of the finest films ever made. I still think so...for me it's "GWTW" and then either "Ben-Hur" or "Doctor Zhivago" (although my personal favorite #2 is actually "Random Harvest").
The reason I have such high esteem for this film is the performances. But I look at that from an unusual perspective. There are more actors and actresses that I generally don't care for in the film (Geraldine Chaplin, Julie Christie, Tom Courtenay, and Rod Steiger) than actors I admire (Alec Guinness, Ralph Richardson, Omar Sharif). Yet, here I found brilliant performances all around.
If there's a problem with this film, it's that there's a whole chapter of Zhivago's life that isn't covered...at least compared to the novel -- where he is living with another woman and fathers a couple of children not long before his death. But, this is a film of massive scope, and it lasts 3:12 as it is. Further, a book is one thing, a film another. One format does not necessarily lend itself well to the format, and I think that is the case here. To me it's the essence of the story that is important, and while I think that late chapter could have been very interesting (a man torn between two former lives and a third life), not having it doesn't diminish the interesting life situation in which Zhivago found himself in in the film. On the other hand, as his half-brother narrated a bit at the end of the film, he could have easily told that part of the story in a few paragraphs with a few flashbacks that wouldn't have taken long. Ah well, what is, is.
Since originally watching this film, I've always appreciated Omar Sharif, although the remainder of his career never lived up to this early apex of playing Zhivago (although I also very much enjoyed his film "The Last Valley"). How does one explain one film where an actor is nothing short of brilliant, but afterwards is never brilliant again. Perhaps his talent was best brought out by David Lean.
This is really the only film in which I ever enjoyed Julie Christie, although I did find her just wonderful here; she played well the woman on the edge of being good and kind and noble, but also being a near slut.
Geraldine Chaplin has a key role as Zhivago's wife; again, other than this role, I never really enjoyed her much in other performances.
Rod Steiger is a real scene stealer here! We can't help but dislike the character, although as a pragmatic politician he brought a sense of realism to film that otherwise was full of idealists. He's an actor I never developed an appreciation for...except for this film where I think he is brilliant.
Alec Guinness is so good as the half-brother and member of the Party. It's an odd role, and he plays it in such a perfectly detached sort of way.
Tom Courtenay is very good as the husband of Christie and the disillusioned leader of a faction of the Reds; I wish they had played his suicide differently and given him a scene leading up to it.
I loved Ralph Richardson (as Zhivago's father-in-law) in this film. A marvelous sort of befuddlement that muddles through the catastrophes of a life.
Of course, mention should be made of the film score (wonderful, and always enhances, never overwhelms) and the photography, which is often stunning and memorable. The sets are marvelous.
There is something that I realized on this most recent watching of the film...I've probably watched it more than 20 times in all. Almost all the main characters are flawed humans. Zhivago is an extremely sensitive man, yet many times unfaithful to his wife. Lara allows the infidelity, knowing full well that Zhivago is married and has a child, yet she is the one who most fully understands Zhivago. Steiger's character is crass, blows with the wind, but is loyal to his friends and associates. Courtenay's character is torn between the Red ideals and his own humanity. Alec Guinness's character is, likewise, torn between duty and family.
David Lean is very successful in alternating between the comparatively smaller scale of lives of individuals and the large scale of the epic struggle for Russia over vast plains sometimes frozen, sometimes aglow in golden wheat. I also found it impressive how Lean tells the story of people, all of whom have totally lost control of their own lives.
I recently bought the Blu-Ray version, and it is wonderfully rich in color.
There are a few films like this that have a scope that makes most "everyday" films seem almost like a "Reader's Digest" version of a novel. There are just so many unforgettable images in this film; some brutal (as when the fleeing Russian troops massacre the replacements), some incredibly lovely (such as the awakening of spring in the Urals). There are only 4 films that I give a "10" to, and this is one of them. A true classic guided by the directorial hand of David Lean. A film to be treasured and savored from time to time.