Lean masterpiece a true cinema classic

Rating: 10/10 (5 December 2010)

Anyone wanting to examine how great cinema used to be need look no further than Doctor Zhivago. David Lean's sprawling epic set in revolutionary Russia is a masterpiece of movie making and has, like most of Lean's work, inspired countless other films through the decades. Adapted from Boris Pasternak's novel, only Lean could get away with a largely British cast and an Egyptian in the leading role playing out the most tumultuous period of Soviet history. Omar Sharif is faultless as Zhivago, and in many scenes his eyes convey each emotion perfectly without a single line being uttered. So canny is Lean that in numerous scenes there is a brilliant piece of visual trickery as a shaft of light falls over those dark brown pupils to riveting effect. There is also a genius scene where Zhivago, by now totally smitten with Lara (Julie Christie) has to part with her for the first time in 6 months after the two had worked in a hospital together. As she departs, he tearfully trudges back inside the now defunct hospital, and in the corner of the screen, a vase of wilting, dying sunflowers perfectly represents the feelings he is now experiencing for his as yet unrequited love. The metaphor is successfully examined again later on when the emerging spring daffodils depict Zhivago's rekindled enthusiasm after a gruelling winter in which all hope seemed lost. Zhivago is more accessible than Lean's other notable classic, Lawrence Of Arabia, mainly because it is of course a powerful love story set against the backdrop of one of the most barbaric times in modern history. The stunning locations are breathtaking, and of course Maurice Jarre's contagious and famous theme became synonymous with the movie itself. A feast of a picture, this is simply timeless perfection, and cinema as a medium has rarely been better.