STRELNIKOV!

Rating: Null/10 (6 July 2000)

A magnificent epic tale of Russia, Doctor Zhivago is one of the great movies of all time. It is essential that it be viewed on either a large screen (if possible) or "letterbox" version in video format, because of the breadth and scope of every shot and scene. If at all possible, view while snow (heavy preferably) falls outside. This is a beautiful movie on so many levels: the cast--Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, so many others, caught at the peak of their bloom and talent, the tale--sweeping drama spanning the collapse of the Russian Empire and the early days of the Soviet Union with numerous intertwined relationships in the manner of the great Russian novelists, the locales--well, it was actually filmed in Spain and Scandanavia but, hey, still gorgeous!
The wonderfully complex plot centers around a young (at the film's outset) Russian doctor and his love for two women, his wife, and a woman that represents all the promise and confusion of the new age. From beginning to end, this is a riveting, thoroughly satisfying movie-going experience. Another must see!