The movie lacks subtlety and complexity of the original book

Rating: 6/10 (13 March 2007)

I am surprised by a high rating of the movie on IMDb. I think the reason for that is that most people not only haven't read a book, but also know little about Russia and Russians. The book "Doctor Zhivago" is a masterpiece, mostly because of the way it describes complex personalities and events in a very subtle and skillful way. The movie lacks both subtlety and complexity. It looks like an adaptation for children. Characters are schematic: Yuri Zhivago is unnaturally charismatic, Tonya is unnaturally easygoing, Komarovsky - unnaturally evil. The image of Lara as it is described in the book is barely recognizable in Julie Christie. If you can speak Russian I strongly recommend you the TV series "Doctor Zhivago" shoot in Russia in 2006. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417319/. It takes 11 hours of your time, but worth every minute.