Interesting as a period piece, but hasn't held up as art

Rating: 3/10 (16 September 2007)

This dumbed-down version of the revolution in Russia may be mildly diverting as a period piece, but for my taste the script just doesn't hold up. Where's the revolution? Why do we care that Zhivago and Lara want each other? The absurdity of seeing English actors, with an Egyptian lead, playing Russians, feels very 1960s. The movie sports a tediously repetitive score and a made-for-TV script, making for a long sit at three-and-a-half hours. In the IMDb trivia notes it says that Lean suffered at the hands of the critics, though the film was popular and won so many Oscars. I can see why the critics howled, and not with glee. Watch this one only if you have a particular interest in any of the actors. SPOILER ALERT. By the end of it I was yelling at the screen "Zhivago, you wimp! Don't just stand there with your suitcases and that long face. Go after her!" He acts like a passive twit who deserves to lose the girl. They say that director Lean wanted 1960s-yummy Peter O'Toole for the role, but I can't quite see him playing such a weak man. Sharif is also sexy, and surely more powerful than this flaccid lead would suggest. Either actor would deserve a better-written part. What a waste of a strong cast.