Detailed Background, Blank Front

Rating: Null/10 (10 January 2004)

David Lean represents the old method of directing, a quaint style by today's standards, but still influential on less-energetic directors like Spielberg.
This is your only spoiler warning...
Here's how you can tell. In Lean's movies there are two distinct elements: the background and the foreground. The foreground is simple plot devices, acting, etc. The background is photography, hidden story materials, and even editing.
In those boundaries, 'Zhivago' is a tale best explored in the background. The simplicity of the foreground is not interesting. It resembles a postcard montage, but there are instances where the background faces its lesser counterpart...and wins.
The scene in the Civil War where the Bolsheviks search through the fields for the Loyalists represent the best combination. With Guinness as the narrator and Sharif as our focus of attention, its a typical love-triangle framed within Guinness trying to find his family members. I expected a little more sophistication from the mid-60s.
Overall, I actually find this Lean's best work. Consider how much material was lifted from it for 'Titanic' and any other recent war-romance epic.
Final Analysis = = Midrange Material