Human drama against an epic backdrop

Rating: 6/10 (11 May 2017)

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO is another lengthy '60s epic from director David Lean, the man who brought us LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. I didn't enjoy it as much as that movie, as this does feel a little long-winded and dated by comparison, and it suffers from an overload of romance which bogs the story down somewhat. But the film is certainly lavishly mounted and effectively tells the small-scale human story against a massive backdrop of war and revolution. I really appreciated the authentic backdrop, but the lives of the central characters are what left me feeling a little cold and listless while watching.