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Rating: 10/10 (14 March 1999)

An easy rival with "Gone With the Wind" for all-time best picture, and *is* the better film, at least to this reviewer. David Lean is at his best--like a fine jeweler, he made sure every cast member's performance is a flawlessly cut gem, and every gem perfectly mounted and set. Though Russophiles and native Russians might find the mannerisms a tad western and the monolithic finale of the hydroelectric dam reminiscent of Soviet party-line flicks, there is absolutely nothing else wrong. A true cinematic "epic."