Not Perfect, Magnificent

Rating: 10/10 (4 April 2020)

Dr. Zhivago is a tour de force of epic cinema. It belongs to another era, when big studios owned the industry, directors had supreme authority and actors acted, so it stands among a select group of grand movies that can't be reproduced. We must cherish it for what it is because there won't be any more.
It starts slow, I mean very slow. It takes its time, perhaps because it is very long, unconcerned of a public with the attention span of gold fish. This is prologue, the time to take in the production, the mood, the staging, the acting, the music. The story hits the viewers in the second half. It is two stories really, the drama of the Russian Revolution and the love story within. In my case the historical drama was the more interesting one but many people preferred the love story. No problem, they are both excellent.
There is something to be said about cultural movies for the general public. When I first saw Dr. Zhivago as a child I had no idea about the Revolution. This movie opened my eyes to that struggle that shaped much of our lives and is now forgotten. We shouldn't forget.
A movie on this scale cannot get everything just right. The artistic merits are indisputable but... does it moves too slow or is it deliberate? Does it follow history chronologically or does it get the stories right? Is it a love story or is it historical drama? What must be in it, what can be left out? Etc., etc. Here the director uses his considerable judgement, but it is not perfect. Who cares! It is Magnificent.