Great on the senses!

Rating: 9/10 (10 January 2005)

Blue skies, yellow daffodils, lovely sets and clothes--AND OMAR SHARIF IN HIS HOTTY HEYDAY! Loved him better in "Lawrence of Arabia" but this story is a close second. His acting rocks, especially the part where the cossacks are "keeping order" and the camera only stays on his face grimacing and angry and later when he almost nukes against the authorities trying to shoo him off. I submit he didn't really like the brutalities of Tsarist Russia anymore than he did the intrusiveness of the communist.
However, on the down side of the character and of the story itself is the hero having pregnant wife one place and lover somewhere else. The heck! But without that he wouldn't be a human being and he does get torn up about it so I guess that adds character complexity and humanity. On the other hand, while Rod Steiger is good as the villainous Komarovsky (sp), he comes off as the devil incarnate--is there a good side in this man? He even let Zhivago and Lara's daughter be lost!
I'd be remiss to omit that the Soundtrack (not just "Lara's theme") is my second favorite of all time.