Doctor Zhivago (1965)
87%RT Audience Score: 88%
Awards & Nominations: Won 5 Oscars
21 wins & 13 nominations total
It may not be the best of David Lean’s epics, but Dr. Zhivago is still brilliantly photographed and sweepingly romantic
Doctor Zhivago is like a rollercoaster ride of emotions, with moments that will make you laugh, cry, and everything in between. It’s a true masterpiece of epic proportions, with stunning performances and a sweeping score that will leave you breathless. Even if you haven’t read the book, this film is a must-see for anyone who loves a good romance and a story that will stay with you long after the credits roll. So grab some popcorn, settle in, and get ready for a wild ride through the Russian Revolution.
Production Company(ies)
Les Films, du Cru Film4 Orange Studio
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., Warner Home Vídeo, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Morley Flats, Alberta, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for mature themes
Year of Release
1965
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:3h 17m
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Language(s):English, Russian, French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 22, 1965 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 6, 2001
Genre(s)
Romance/War
Keyword(s)
starring Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Tom Courtenay, Alec Guinness, Rod Steiger, directed by David Lean, written by Boris Pasternak, Robert Bolt, romance, war, box office performance, budget, reviewed by James Powers, Richard Roud, Geoffrey Macnab, Kate Muir, Peter Bradshaw, David Jenkins, Bob Halliday, Mike Massie, Joan Didion, Wendy Michener, Mal Vincent, PG-13, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., Warner Home Vídeo, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Carlo Ponti, produced by Carlo Ponti
Worldwide gross: $111,922,142
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,194,260,698
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 75
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 130,235,627
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $11,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $117,375,056
Production budget ranking: 323
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $63,206,468
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,013,679,175
ROI to date (est.): 561%
ROI ranking: 228
Julie Christie – Nurse Lara Antipova
Geraldine Chaplin – Tonya
Tom Courtenay – Pasha Antipova, Strelnikov
Alec Guinness – Gen. Yevgraf Zhivago
Rod Steiger – Victor Komarovsky
Director(s)
David Lean
Writer(s)
Boris Pasternak, Robert Bolt
Producer(s)
Carlo Ponti
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 5 Oscars
21 wins & 13 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (49) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (8)
Despite the grim and brooding background, Zhivago has a surging buoyant spirit that is unquenchable. Doctor Zhivago is more than a masterful motion picture; it is a life experience.
December 22, 2016
James Powers
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
One of those rare film adaptations which, unless you have already read the book, makes you wonder why anyone ever bothered to make the film at all.
April 29, 2016
Richard Roud
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Maurice Jarre’s music is as beguiling as ever and Lean squeezes all the pathos that he can out of the romance between Sharif’s Yuri Zhivago and Julie Christie’s febrile and gorgeous Lara Antipova.
December 1, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Geoffrey Macnab
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Epic seems too small a word for the sweeping ambition and romance of Doctor Zhivago.
December 1, 2015
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Lean and Bolt pay tribute to a Tolstoyan ambition in Pasternak’s samizdat novel, and also to a real contemporary relevance: the story of a suppressed writer.
November 26, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Demands everything from the viewer while offering little in return, with Lean coming across like a despised schoolmaster not wanting to open himself up to his braying students.
November 26, 2015 | Rating: 2/5
David Jenkins
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Doctor Zhivago, in the film version, is a work of art to match the novel and even excel it in some respects.
May 12, 2021
Bob Halliday
Salt Lake Tribune
A masterpiece of emotional resonance and melodramatic romanticism.
August 24, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
[Doctor Zhivago] is, in its skill and finish, everything a “big” picture should be and rarely is.
March 4, 2020
Joan Didion
Vogue
A true Saturday afternoon extravaganza.
December 4, 2019
Jacoba Atlas
Los Angeles Free Press
…still the best epic around…
June 27, 2019
Wendy Michener
Maclean’s Magazine
David Lean has made a stunning motion picture from Boris Pasternak’s Nobel Prize novel.
March 5, 2018
Mal Vincent
The Virginian-Pilot…
Plot
During the Russian Revolution, Dr. Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif) is a young doctor who has been raised by his aunt and uncle following his father’s suicide. Yuri falls in love with beautiful Lara Guishar (Julie Christie), who has been having an affair with her mother’s lover, Victor Komarovsky (Rod Steiger), an unscrupulous businessman. Yuri, however, ends up marrying his cousin, Tonya (Geraldine Chaplin). But when he and Lara meet again years later, the spark of love reignites.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Doctor Zhivago on Fresh Kernels.
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