Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Doctor Zhivago (1965) is a sweeping historical romance set against the upheaval of World War I and the Russian Revolution. It follows the life of Dr. Yuri Zhivago, a physician and poet torn between duty and desire: married to his devoted cousin Tonya, he nevertheless falls deeply in love with Lara, a woman whose life is entangled with dangerous men and revolutionary passions. As society collapses around them, Zhivago’s private longings and artistic sensibility collide with the brutal demands of war and the new collectivist order. Watching the film, you’ll experience an intimate human story played on an epic canvas — grand battle and exile scenes, stark Siberian winters, and crowded revolutionary streets set against quiet moments of longing, poetry and small domestic life. The narrative moves back and forth between personal choices and historical forces, so you feel both the political sweep of the era and the painful details of broken relationships and moral compromise. The performances are central: Omar Sharif’s wistful, lyrical Zhivago and Julie Christie’s luminous, conflicted Lara anchor the film’s emotional core, supported by memorable antagonists who embody the era’s ruthlessness. The movie is also famous for its music and visual scope — a lush, memorable score and striking cinematography that make the landscapes, the snow, and the ruined cities feel simultaneously beautiful and devastating. Overall, viewers can expect a long, richly staged epic that blends romance, poetry and history. It’s a bittersweet, immersive experience that provokes empathy for characters caught between love and duty, and leaves you reflecting on the cost of revolution, the endurance of memory, and the power of art and longing in times of chaos.

Actors: Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin

Director: David Lean

Runtime: 197 min

Genres: Drama, Romance, War

7.9 /10 69 /100 7.9 /10 7.6 /10