Doctor Zhivago

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Doctor Zhivago

PG-13

Released Dec 22, 1965

3h 17m

Romance

History

Drama

War

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82%

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49 Reviews

88%

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25,000+ Ratings

During the Russian Revolution, 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.

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Critics Consensus

It may not be the best of David Lean's epics, but Dr. Zhivago is still brilliantly photographed and sweepingly romantic.

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James Powers

The Hollywood Reporter

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.

Dec 22, 2016

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Richard Roud

Guardian

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.

Apr 29, 2016

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Geoffrey Macnab

Independent (UK)

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.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 1, 2015

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Pauline Kael

McCall's

It isn't shoddy (except for the music), it isn't soap opera; it's stately, respectable and dead: the photography static, the comings and goings without rhythm. It's like watching a gigantic task of stone masonry, executed by unmoved movers.

Sep 19, 2023

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Bob Halliday

Salt Lake Tribune

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

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

A masterpiece of emotional resonance and melodramatic romanticism.

Rated: 10/10

Aug 24, 2020

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Steve S

A classic, epic movie. Very good, but a little hard to follow.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/10/25

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Ari V

Good film, great mise-en-scène.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/08/25

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David F

I finally got around to watching this David Lean epic after loving Lawrence of Arabia for decades and I was somewhat underwhelmed. While I never got bored, I found that it did not really live up to its outstanding reputation. But the music was beautiful.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/16/25

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Alejandra O

A classic that I can view over and over.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/25

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Farah R

Doctor Zhivago certainly lives up to its reputation as an epic tale of romance and war with its captivating cinematography, beautiful score, and remarkable performances. Yet for all its admirable qualities, the film is undeniably tedious.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/08/25

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Adam C

If this film were an original work I would have rated it 5 Stars. But the screenwriters who adapted it gutted Pasternak's novel, then changed what remained into a sappy love story that became the ersatz focus of the plot. It gives me no pleasure saying this because I always loved Omar Sharif. Ironically, he was also a good friend of a client of mine

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/19/24

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David Lean

Director

Omar Sharif

Dr. Yuri Zhivago

Julie Christie

Nurse Lara Antipova

Geraldine Chaplin

Tonya

Tom Courtenay

Pasha Antipova

Alec Guinness

Gen. Yevgraf Zhivago

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Synopsis

During the Russian Revolution, 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.

Director: David Lean
Producer: Carlo Ponti
Screenwriter: Boris Pasternak, Robert Bolt
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Home Vídeo, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: Warner Bros., Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, History, Drama, War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 22, 1965, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $87.1K
Runtime: 3h 17m

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