Doctor Zhivago | |
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Theatrical release poster design by Tom Jung
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Directed by | David Lean |
Produced by | Carlo Ponti |
Screenplay by | Robert Bolt |
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Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak |
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Music by | Maurice Jarre |
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Edited by | Norman Savage |
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Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Budget | $11 million |
Box office | $111.7 million |
Doctor Zhivago is a 1965 British-Italian epic romantic drama film directed by David Lean. It is set in Russia between the years prior to World War I and the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922, and is based on the Boris Pasternak novel of the same name. While immensely popular in the West, the book was banned in the Soviet Union for decades. For this reason, the film could not be made in the Soviet Union and was instead filmed mostly in Spain.
The film stars Omar Sharif in the title role as Yuri Zhivago and Julie Christie as his love interest Lara Antipova. The supporting cast includes Geraldine Chaplin, Rod Steiger, Alec Guinness, Tom Courtenay, Ralph Richardson, Siobhán McKenna and Rita Tushingham.
Contemporary critics were generally disappointed, complaining of its length at over three hours, and claiming that it trivialized history, but acknowledging the intensity of the romantic drama and the treatment of human themes. Over time, however, the film's reputation has improved greatly. At the 38th Academy Awards, Doctor Zhivago won five Oscars: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography (Color), Best Art Direction (Color) and Best Costume Design (Color); it was nominated for five others (including Best Picture), but lost four of these five to The Sound of Music. It also won five awards at the 23rd Golden Globe Awards.