7. Doctor Zhivago (1965), directed by David Lean, starring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie Big, big, big—Big cinematography, big music, big plot. After watching a bunch of 1930s movies in a row, it was refreshing to be so emotionally involved in a film. We watched it on DVD over two nights, and were riveted both times. I was a bit surprised that after 3:20:00, so much plot is left unresolved. This film continues in my unintended theme of representations of WWI. But, really, I was motivated by my desire to see Omar Sharif in his second film directed by David Lean. Sharif is one of the few living (and professionally active) links to the period in Egyptian cinema I am presently studying. He was discovered by Youssef Chahine in 1954, and has been making movies for 60 years in three languages. But, enough about why I wanted to see the movie, and more about why you should want to see it. The film offers a devastating portrayal of the effects of WWI and the Russian revolution on a (formerly) bourgeois family. Sharif’s Dr. Zhivago is a poet, and the film also offers a mediation on the relationships between art, passion, and politics. If you’re stuck home all day during a winter storm (hint, hint), why not settle in under a warm comforter (unless you have a fur lined throw like the ones the characters ride under in their sleds) and queue this film up.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Feb 2014 01:46:31 +0000
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