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Product Description
Amazon.ca
David Lean focused all his talent as an epic-maker on Boris Pasternak's sweeping novel about a doctor-poet in revolutionary Russia. The results may sometimes veer toward soap opera, especially with the screen frequently filled with adoring close-ups of Omar Sharif and Julie Christie, but Lean's gift for cramming the screen with spectacle is not to be denied. The streets of Moscow, the snowy steppes of Russia, the house in the country taken over by ice; these are re-created with Lean's unerring sense of grandness. The movie is so lush and so long that it becomes an irresistible wallow, even when logic suffers--like Gone with the Wind before it and Titanic after. Sharif, who achieved stardom in Lean's previous film, Lawrence of Arabia, mostly looks noble, but the supporting cast is spiky: Rod Steiger as a fat-cat monster, Tom Courtenay as a self-righteous revolutionary, and Klaus Kinski and Alec Guinness in smaller roles. Geraldine Chaplin, in her adult debut, plays the doctor's compliant wife. Robert Bolt's screenplay won one of the film's five Oscars, with another going to perhaps the most immediately recognizable element of the movie: Maurice Jarre's romantic music, with its hugely popular "Lara's Theme" weaving in and out of a swooning score. --Robert Horton
Special Features
A stunning anamorphic widescreen print is the ideal way to appreciate David Lean's craftsmanship and Dr. Zhivago's glorious, wintry cinematography. Maurice Jarre's "Lara's Theme" and the rest of his patchwork score can be heard in a music-only track, while Omar Sharif is joined by Lean's widow, Sandra, and Rod Steiger for an intermittent commentary. The second bonus disc contains a good hourlong making-of documentary, plus 10 shorter contemporary documentaries giving various insights into the location shooting and the cast and crew. But it's the sheer beauty of the picture that will astonish and make this disc forever a treasure. --Mark Walker
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By R. Merko
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
I read several of the reviews complaining about poor video and audio quality, and was hesitant about ordering the new 45th Anniversary Zhivago.
It was a favourite movie, I only had an old betamax copy of the movie.
The quality of the Blu-ray is quite good, there is detail beyond what you would find on a DVD copy for certain.
While the movie's picture quality doesn't rival recent movies, this may have to do with more sophisticated lighting designs today, and much bigger budgets. Undoubtably image capture technology has advanced in 45 years, and today, cinematographers have more tools to capture the breath-taking images that we pay to see in the cinema.
If Zhivago is a movie you've enjoyed in the past, and did not buy a DVD copy of it, then whole-heartedly, enjoy the movie again in Blu-ray. There is a visible difference.
With respect to the soundtrack, remember that it is a digitally restored soundtrack. It is not a soundtrack from a 2010 block-buster. The sound is clear and balanced, but does not have the dynamic range of today's movies. It didn't 45 years ago, and doesn't today.
Enjoy a classic movie, in good image and sound quality, and considering the cost of seeing a movie at a movie theater, the special price that amazon.ca currently offers is a good value.
By the way, the bonus audio CD was a nice treat!
It was a favourite movie, I only had an old betamax copy of the movie.
The quality of the Blu-ray is quite good, there is detail beyond what you would find on a DVD copy for certain.
While the movie's picture quality doesn't rival recent movies, this may have to do with more sophisticated lighting designs today, and much bigger budgets. Undoubtably image capture technology has advanced in 45 years, and today, cinematographers have more tools to capture the breath-taking images that we pay to see in the cinema.
If Zhivago is a movie you've enjoyed in the past, and did not buy a DVD copy of it, then whole-heartedly, enjoy the movie again in Blu-ray. There is a visible difference.
With respect to the soundtrack, remember that it is a digitally restored soundtrack. It is not a soundtrack from a 2010 block-buster. The sound is clear and balanced, but does not have the dynamic range of today's movies. It didn't 45 years ago, and doesn't today.
Enjoy a classic movie, in good image and sound quality, and considering the cost of seeing a movie at a movie theater, the special price that amazon.ca currently offers is a good value.
By the way, the bonus audio CD was a nice treat!
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Brucetifer
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
This movie is a classic. Sound and picture great on blu-ray. My 45th Anniversary Edition came with 2 discs. The movie on Blu-ray disc. The special features on DVD disc. Folding cardboard and plastic case with attached booklet containing colour and B&W photos, trivia, and actor bios etc.
By Maya
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Great cinematography, wonderful theme song. Great background of Russian history, the civil war, the Bolshevik revolution, the war, some class issues. Very long, at least 3 hours but I never tired of it. Julie Christie was not just absolutely beautiful she was a great actor, as were the other main characters. Pretty heavy and sad, but the theme song is uplifting. A morally questionable love story that is none the less very romantic. I wonder about the bias, it being an American film, though the book was written by a Russian man.
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4.5 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Doctor Zhivago
An obvious classic to have for any movie collection. There are scenes where we cannot see what is happening, but we know what is from the expressions on the characters' faces. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Barrett Clare-Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still terrific after all these years.
This amazing movie hasn't aged much at all. It's still fabulous from beginning to end, even as a long two-part epic.
Published 2 months ago by J. Hebert
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another fine classic
This is one of those films that excel in every way, i.e. superb story, acting at a top level, great scenery and fine production. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Joseph Soul
5.0 out of 5 stars
RARE VISION OF THE WORLD WE LIVE IN
Based on the Nobel Prize-winning novel by Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago covers the years prior to, during, and after the Russian Revolution, as seen through the eyes of... Read more
Published 13 months ago by kuktuk
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellence
This was a great movie in the theatre and I enjoyed it even more on my TV at home. The colors were vivid and the sound was excellent. Well worth the price!
Published 16 months ago by Denise E. Mcnichol
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dr. Zhivago - 45th Anniversary Special
Great film! wonderful photography, good story, superb acting. I enjoyed the special features, behind the scenes. After 45 yeas, this movie continues to be timeless. Read more
Published 16 months ago by B. Montgomery
5.0 out of 5 stars
Doctor Zhivago
This is a superb epic of a film by David Lean - one of the masterpieces of the 20th Century Literature, Doctor Zhivago. Read more
Published on Feb 20 2011 by Robert The Bruce
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not worth it ...
Effectively, if you already own a DVD version of Doctor Zhivago or other older movies, you won't see any difference buying the Blu-ray version ! Read more
Published on May 12 2010 by TRIPOD
1.0 out of 5 stars
Quality the same as the DVD, Not worth upgrading
Blu-Ray and HDMI are designed for the corporations not the consumers. They are trying to get us to upgrade our movie libraries and their ability to disable all of our HDMI devices... Read more
Published on May 8 2010 by John Bak
3.0 out of 5 stars
Careful......
Jacket in French....you can chose the language you view the film in, but caution to those who like to read about the film before you view it. Read more
Published on Jan 4 2010 by C. Dunphy
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