It's curious, whenever I read reviews on David Lean's
Dr. Zhivago, they're always prefaced with the caveat that it's not as good as
Lawrence of Arabia. I beg to differ. While I find Lawrence dry, Zhivago bristles with life. Both movies are grand sweeping stories nestled within a historical backdrop (here it's Russia during the communist revolution). Both feature gorgeous cinematography and Lean's attention to detail - the remarkable transitions and way he stages scenes (e.g. the juxtaposition of the slaying of the protestors, the blood on white snow, to Lara's implied loss of virginity and the later suicide attempt). The difference is that I'm more drawn to the romantic angles, and the human cost during troubling political times - the frustrating loss of freedom, the loss of self and loss of love; I
"feel" something when I watch Zhivago and become completely entranced with the story and the characters.
Its critics say the final half-hour is filled with inexplicable personality shifts; I thought they fit the characters. Critics say the love story failed, but it touched me. Critics say the politics lack power, but I was affected. Critics even complain about Omar Sharif's end scene, I think their complaints petty because it worked for me. Critics say Lawrence is the far superior film and perhaps they are objectively right -- but I'll always choose Zhivago. There are moments and imagery in this motion picture that I can't get out of my head to this day.
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