When was doctor zhivago filmed

Lean was known for his elaborate sets, his infinite patience with nature and climates, and his meticulous art direction, but for Pauline Kael, his "method is basically primitive, admired by the same sort of people who are delighted when a stage set has running water or a painted horse looks real enough to ride.

I agree that the plot of "Doctor Zhivago" lumbers noisily from nowhere to nowhere. That the characters undergo inexplicable changes of heart and personality. That it is not easy to care much about Zhivago himself, in Omar Sharif 's soulful but bewildered performance.

That the life of the movie is in its corners the wickedness of Rod Steiger 's voluptuary, the solemn pomposity of Tom Courtenay's revolutionary. That "Lara's Theme," by Maurice Jarre , goes on the same shelf as "Waltzing Matilda" as tunes that threaten to drive me mad. And yet the stage has running water, and the horses look real enough to ride.

Consider, for example, the early shot of the red star glowing above the dark tunnel opening where the workers march in and out. The shot of a child peering through a frosted pane with the claws of branches tapping against it. The cavalry charge on the Bolshevik marchers. Or the way snow crystals dissolve into flowers, and a flower dissolves into Lara's face.

Lean did nothing less than recreate Moscow and its countryside at the time of the Russian revolution, using locations in Spain and Canada which supplied the vast landscape with the tiny train making its way across it. He accepted the challenge of setting most of the key scenes in winter, with all the attendant difficulties of photographing snow both artificial and real.

There is a moment when Zhivago and Lara enter the abandoned dacha, and the snow and frost have preceded them, turning everything into a winter fairyland.

It is a scene where you simultaneously think about the skilled set decoration, and catch your breath at the beauty. Lara : I am not! Alternate versions When it was first released, the film originally ran minutes. Early in its run, David Lean and editor Norman Savage shortened it to minutes; this version was in circulation for years.

By the mids, the uncut version was restored. Soundtracks Prelude in G minor, Op. User reviews Review. Top review. I can't remember the origin of the quote, but I remember it distinctly. Zhivago is set at the time when the Bolsheviks, feverishly ideological, were creating their socialist state. The epochal drama that unfolds is the age-old question about whether the ends justify the means.

As materialists matter precedes spirit, not vice versa , the Bolsheviks believed that they had found the holy grail of human progress in Marxism-Leninism, and were now able to assume the reins of history in their own hands. They believed that their violence was not only justified, but necessary, oblivious to the fact that they, too, somehow felt the angel of medieval teleology smiling over their shoulders.

There couldn't be a sharper moral contrast. There's a fabulous scene midway through the movie that highlights the difference in moral attitude. Zhivago confronts a communist functionary who has ordered the destruction of a village, a hamlet suspected of aiding the Mensheviks by selling them horses.

And so Strelnikov, the passionate Bolshevik, glibly justifies his actions to Dr. Zhivago as easy as if he were tossing his hair aside, saying that the annihilation of the village, however cruel, is necessary to make a point. If there's a more beautiful heroine in all of movie-making history than Julie Christie Lara , I'm not aware of it. And Omar Sharif is stunning as Iuri Zhivago, who heals the body with emetics, scalpels, antiseptic, and gauze, while he heals the soul with his poetry.

Although the movie is three hours and 20 minutes long, the cinematography is so efficient, evocative, and densely layered that one hardly notices. This is, in my opinion, one of the best films of all time. FAQ What is 'Doctor Zhivago' about? Is "Doctor Zhivago" based on a book? When is the story set? Details Edit. Release date December 31, United States. Italy United Kingdom United States. Official Facebook. English Russian French. Morley Flats, Alberta, Canada.

Box office Edit. Technical specs Edit. Runtime 3 hours 17 minutes. Related news. Oct 13 Indiewire. British actor Tom Courtenay plays the intense young revolutionist working 'to overthrow the czar, and Siobhan McKenna is the wife of Sir Ralph in the film.

To give the picture the proper set, a Moscow was built on the outskirts of Madrid, marble dust serving as snow for some scenes. The huge set even includes a trolley line rattling along for several city blocks and covers about 10 acres. But, while the city scenes could be filmed under the warm Spanish sun, Lean and his group had to go elsewhere for the snow-covered fields and mountains of Zhivago's trek toward Siberia in the aftermath of the revolution.

But the snow didn't come at the right time, what did come melted and the rapidly changing weather made "matching" shots all but impossible for the cameramen. Taking a firm grip on the corporate checkbook, Lean and his key people boarded a plane for a remote spot in northern Finland, where they spent two frigid weeks shooting the scenes that were originally scheduled for Soria.

The film is to be completed this fall, and the result will be of interest to many people besides Lean. Since this is the biggest MGM picture since "Ben Hur," the board of directors for Leo the Lion are counting the days until it is completed.

For the young stars, the picture could mean tremendous success that would have been years in the making if they had confined themselves to routine pictures.