The Author Behind The Film
No matter how many times the film, Dr. Zhivago is viewed, the genius behind the film, author Boris Pasternak, reveals himself in the character of Yuri Zhivago (portrayed by Omar Sharif in the film) in the early 1900's in Russia. The film is relatively accurate to the book which makes the film that much more interesting. Pasternak, a poet and writer and winner of the Nobel Prize, clearly defines the upheaval all of Russia experienced in the period of Czar Nicholas, World War I and the Russian Revolution. He contrasts the bourgeois Moscovites enjoying champagne, caviar and a grand lifestyle that excluded the poor and working class and propelled the revolt that led to a new Soviet Socialist Republic. In this contrast, it's the people who suffer most from the dictates of new leadership. Though Dr. Zhivago is at once romantic, idealistic, frankly brutish and violent, the intent of Pasternak is to present his beloved Mother Russia and the Revolution at odds with his own idealism.
The Characters
Dr. Zhivago in the style of another brilliant Russian writer, Anton Chekov, clearly portrays depth in his characters: Zhivago, a doctor and poet struggling to free his own inner creativity, his wife, Tonya Gromeyko (portrayed by Geraldine Chaplin), a woman unused to the realities of poverty, Komarovsky, (played by Rod Steiger) the older lawyer who is well-healed and interconnected with both sides of the government machine and Lara, Larissa Antipova, (played by Julie Christie) who, seduced by Komarovsky marries Pasha Antipov, (Tom Courtenay) a revolutionary. Zhivago becomes besotted by the beauteous "Lara", writing a complete volume of poetry about her. Pasternak's characters work like a well-oiled machine pumping out the real basis of his disconnect with Mother Russia: Conformity that destroys creativity.
The Story and The Author
Many biographies written about Pasternak allude to his having a mistress, Olga Ivinskaya, while also maintaining his role as husband and father. Pasternak's life, not unlike, Russia underwent many changes as a result of his idealism. Early on, he agreed with revolutionaries whom he believed would create more equality among the classes. When, he experienced first-hand the austerity of Communism that stifled his freedom of literary expression, it became clearer that this ideology possessed many of the earmarks of the bourgeois society of Russia. Romance, open expressions of artistic lyrical poetry were frowned upon by the Soviet Socialist Republic Russia had become.
Dr. Zhivago, Timeless Lesson In Reality
Dr. Zhivago, with its brittle presentation of Russian life in an ever-changing society, defines clearly, as the character Lara states, "This is an awful time to be alive." From the glitz and glamour of upper class society to the depths of the struggle to survive savage cold, hopeless poverty and oppressive government, Dr. Zhivago represents a timeless lesson in reality.
