Doctor Zhivago

Tags

1960's, Alec Guinness, David Lean, Doctor Zhivago, Drama, Epic, Geraldine Chaplin, Julie Christie, Omar Sharif, Rod Steiger, Romance, Tom Courtenay

The always sensational, lovely and talented Maddy is doing a blogathon that pays tribute to the great mastery of David Lean. I decided to review Doctor Zhivago.

Starring

• Omar Sharif as Yuri Zhivago
• Julie Christie as Lara Antipova
• Geraldine Chaplin as Tonya Gromeko
• Tom Courtenay as Pasha Antipov
• Rod Steiger as Victor Komarovsky
• Alec Guinness as Yevgraf Zhivago

A sweeping epic of romance set during the Russian Revolution and War, Doctor Zhivago is a classic of film making from the imagery to the acting. It’s an epic in nearly every sense of the word.

The movie begins with General Yevgraf Zhivago searching for what would be his niece. He finds a girl who he believes to be the one and narrates the story of his half-brother and lover. The story flashes back to Yuri losing his mother. He is taken in by the Gromeko family and moves to Moscow, where he is raised along with their daughter Tonya. He grows up to be a doctor and in his spare time, he writes poetry that reveals his romantic outlook on life. Meanwhile and nearby, Lara is a beautiful young woman who is in a relationship with passionate revolutionary Pasha, but is seduced by the much older and nastier Victor Komarovsky. Being naive and unsure of her feelings, she is used by him as he does with nearly everyone else. Yuri and Lara briefly meet when she shoots Komarovsky for his brutal treatment of her. Though it is brief, Zhivago is taken with the beautiful Lara. When World War I breaks out, Zhivago is drafted into service for his medical knowledge and Lara volunteers as a nurse. This is where their romance begins, though it is interrupted frequently by the upcoming Revolution and the chaos of events. Yuri marries Tonya but he still holds a flame for Lara, though he doesn’t act in his romantic feelings for her. Over the course of years, their love deepens as Zhivago flees from the rise of Communism  and they continue to meet but be separated. Though they pursue romance, fate and time has other ideas for the pair that aren’t going to run at all smoothly.

David Lean, whose movies are so full of majesty, is on dazzling form here. He spins the story of the star-crossed lovers in a changing world and though the film is epic and grand, manages to convey the intimacy of the love story among all the chaos. He’s a true artist of the form of movie making and his fingerprints which are extremely stylish and sensitive make Doctor Zhivago a treat. His immense eye for detail is on full show and the sheer scope of images that haunt the mind are too many to list. Aiding him is Freddie Young’s atmospheric and sublime cinematography and the iconic Maurice Jarre score, which features the lilting ‘Lara’s Theme’. Special mention must go to production designer for his sets which are striking in every way . With Lean at the helm with ever meticulous style, all these elements make Doctor Zhivago a visual masterpiece. Memorable scenes abound like the dragoon attack on peaceful protesters, a perilous train journey and Lara and Yuri’s getaway in an ice-covered dacha. Many have accused this movie of oversimplifying events during the Revolution and to some extent, it does do that. But it’s not to any detriment of the movie and as so much happened in the Revolution and War, it would be impossible to cover everything. Instead, we are at least given an understanding of a country changing rapidly and the impact it has on lives. Robert Bolt’s screenplay gets to the centre of upheaval and makes it accessible for the audience to follow in the films long running time. And what events they are as the Revolution and World War I alter the world irreversibly and the romance at the heart is tested at every turn. It’s not aiming to be a factual lesson, but it still has enough clout at capture the ups and downs of life at the time of World War I and the Russian Revolution. The starkness of the times is deeply felt as the world undergoes significant change. And it brings with it great emotion, especially in the thwarted and doomed romance of Zhivago and Lara. If you don’t feel at least moved by the movie, you must have a heart of ice.

Omar Sharif quietly conveys the longings and sensitive nature of the title character. Some may say he seems like a bystander in his own story, but Zhivago as played by Sharif is very much alive, especially when in the company of his beloved Lara. It’s all in his eyes and how they react to the world around him. The lovely Julie Christie supplies the inspiration and romance of the film with her turn as Lara. With her face(which my Grandfather said was made for cinema), you can witness the growth of a woman from vulnerable girl to passionate survivor over the course of the film. And she looks so beautiful in this movie; those blue eyes and prominent cheekbones complimenting her serene and soulful delivery of muse to. Understated passion is her biggest triumph that she contributes to events. Plus, her chemistry with Sharif is palpable and extremely convincing as the love story plays our against fate and time. Geraldine Chaplin has a radiant and almost motherly quality that she brings to the screen, while the excellent Tom Courtenay captures the anguish and loss of morality of a revolutionary forever altered by the brutality he encounters. Rod Steiger is a huge standout as the loathsome but not altogether evil Komarovsky. He’s a slime ball who sides with anyone he can in order to make his way, but Steiger discovers a certain level of humanity beneath the leering and vindictive face of the man. And rounding out the main players is the ever reliable Alec Guinness, who functions as narrator.

Passionate, full-blooded and breathtakingly beautiful, Doctor Zhivago has David Lean displaying all his talents and sense of epic vision.

45 Years

Tags

2010's, 45 Years, Andrew Haigh, Charlotte Rampling, Drama, Tom Courtenay

Film Title

45 Years

Director

Andrew Haigh

Starring

• Charlotte Rampling as Kate Mercer
• Tom Courtenay as Geoff Mercer

An intimate and quietly devastating look at marriage and how it can be threatened by the past, 45 Years is a subtle movie that benefits from naturalistic direction and two excellent performances from Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay.

Kate and Geoff Mercer are a comfortable married couple of retirees who live a comfortable, middle class life in Norfolk. They are preparing to celebrate their forty-fifth wedding anniversary on the upcoming Saturday, after their fortieth celebrations were halted due to Geoff’s health. Yet at the beginning of the five days that lead up to the party, the arrival of a letter changes everything insidiously. The letter reveals that the body of Geoff’s former lover Katya has been discovered in a glacier of the Swiss Alps after she fell while climbing decades before. At first, Kate doesn’t seem bothered by this as she knew about Geoff being with Katya before they ever got together and the memory of her has become somewhat distant and forgotten. But as the days go on and Geoff seems to retreat into memories of times with Katya, Kate becomes increasingly alarmed and shattered by what she sees as betrayal. She is now forced to reevaluate her marriage to Geoff and look at whether or not the last forty-five years have been a lie or not. All of this transpires in the space of the five days leading up to the party, as we witness Geoff get a new lease on life by remembering his old love and Kate wrestling with her pain and doubt about her life and marriage.

As writer and director, Andrew Haigh fashions a powerful film that relies on the little things to help build up the unease of the story. His intimate direction zeroes in on Geoff and Kate, allowing us to glimpse their reactions to the news and the way they both handle it differently. His writing is filled with naturalism, rather than stagey dialogue that would otherwise take us out of the experience. This is thought-provoking film making at its best with subtlety and nuance taking precedence over unnecessary histrionics and melodrama. It almost feels like we’re intruding on the privacy of this couple, much in the same way the ghost of Katya haunts them and leaves Kate reeling. That’s how realistic this film is, we can’t help but observe the emotions that slowly begin to rise for both people and how it ultimately threatens to change everything between them. The lack of musical score helps create an immediacy to 45 Years, as we are left to watch the gradual emotional unfolding of Kate in the days leading up to the celebration and how she begins to question her marriage as the day comes ever closer. In fact, when music is used it is older songs that mean a lot to the couple, but begin to take on whole other different meanings as the past creeps up on their long years together.

As the main two characters whose relationship is threatened by the ghost of the past, Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay have never been better. Rampling in particular is transcendent in the role of Kate, who tries to put up a front of not being concerned but as she discovers more about the past, becomes more riddled with pain, shock and anger. The delivery from Charlotte Rampling is exquisite; none of her performance screams overacting in the slightest, everything is done in the most subtle way as she digs into the wounds of Kate and her face without the need for dialogue, shows us the utter sense of betrayal she feels at knowing that everything in her life could be a lie. I think its fair to say this is one of the best performances given from Charlotte Rampling. Tom Courtenay is very effective as Geoff, who finds that the fire he thought had died with Katya still has embers burning that begin to surface. It’s not like Geoff is an unlikable character, he just can’t see what his reminiscing of the past is doing to his wife. This is a true testament to the talents of Tom Courtenay that we don’t hate Geoff, we actually feel a bit sorry for him at times but bewildered by his retreat into the past as we see the impact it has on his wife.

Heartbreakingly real and mightily effective, 45 Years is a movie that will remain in your head for a long time because of how palpable it all feels and the immensely believable work from the two main actors, especially Charlotte Rampling.