Rod Steiger has said that the reason his character keeps coming back offering to help is because he is in love with Lara, and even though she has rejected him, and even though she has chosen another man, Komarovsky still wants to save her if he can.
I am glad to hear your comments about the makeup and costume; absolutely done to perfection. Yes, they did win the Oscar for it. But 9 out of 10?!?! Now way! This is the best movie ever made.
4:38 Actually, Marie Antoinette’s surviving son was imprisoned and repeatedly abused by the revolutionary guards and died at the age of 10 while her daughter was imprisoned until she was 17 years old.
A little note on the symbolic color scheme. Yellow represents Lara with her yellow hair, and white represents Zhivago's wife Tonya who is both pale skinned and also pure in her love for him. We see the yellow sunflower weeping its petals when Lara leaves the hospital, and later when Zhivago goes to the library in town we see him leave the island of white flowers that surround the cottage where he is living with his wife Tonya and her father as he moves into a field of yellow flowers signaling that he is about to be reunited with Lara. This symbolism comes into play in other scenes as well.
I remember when I was in the third grade they took us on a field trip to the cinema to see the revival of this film around 1971. I have no idea why they thought little kids would have any clue about how to process a complex and historical plot like this, and all I remembered was the ice house, which I thought looked cool, lol. I lose it whenever you get in a giddy laugh fit over the characters falling in love. Nice reaction.
So many legendary, master-level actors in this film: Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Alec Guiness, Rod Steiger, Geraldine Chaplin, Tom Courtney -- any *one* of whom could have carried an entire movie alone. I still have a crush on Julie Christie.
Christie appears on screen for about three minutes in the film Troy (2004), and she's so magnetic, and her acting so astonishing, that you kind of forget the rest of the movie.
you didn't mention the score while you watched. "laura's theme," written by Maurice Jarre, is one of the most recognizable movie themes in history. the theme was even on my mom's music box. which helped me fall in love with it. its hauntingly beautiful. just perfect for the film. oh, and that was charlie chaplin's daughter, geraldine chaplin, who played zhivago's wife.
Mia, if you want to explore more of Omar Sharif's movies, I STRONGLY recommend the cinematic debut of the legendary Barbra Streisand, Funny Girl from 1968. The onscreen chemistry between Omar and Barbara is amazing to behold.
One of the amazing mistakes of David Lean's film was that it omitted a key scene from the book in which Pasha/Strelnikov appears again for the final time. I still can't understand why Lean made the decision to drop this key narrative moment.
Oh yeah! That would have just SEALED this movie! I wish he would have dug a bit deeper into Pasha’s character, because he had the potential to be a splendidly complex character!
There was an early moment in the original screenplay with Komarovsky at the scene of Zhivago’s father’s death. Can’t remember if the implication was that he had something to do with it?
Your comment on the greatness of Rod Steiger is well-founded. After his extraordinary performances in "The Pawnbroker" (1964) (an amazing, if hard-to-watch film about a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps), "Zhivago," and "In The Heat Of The Night" (1967) (which won him an Oscar. Which doesn't prove anything, but sometimes the Academy gets it right. And they did this time.), he was, for a short time, described as the greatest active American film actor.
Oh Mia, you’re not the only one who fell in love with Omar Sharif. He’s so romantic! From what I’ve heard, he was also very affable and gentlemanly in person. This film is so tragic - like Russia’s history - the 20th century was a series of terrible struggles for the Russian people. I sometimes would ponder which country had it worst in the last century: Russia or China?
How amazing is it that just two generations of Chaplins cover 100 years of filmmaking? He was making shorts in the 19-teens. She was in Limelight with him in 1952 and still acting today.
Great reaction, Mia. In Russian the name Zhivago is derived from the word, "zhiv," which means "alive." For me, this speaks to the fact that, in spite of everything around him either dying or being lost, he still managed to live his own life and write his poetry.
It may not be the best of all David lean's epics but Doctor Zhivago is still brilliantly photographed and sweepingly romantic, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965) 84/100% Certified Approved ☑️ I told myself it was beneath my dignity to arrest a man for pilfering firewood but nothing ordered by the party is beneath the dignity of any man.
One of the things I love about this movie is that, unlike a lot of love triangles (or quadrangles, as the case may be), here there are really not any bad guys. In spite of succumbing eventually to temptation... if you can even call it that, because I think what Laura and Yuri have is much more than mere physical attraction... everyone involved seems to be trying to do what's right to the best of their ability, and they don't demonize or even seem to want to compete with their counterpart. Laura and Tonia both acted so nobly toward each other. And Yuri was also respectful of Pasha in his own way. You never get the feeling that this is a competition. .... and yes, I get your attraction to Tom Courtney's Pasha. I was there too. And Yuri. The film is just filled with very watchable characters. Every time I see this, I am more and more impressed as well by the subtlety of Kamarovsky's character and what a great job Steiger does in portraying him.
My favorite scene of the whole movie has to be the end meeting between Alec Guiness and Rita Tushingham. Love their acting together. After all the sadness, there's hope - Tonya and her young man are helping to build a brighter future. Tushingham's best acting role might be in a very memorable little movie called "The Trap" (1966), starring her and Oliver Reed. Even though she has no spoken lines in the film... 8:18 The tiny figures of men on horseback, dwarfed by the landscape which is undisturbed except for their thin track through the snow... How long did it take for Lean to get that shot? In the end, Pasha wasn't thinking of politics, he was killed while trying to reunite with his wife. Russia's history is full of sadness, influencing the national character. They lost around 25 million people killed in World War 2. For comparison, the US lost about 450 thousand. In the reactions and reviews I see from current viewers, what I notice more than anything else is that so many dislike it when a film is different than what they were expecting, including not having the name of the film somewhere in the dialogue and not conforming to arbitrary rules like 3-act structure and "Hero's Journey".
"one day she went away and didnt come back... she died or vanished somewhere, in one of the labour camps. A nameless number on a list that was afterwards mislaid" Devastating 😥😥😥
21:30 Hey!! Thats ME !! Thank you very much Mia for your answer. I was surprised by the shout out. I enjoy your content very much. It is wonderful to see your love for these classic films grow and grow. Thanks again
Many little girls born in the year following the release of the film were named Lara. Maurice Jarre's music has also been adapted into songs in different languages. "Somewhere My love" in english. My favourite version are John William's French interpretation of "La chanson de Lara" and Ivan Rebroff's Russian version.
YES Sabrina 1954 directed by Billy Wilder starring Audrey Hepburn Humphrey bogart and William Holden I was so happy for the next classic movie reveal Other Audrey Hepburn movies I requested for my wishlist First is you watched Sabrina 1954 Roman holiday 1953 with Gregory peck Funny face 1957 with Fred Astaire Breakfast at Tiffany's 1961 with George peppard My fair lady 1964 with Rex Harrison And my personal favorite movie charade 1963 with 59 year old Cary grant check it out it was great.
Hi, you did amazing at the names in this movie! I love the opinion my Mom holds, she said: "There's no Omar Sharif *type*, there's just Omar Sharif." Great reaction, good job! ❤️😍
This film is one of my all-time favorites. Julie Christie is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I remember being very young when I first saw this film but Omar was my first crush. The romance is epic!!
Jump all over this movie reaction video when I first saw it. Doctor Zhivago is one of my top 5 favorite films of all time. The settings and stunning visuals, the story, the music and the wonderfully complex characters and their motivations...just top tier for me. The book has way more characters and other plots if I remember correctly. I agree with you about Tom Courtenay's character, more about him please. So many of these characters, Lean shows us what they do & doesn't so much tell us, except with Pasha later on, lots of time telling us what he's done and showing us the aftermath, esp. before intermission, and it works for me. I am such a sucker for this film. Love it so much.
I seem to remember that the first time I read the book, there was quite a bit on the daughter and her subsequent political activities as an adult, but I reread it decades later, in a supposedly unabridged version, and it wasn't there. Am I hallucinating, or did you come across this in your reading as well? I'd also love to know which other movies are in your top 5.
I am glad I finally got to see your reaction to this movie. It is one of my favorites! Julie Christie!! I had the chance to see it during a revival release in a huge theater sometime in the late 70’s. I don’t know if they cranked the A/C, but we were literally freezing during the winter scenes. And the score has stayed with me since I was a kid. Did I mention Julie Christie? And of course Omar Sharif was great, but even the supporting roles were tremendous. Rod Steiger, Alec Guinness, WOW!
I know how this movie will end, and yet I keep hoping they will meet near the street car. Always wondered, what happened to Lara's OTHER daughter? Such a beautiful, sweeping epic. Nice to see it early!
Boris Pasternak's jarring funhouse mirror of a novel asks a simple question: Who are you before the revolution and after the revolution? I'm sure you will agree with me, Mia, now that you've seen the whole movie that Komarovsky was aptly named "Victor". He's a man that not only survives but thrives, whether in Czarist Russia or under Communism and is necessary in both regimes. He gets his opposite number, Pasha, right away; he's an idealist whose idealism turns to violence and whose intellect will not allow any sentiment. "The personal life is dead. Like Komarovsky, in spite of everything being twisted inside, he loves Lara. Zhivago has two loves; a beautiful wife from the ancient regime and a modern working-class woman, who is his mistress. The film also has one foot firmly planted in the past -- It was one of the las full studio roadshows. Pasternak, through his choice of story, planted the other foot in the future and makes the film relevant to our own time. Who are we now, what will we become as we slide into post-capitalism and whatever social upheavals will ensue. Congratulations Mia for choosing such a jagged little pill of a movie. May you find others like it and grow your website with every film. Good luck.
Geraldine Chaplin is the daughter of silent screen superstar, Charlie Chaplin, and Julie Christie played the part of Madame Rosmerta in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
@@i.m.7710 If you like Julie Christie, I would highly recommend what could well be her best ever performance in "Away From Her" about a woman beginning to slide into altzheimers.
min 15:24 "One day she went away and didnt come back... she died or vanished somewhere, in one of the labour camps. A nameless number on a list that was afterwards mislaid" ......Devastating 😥😥😥
Yes, some knowledge of Russian history helps in understanding this movie. If you want to see more films like it, there's Warren Beatty's "Reds" (1981) and "Nicholas and Alexandra" (1971), an adaptation of the Robert Massie book.
"Reds" is a great film and tussles with issues of the Russian revolution that is more nuanced than you would normally see. The decision to use "witnesses" who knew the people involved was a great touch.
Dr. Zhivago was a real person, not sure how true to reality the movie was. If you read the book, he never really loved Tonya, he married her because it expected due to their family connection. At one point he accused her of being as cold as an iceblock. Lara was passionate, and they had great chemistry. It is a great movie.
I would urge you to see David Lean's BRIEF ENCOUNTER. It's the film that made him famous, and many would call it his best; it's a bittersweet love story; it's also a film that grinds up viewers into hamburger, all in the best way possible. A unforgettable film.
Once again I have to compliment you on your love of cinema. Living in the same town I'd be asking you to hang out for coffee just to talk movies. I sincerely admire your love of the craft. Few do.
Actually the French Revolution was just as brutal. 2 million people were killed by the Reign of Terror by the "Cult of Reason", men women and children. Just an aside one of the most famous portraits by Thomas Gainsborough, the Honorable Lady Graham, was a woman he painted had Tuberculosis, and was traveling across France to Italy, for the weather. While she was in her coach, she was attacked and murdered by the Revolutionaries. Her husband didn't want the picture so he never collected it, die the horrific way she was killed.
Mia, not sure what it is with you and dangerous guys. I find Antipov/Strelnikov a terrifying character! There is more to learn about him if you read the novel. Good luck. It's a great literary work but you need a flow chart to keep all the characters straight.
Tom Courtenay is also in "Operation Crossbow". i got interested in this movie again because of what's going on politically now in the USA. That scene where Alec Guiness relates how he joined the army to help it get defeated on the battlefield made my hair stand on end. It's like in the book "American Marxism" where Mark Levin says there's a vast number of people working to cause the American system to fail, such as teachers teaching CRT in public schools.
So glad to see your reactions are back! I watched both parts of your reaction to this 1965 classic back-to-back today, and it was worth the wait! I love your excited giggle when you really get into a scene! It’s so wonderfully girly and actually has a bit of a 1940s quality to it (whatever that means... I don’t know how a giggle can sound like a decade but there you have it)! As a follow-up to this, keeping with the Russian Revolution time period, I’d recommend two excellent films: Franklin J. Schaffner’s NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA (1971), which tells the story of the last Russian czar (tsar) and his wife and children, and Warren Beatty’s 1981 Oscar-winning epic REDS, which tells the story of American journalist John Reed and his wife Louise Bryant and their involvement in the Russian Revolution on a very intimate level. They’re both incredible films and well worth seeing.
Thank you so much, Retro!! Yes, I would love to watch NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA! I have such a fascination with that specific period in history! I will definitely check that out!
Many thanks and many blessings to you for another dynamically emotive and intelligent Reaction podcast for "Dr. Zhivago". It seems that you understand one of the main themes of the novel and film (as I see it) concerns the dichotomy inherent in people : sometimes benevolent ... sometimes less so. In case you are interested, there is a biopic film entitled,"Pasternak", which is available on TH-cam. The actor who plays Boris L. Pasternak looks astonishingly like him.
I watched this for the first time myself a few weeks ago and loved it. And you should try to do Wait Until Dark for Audrey Month. You will definitely be on the edge of your seat.
Been waiting a LONG time for a reactor to get to this phenomenal film. So glad that you covered this one Mia. BTW, in part 1, Lara's mother attempted suicide because she was jealous that Victor had dumped her for Lara. This movie captures the intense love for poets and poetry that Russians have, moreso than any other nation on the planet. Even the horrors of communism couldn't kill off their deep set cultural ties to poetry. Just like Zhivago, the author of this novel was spared more than once from certain death. The Cultural Revolution would most certainly have killed Boris had he been Chinese, but the Russians just couldn't kill off a writer, especially one as talented as him. Please follow this up with The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming at some point.
Great review Mia. This is one of my favorite movies and there are so many shots that just stick in the mind. It's such a visually rich film it's is a pleasure to drink in the imagery: Cossacks charging the protesters at night, Lara and Komarovsky at the Opera, the sun flowers at the hospital, the cramped dank train car and the vast snow-covered countryside, the spring flowers at Varykino, the partisans charging across the ice on horseback. The book, by the way, is quite good--a thoroughly modern novel in case you'r thinking it may be too Dostoyevsky-is and sad. In major plot points the movie does an excellent job of portraying the book.
I second the recommendation for Warren Beatty’s REDS… a great companion film to ZHIVAGO. I’m new to your channel, but I’m loving your reactions. Your enthusiasm is contagious, and a great big THANK YOU for focusing on classic movies! (Your ZHIVAGO was great, but so far my favorite of yours has been 7 SAMURAI.)
I've been waiting for Audrey month! Sabrina is a very strange movie but always fun to discuss and think about. It was a pretty early classic of mine as well.
How To Steal A Million in 1967 with the gorgeous Peter O'Toole is a good one. Obviously "Roman Holiday" (1953) which was her debut and her Oscar winning role is a must and shockingly not on here...not is "Charade" with the still sexy Grant and a younger Hepburn all around Paris, where I've personally visited some of the shooting places, and that film by "Singing in the Rain" director Stanley Donen is called "the greatest Hitchcock film he never made."
@@paintedjaguar That's the rare movie I don't think I'm mature enough to appreciate yet. Of all the underseen 1967 movies with a turn from Audrey Hepburn Wait Until Dark is my favorite. Twice isn't a lot but it's weird it happened twice.
@@kelseyk530 I *love* How To Steal a Mill. That movie is such a ball and I think she and O'Toole have bang on chemistry. Disappointed about Roman Holiday myself but maybe Mia's seen it before and didn't want to fill too many slots with movies like that.
@@bespectacledheroine7292 I'm thinking of rewatching "Ryan's Daughter" which I hated in my twenties. It reminds me of Thomas Hardy's stuff, and I've still never seen a Thomas Hardy story I could tolerate. Written or film, doesn't matter.
@@paintedjaguar I agree, it was a severe disappointment and even embarrassing in places. I don't think a rewatch would fix the misjudgements in the film. I couldn't believe it came from the same director as Kwai and Lawrence.
If you want to kill two GIANT birds (Marlon Brando/Rod Steiger) with one stone, then ON THE WATERFRONT (1954). It won all the major Oscars and deservedly so. It has everything you could wish for including one of the greatest and most convincing love stories ever (w/wonderful Eva Marie Saint, you like her right?). This film influenced all the major actors/actresses of the last 60 years, AND NO other channel has done it yet, which is mind boggling to me. PLEASE be the first…unless you’ve seen it already. 🤷🏻♂️
It is a fata morgana, he saw things that weren't there. If you want to know more about the Russian Revolution, read the book Nicholas and Alexandria, it is not fiction, but were written by a husband and wife historians. It was also made into a movie, from the seventies, quite a good movie.
You were asking if there was a regular Oscar for best makeup at the time.Sadly there wasn't.Only two movies were given special recognition Oscars at the time:The 7 Faces of Dr Lao (William Tuttle) and Planet of the Apes (John Chambers).We would have to wait until 1982 for a regular category,which was won by Rick Baker for An American Werewolf in London.
I wish more people would react to this film! You should check out another epic movie/score starring Julie Christie, "Far From The Madding Crowd" (1967). The score by Richard Rodney Bennett, was nominated for an Oscar and appearing alongside Julie Christie are three fantastic actors - Alan Bates, Terence Stamp and Peter Finch.
I wish more people would read Boris Pasternak's "Dr. Zhivago" and Thomas Hardy's "Far from the Madding Crowd." Both novels are wonderful and films, no matter how good, cannot do them justice.
Also you *must* do BLITHE SPRIT (1948). It's a film that's got everything you already love. David Lean! Noel Coward! Rex Harrison! Plus Margaret Rutherford! It's Coward's brilliant anti-love rebuttal to his own Brief Encounter.
I don't think it's quite masterpiece level but this film is extremely fun and would be a good pick. Margaret Rutherford would be my chosen final form, she's the film's powerhouse.
The French revolutionaries DID basically kill the small Dauphin by giving him to an abusive alcoholic. He never saw his 10th birthday. Execution would have been Kind by comparison.
I cant wait to see the Audrey Hepburn series and my favourite if you going to do Funny Face The Nun Story Breakfast At Tiffany's and of My Fair Lady is my favourite films if her I cant wait
Pasha is loosely based on Trotsky, who used armored command and control trains painted red, exactly like depicted in this movie, to basically engineer the murder of almost 20 million people through starvation, revolutionary courts, terror….. As bad as Stalin and Lenin were, and they were murdering sociopaths, Trotsky was dangerous and evil at a level not approached until the Maoists and the cultural revolution and the slaughter of almost 60 million of their own people, mostly instigated by courts of terror led by out of control college students who worshipped Mao’s “Little Red Book.” Pasha is a bit more sympathetic, as the beginning of his journey into communism, he shows some compassion. Trotsky, who was like Pasha, a slim physically unremarkable man, demonstrated from a very young age total antipathy towards other human beings.
The Russian revolution was brutal. The pheasant who during the czar's regime was starving. The last czar of Russia was not an evil man, but he was someone indifferent to the suffering of the poor. He and his wife had 4 daughters and then one son, who turned out to have hemophilia, they were caught up in that, which was part of their downfall.
If you love Tom Courtenay then you need to watch Nagisa Oshima's 'Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence'. You'll see David Bowie all over the posters, but he's a symbollic presence, the film really belongs to Courtenay. It also has an incredible performance that brought knowledge of 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano to the outside world, plus a beautiful score by Ryuichi Sakamoto (whi also stars in the film).
Dear Mia, you seem to like Westerns, and Omar Sharif, so I thought I would make a very serious recommendation, one of my favorite films of all time, Mackenna's Gold, starring Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas, Edward G Robinson, Ramon Massey, Keenan Wynn, Ted Cassidy (Lurch), Julie Newmar ( Catwoman), Burgess Meredith (Penguin), Eli Wallach (Mr Freeze), and many others. It's a wild cross country chase to get to the mythical Valley of Gold. Omar Sharif steals the show as notorious Mexican bandit named Colorado. It's an unusual role, because Colorado is a deadly killer, but also had a very playful sense of humor. Colorado has kidnapped former Sheriff Mackenna, because Mackenna saw the map to the valley of gold. Mackenna doesn't believe it is real, but Colorado believes it is. Crazy adventures ensue. Insane panic ending!
I have always thought that Kamarovsky is a symbol -- political revolutions solve nothing, because the men willing to do anything for their own power will always wind up on top. Kamarovsky is powerful under the Czar, and ultimately he is powerful under the Bolsheviks.
The book goes more into background. Yuri gets married 4 times... Pasha and Yuri have a conversation at the end of the book... all night.. and then in the morning, he commits suicide.
Mia, I think you give Lean too much credit for character development. These characters were Pasternak's creations after all. The depth of the stories behind each character was Pasternak's doing, not Lean's.
Thank you! I can't wait for the Audrey Hepburn series, i've seen all her movies and love many of them. Sabrina is so great, one of my favorite romances ever.
So what do you think of Kamarovski now? Strelnikov starts off as the idealist and becomes the a-hole. Kamarovski actually doesn’t change. Zhivago is essentially Russia. He suffers and dies but he children live on.
![[TH] VALORANT Champions Seoul - Grand Final - EDG vs TH](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/WvObMc9VelI/mqdefault.jpg)
Rod Steiger has said that the reason his character keeps coming back offering to help is because he is in love with Lara, and even though she has rejected him, and even though she has chosen another man, Komarovsky still wants to save her if he can.
"Then it's a gift" that phrase always make me cry. Terrific movie.
One of the greatest films...ever!!! Thanks for your reaction!
I am glad to hear your comments about the makeup and costume; absolutely done to perfection. Yes, they did win the Oscar for it.
But 9 out of 10?!?! Now way! This is the best movie ever made.
4:38 Actually, Marie Antoinette’s surviving son was imprisoned and repeatedly abused by the revolutionary guards and died at the age of 10 while her daughter was imprisoned until she was 17 years old.
Dang, I really gotta brush up on my history! That is horrendous 😞
There were children sent to the guillotine as well.
A little note on the symbolic color scheme. Yellow represents Lara with her yellow hair, and white represents Zhivago's wife Tonya who is both pale skinned and also pure in her love for him. We see the yellow sunflower weeping its petals when Lara leaves the hospital, and later when Zhivago goes to the library in town we see him leave the island of white flowers that surround the cottage where he is living with his wife Tonya and her father as he moves into a field of yellow flowers signaling that he is about to be reunited with Lara. This symbolism comes into play in other scenes as well.
I remember when I was in the third grade they took us on a field trip to the cinema to see the revival of this film around 1971. I have no idea why they thought little kids would have any clue about how to process a complex and historical plot like this, and all I remembered was the ice house, which I thought looked cool, lol. I lose it whenever you get in a giddy laugh fit over the characters falling in love. Nice reaction.
So many legendary, master-level actors in this film: Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Alec Guiness, Rod Steiger, Geraldine Chaplin, Tom Courtney -- any *one* of whom could have carried an entire movie alone. I still have a crush on Julie Christie.
Christie appears on screen for about three minutes in the film Troy (2004), and she's so magnetic, and her acting so astonishing, that you kind of forget the rest of the movie.
you didn't mention the score while you watched. "laura's theme," written by Maurice Jarre, is one of the most recognizable movie themes in history. the theme was even on my mom's music box. which helped me fall in love with it. its hauntingly beautiful. just perfect for the film.
oh, and that was charlie chaplin's daughter, geraldine chaplin, who played zhivago's wife.
Mia, if you want to explore more of Omar Sharif's movies, I STRONGLY recommend the cinematic debut of the legendary Barbra Streisand, Funny Girl from 1968. The onscreen chemistry between Omar and Barbara is amazing to behold.
"He was my first ruffled shirt."
One of the amazing mistakes of David Lean's film was that it omitted a key scene from the book in which Pasha/Strelnikov appears again for the final time. I still can't understand why Lean made the decision to drop this key narrative moment.
Oh yeah! That would have just SEALED this movie! I wish he would have dug a bit deeper into Pasha’s character, because he had the potential to be a splendidly complex character!
There was an early moment in the original screenplay with Komarovsky at the scene of Zhivago’s father’s death. Can’t remember if the implication was that he had something to do with it?
I’m glad u finally got to it n posted it successfully!
Your comment on the greatness of Rod Steiger is well-founded. After his extraordinary performances in "The Pawnbroker" (1964) (an amazing, if hard-to-watch film about a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps), "Zhivago," and "In The Heat Of The Night" (1967) (which won him an Oscar. Which doesn't prove anything, but sometimes the Academy gets it right. And they did this time.), he was, for a short time, described as the greatest active American film actor.
He played the role of Mussolini twice: in Carlo Lizzani's Last Days of Mussolini (1975) and in Moustapha Akkad's Lion of the Desert (1981).
Captured by heart forever when this movie came out. Bitter-sweet yet sublime.
Oh Mia, you’re not the only one who fell in love with Omar Sharif. He’s so romantic! From what I’ve heard, he was also very affable and gentlemanly in person.
This film is so tragic - like Russia’s history - the 20th century was a series of terrible struggles for the Russian people. I sometimes would ponder which country had it worst in the last century: Russia or China?
How amazing is it that just two generations of Chaplins cover 100 years of filmmaking? He was making shorts in the 19-teens. She was in Limelight with him in 1952 and still acting today.
So happy to see you loved this film.
Great reaction, Mia. In Russian the name Zhivago is derived from the word, "zhiv," which means "alive." For me, this speaks to the fact that, in spite of everything around him either dying or being lost, he still managed to live his own life and write his poetry.
And his his response to the question about what he will do in Gradov: “Just live.”
Or is that Yuriatin?
It may not be the best of all David lean's epics but Doctor Zhivago is still brilliantly photographed and sweepingly romantic, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965) 84/100% Certified Approved ☑️ I told myself it was beneath my dignity to arrest a man for pilfering firewood but nothing ordered by the party is beneath the dignity of any man.
Fun fact: about 80% of the exteriors of the film Doctor Zhivago were shot in Soria, Spain.
Another David Lean film you should definitely see is Bridge on the River Kwai, with Alec Guinness and William Holden.
One of the things I love about this movie is that, unlike a lot of love triangles (or quadrangles, as the case may be), here there are really not any bad guys. In spite of succumbing eventually to temptation... if you can even call it that, because I think what Laura and Yuri have is much more than mere physical attraction... everyone involved seems to be trying to do what's right to the best of their ability, and they don't demonize or even seem to want to compete with their counterpart. Laura and Tonia both acted so nobly toward each other. And Yuri was also respectful of Pasha in his own way. You never get the feeling that this is a competition. .... and yes, I get your attraction to Tom Courtney's Pasha. I was there too. And Yuri. The film is just filled with very watchable characters. Every time I see this, I am more and more impressed as well by the subtlety of Kamarovsky's character and what a great job Steiger does in portraying him.
My favorite scene of the whole movie has to be the end meeting between Alec Guiness and Rita Tushingham. Love their acting together. After all the sadness, there's hope - Tonya and her young man are helping to build a brighter future.
Tushingham's best acting role might be in a very memorable little movie called "The Trap" (1966), starring her and Oliver Reed. Even though she has no spoken lines in the film...
8:18 The tiny figures of men on horseback, dwarfed by the landscape which is undisturbed except for their thin track through the snow... How long did it take for Lean to get that shot?
In the end, Pasha wasn't thinking of politics, he was killed while trying to reunite with his wife.
Russia's history is full of sadness, influencing the national character. They lost around 25 million people killed in World War 2. For comparison, the US lost about 450 thousand.
In the reactions and reviews I see from current viewers, what I notice more than anything else is that so many dislike it when a film is different than what they were expecting, including not having the name of the film somewhere in the dialogue and not conforming to arbitrary rules like 3-act structure and "Hero's Journey".
My favorite scene, at least visually, is watching the frost on the window pane melt into the field of daffodils.
'The Trap' is a hidden gem. Superb performances from Tushingham and Reed.
@@simonbeaird7436 Great soundtrack too.
@@paintedjaguar Oliver Reed singing! 😊
"one day she went away and didnt come back... she died or vanished somewhere, in one of the labour camps. A nameless number on a list that was afterwards mislaid" Devastating 😥😥😥
You MUST see Random Harvest. One of the most emotional movies I have ever seen.
21:30 Hey!! Thats ME !! Thank you very much Mia for your answer. I was surprised by the shout out. I enjoy your content very much. It is wonderful to see your love for these classic films grow and grow. Thanks again
Saw a documentary once that stated the ice house was created in Spain by dripping white wax over the building.
Many little girls born in the year following the release of the film were named Lara. Maurice Jarre's music has also been adapted into songs in different languages. "Somewhere My love" in english. My favourite version are John William's French interpretation of "La chanson de Lara" and Ivan Rebroff's Russian version.
YES Sabrina 1954 directed by Billy Wilder starring Audrey Hepburn Humphrey bogart and William Holden I was so happy for the next classic movie reveal
Other Audrey Hepburn movies I requested for my wishlist
First is you watched Sabrina 1954
Roman holiday 1953 with Gregory peck
Funny face 1957 with Fred Astaire
Breakfast at Tiffany's 1961 with George peppard
My fair lady 1964 with Rex Harrison
And my personal favorite movie charade 1963 with 59 year old Cary grant check it out it was great.
Hi, you did amazing at the names in this movie! I love the opinion my Mom holds, she said: "There's no Omar Sharif *type*, there's just Omar Sharif." Great reaction, good job! ❤️😍
This film is one of my all-time favorites. Julie Christie is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I remember being very young when I first saw this film but Omar was my first crush. The romance is epic!!
Lara named her child Tanya and plays the Russian Guitar
Thank you so much for reacting to this film!
Jump all over this movie reaction video when I first saw it. Doctor Zhivago is one of my top 5 favorite films of all time. The settings and stunning visuals, the story, the music and the wonderfully complex characters and their motivations...just top tier for me. The book has way more characters and other plots if I remember correctly. I agree with you about Tom Courtenay's character, more about him please. So many of these characters, Lean shows us what they do & doesn't so much tell us, except with Pasha later on, lots of time telling us what he's done and showing us the aftermath, esp. before intermission, and it works for me. I am such a sucker for this film. Love it so much.
I seem to remember that the first time I read the book, there was quite a bit on the daughter and her subsequent political activities as an adult, but I reread it decades later, in a supposedly unabridged version, and it wasn't there. Am I hallucinating, or did you come across this in your reading as well? I'd also love to know which other movies are in your top 5.
I am glad I finally got to see your reaction to this movie. It is one of my favorites! Julie Christie!!
I had the chance to see it during a revival release in a huge theater sometime in the late 70’s. I don’t know if they cranked the A/C, but we were literally freezing during the winter scenes.
And the score has stayed with me since I was a kid. Did I mention Julie Christie? And of course Omar Sharif was great, but even the supporting roles were tremendous. Rod Steiger, Alec Guinness, WOW!
I know how this movie will end, and yet I keep hoping they will meet near the street car. Always wondered, what happened to Lara's OTHER daughter? Such a beautiful, sweeping epic. Nice to see it early!
Boris Pasternak's jarring funhouse mirror of a novel asks a simple question: Who are you before the revolution and after the revolution? I'm sure you will agree with me, Mia, now that you've seen the whole movie that Komarovsky was aptly named "Victor". He's a man that not only survives but thrives, whether in Czarist Russia or under Communism and is necessary in both regimes. He gets his opposite number, Pasha, right away; he's an idealist whose idealism turns to violence and whose intellect will not allow any sentiment. "The personal life is dead. Like Komarovsky, in spite of everything being twisted inside, he loves Lara.
Zhivago has two loves; a beautiful wife from the ancient regime and a modern working-class woman, who is his mistress.
The film also has one foot firmly planted in the past -- It was one of the las full studio roadshows. Pasternak, through his choice of story, planted the other foot in the future and makes the film relevant to our own time. Who are we now, what will we become as we slide into post-capitalism and whatever social upheavals will ensue.
Congratulations Mia for choosing such a jagged little pill of a movie. May you find others like it and grow your website with every film. Good luck.
🤩 perfect! Love this. 🙏🏻
Geraldine Chaplin is the daughter of silent screen superstar, Charlie Chaplin, and Julie Christie played the part of Madame Rosmerta in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
That’s my favorite Potter movie! I had no idea!!!!!! Such a small part!!!!!! She is still so beautiful!!!!! Thanks!!!!
@@i.m.7710 If you like Julie Christie, I would highly recommend what could well be her best ever performance in "Away From Her" about a woman beginning to slide into altzheimers.
min 15:24 "One day she went away and didnt come back... she died or vanished somewhere, in one of the labour camps. A nameless number on a list that was afterwards mislaid" ......Devastating 😥😥😥
The first time I saw this film I was much too young. 50 years later I get it.
Yes, some knowledge of Russian history helps in understanding this movie. If you want to see more films like it, there's Warren Beatty's "Reds" (1981) and "Nicholas and Alexandra" (1971), an adaptation of the Robert Massie book.
"Reds" is a great film and tussles with issues of the Russian revolution that is more nuanced than you would normally see. The decision to use "witnesses" who knew the people involved was a great touch.
I think the term you were looking for in final comments is "expository."
Yeah! That’s the one!! 🤣 thank you!
I think you mean "expositorylicious".
There were, in fact, some children executed in the French Revolution.
Oh man! I had no idea! I was thinking mainly about the royal family, but regardless, that is horrendous 😣
Dr. Zhivago was a real person, not sure how true to reality the movie was. If you read the book, he never really loved Tonya, he married her because it expected due to their family connection. At one point he accused her of being as cold as an iceblock. Lara was passionate, and they had great chemistry. It is a great movie.
I would urge you to see David Lean's BRIEF ENCOUNTER. It's the film that made him famous, and many would call it his best; it's a bittersweet love story; it's also a film that grinds up viewers into hamburger, all in the best way possible. A unforgettable film.
Once again I have to compliment you on your love of cinema. Living in the same town I'd be asking you to hang out for coffee just to talk movies. I sincerely admire your love of the craft. Few do.
Actually the French Revolution was just as brutal.
2 million people were killed by the Reign of Terror by the "Cult of Reason", men women and children.
Just an aside one of the most famous portraits by Thomas Gainsborough, the Honorable Lady Graham, was a woman he painted had Tuberculosis, and was traveling across France to Italy, for the weather. While she was in her coach, she was attacked and murdered by the Revolutionaries. Her husband didn't want the picture so he never collected it, die the horrific way she was killed.
Mia, not sure what it is with you and dangerous guys. I find Antipov/Strelnikov a terrifying character! There is more to learn about him if you read the novel. Good luck. It's a great literary work but you need a flow chart to keep all the characters straight.
Tom Courtenay is also in "Operation Crossbow". i got interested in this movie again because of what's going on politically now in the USA. That scene where Alec Guiness relates how he joined the army to help it get defeated on the battlefield made my hair stand on end. It's like in the book "American Marxism" where Mark Levin says there's a vast number of people working to cause the American system to fail, such as teachers teaching CRT in public schools.
So glad to see your reactions are back! I watched both parts of your reaction to this 1965 classic back-to-back today, and it was worth the wait! I love your excited giggle when you really get into a scene! It’s so wonderfully girly and actually has a bit of a 1940s quality to it (whatever that means... I don’t know how a giggle can sound like a decade but there you have it)!
As a follow-up to this, keeping with the Russian Revolution time period, I’d recommend two excellent films: Franklin J. Schaffner’s NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA (1971), which tells the story of the last Russian czar (tsar) and his wife and children, and Warren Beatty’s 1981 Oscar-winning epic REDS, which tells the story of American journalist John Reed and his wife Louise Bryant and their involvement in the Russian Revolution on a very intimate level. They’re both incredible films and well worth seeing.
Thank you so much, Retro!! Yes, I would love to watch NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA! I have such a fascination with that specific period in history! I will definitely check that out!
@@MoviesWithMia Another famous related movie is "Anastasia" (1956), with Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner.
There is a remake where you can see parts you want to see. Good remake.
great reaction! have a great day!
Many thanks and many blessings to you for another dynamically emotive and intelligent Reaction podcast for "Dr. Zhivago".
It seems that you understand one of the main themes of the novel and film (as I see it) concerns the dichotomy inherent in people : sometimes benevolent ... sometimes less so.
In case you are interested, there is a biopic film entitled,"Pasternak", which is available on TH-cam. The actor who plays Boris L. Pasternak looks astonishingly like him.
I watched this for the first time myself a few weeks ago and loved it. And you should try to do Wait Until Dark for Audrey Month. You will definitely be on the edge of your seat.
Been waiting a LONG time for a reactor to get to this phenomenal film. So glad that you covered this one Mia. BTW, in part 1, Lara's mother attempted suicide because she was jealous that Victor had dumped her for Lara. This movie captures the intense love for poets and poetry that Russians have, moreso than any other nation on the planet. Even the horrors of communism couldn't kill off their deep set cultural ties to poetry. Just like Zhivago, the author of this novel was spared more than once from certain death. The Cultural Revolution would most certainly have killed Boris had he been Chinese, but the Russians just couldn't kill off a writer, especially one as talented as him. Please follow this up with The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming at some point.
The younger Alan Arkin is very good in that one.
This film was actually a co-production of the U.K., U.S. and Italy.
Great review Mia. This is one of my favorite movies and there are so many shots that just stick in the mind. It's such a visually rich film it's is a pleasure to drink in the imagery: Cossacks charging the protesters at night, Lara and Komarovsky at the Opera, the sun flowers at the hospital, the cramped dank train car and the vast snow-covered countryside, the spring flowers at Varykino, the partisans charging across the ice on horseback. The book, by the way, is quite good--a thoroughly modern novel in case you'r thinking it may be too Dostoyevsky-is and sad. In major plot points the movie does an excellent job of portraying the book.
I second the recommendation for Warren Beatty’s REDS… a great companion film to ZHIVAGO. I’m new to your channel, but I’m loving your reactions. Your enthusiasm is contagious, and a great big THANK YOU for focusing on classic movies! (Your ZHIVAGO was great, but so far my favorite of yours has been 7 SAMURAI.)
Hey Biff!! Wow! Thank you so much for watching!!
If you like Rod Steiger's acting you should watch 'In The Heat Of The Night' Possibly his finest performance.
amazing, my all time favorite movie. I guess I have to subscribe now.
I've been waiting for Audrey month! Sabrina is a very strange movie but always fun to discuss and think about. It was a pretty early classic of mine as well.
Two For The Road (1967) shouldn't be missed (but usually is).
How To Steal A Million in 1967 with the gorgeous Peter O'Toole is a good one.
Obviously "Roman Holiday" (1953) which was her debut and her Oscar winning role is a must and shockingly not on here...not is "Charade" with the still sexy Grant and a younger Hepburn all around Paris, where I've personally visited some of the shooting places, and that film by "Singing in the Rain" director Stanley Donen is called "the greatest Hitchcock film he never made."
@@paintedjaguar That's the rare movie I don't think I'm mature enough to appreciate yet. Of all the underseen 1967 movies with a turn from Audrey Hepburn Wait Until Dark is my favorite. Twice isn't a lot but it's weird it happened twice.
@@kelseyk530 I *love* How To Steal a Mill. That movie is such a ball and I think she and O'Toole have bang on chemistry. Disappointed about Roman Holiday myself but maybe Mia's seen it before and didn't want to fill too many slots with movies like that.
@@bespectacledheroine7292 I'm thinking of rewatching "Ryan's Daughter" which I hated in my twenties. It reminds me of Thomas Hardy's stuff, and I've still never seen a Thomas Hardy story I could tolerate. Written or film, doesn't matter.
I would love to see you watch Ryan's Daughter by the same director
another Lean's awesome combination of social commentary, intimacy and poetry... I totally support the recommendation
Haven't seen that one since it came out and hated it then. Need to rewatch.
@@paintedjaguar I agree, it was a severe disappointment and even embarrassing in places. I don't think a rewatch would fix the misjudgements in the film. I couldn't believe it came from the same director as Kwai and Lawrence.
Steiger is my FAVORITE Napoleon. "Why is it alllllllways Wellington...?"
Awesome commentary
If you want to kill two GIANT birds (Marlon Brando/Rod Steiger) with one stone, then ON THE WATERFRONT (1954). It won all the major Oscars and deservedly so. It has everything you could wish for including one of the greatest and most convincing love stories ever (w/wonderful Eva Marie Saint, you like her right?). This film influenced all the major actors/actresses of the last 60 years, AND NO other channel has done it yet, which is mind boggling to me. PLEASE be the first…unless you’ve seen it already. 🤷🏻♂️
It is a fata morgana, he saw things that weren't there. If you want to know more about the Russian Revolution, read the book Nicholas and Alexandria, it is not fiction, but were written by a husband and wife historians. It was also made into a movie, from the seventies, quite a good movie.
You were asking if there was a regular Oscar for best makeup at the time.Sadly there wasn't.Only two movies were given special recognition Oscars at the time:The 7 Faces of Dr Lao (William Tuttle) and Planet of the Apes (John Chambers).We would have to wait until 1982 for a regular category,which was won by Rick Baker for An American Werewolf in London.
I wish more people would react to this film! You should check out another epic movie/score starring Julie Christie, "Far From The Madding Crowd" (1967). The score by Richard Rodney Bennett, was nominated for an Oscar and appearing alongside Julie Christie are three fantastic actors - Alan Bates, Terence Stamp and Peter Finch.
I wish more people would read Boris Pasternak's "Dr. Zhivago" and Thomas Hardy's "Far from the Madding Crowd." Both novels are wonderful and films, no matter how good, cannot do them justice.
@@Mooseman327 I get what you're saying about the novels, but this is a reaction channel.
Great film.
American Graffiti, Roman Holiday, Captain's Courageous, To Kill a Mockingbird, Waterloo Bridge, so many you should see!
Mia has only scratched the surface
Roman Holiday is my favorite. It's her first film AND she won the Oscar.
If you like Rod Steiger you should watch "In the heat of the Night", with Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier, their acting is off the wall.
He was raised with Tonya like a brother. The parents expected him to marry her. He only loved Lara.
Yes, I know it is a late comment, but your commentary is so professional ;-)
Thank you so much 😊
Since you mentioned Audrey Hepburn, Wait Until Dark.
You seem to appreciate epic movies. Might I suggest
"The Sand Pebbles" with Steve McQueen and Candice Bergen?
Classic film. Thanks for your reaction ! I can't stand the book, but the movie is epic.
Also you *must* do BLITHE SPRIT (1948). It's a film that's got everything you already love. David Lean! Noel Coward! Rex Harrison! Plus Margaret Rutherford! It's Coward's brilliant anti-love rebuttal to his own Brief Encounter.
I don't think it's quite masterpiece level but this film is extremely fun and would be a good pick. Margaret Rutherford would be my chosen final form, she's the film's powerhouse.
A Passage to India is a personal fav. I think you'll like it.
Of all the adaptations from Russian literature in English this one might be the best.
The French revolutionaries DID basically kill the small Dauphin by giving him to an abusive alcoholic. He never saw his 10th birthday. Execution would have been Kind by comparison.
I cant wait to see the Audrey Hepburn series and my favourite if you going to do Funny Face The Nun Story Breakfast At Tiffany's and of My Fair Lady is my favourite films if her I cant wait
The Nun Story is one of my favorites for Hepburn. Sabrina is wonderful.
Pasha is loosely based on Trotsky, who used armored command and control trains painted red, exactly like depicted in this movie, to basically engineer the murder of almost 20 million people through starvation, revolutionary courts, terror….. As bad as Stalin and Lenin were, and they were murdering sociopaths, Trotsky was dangerous and evil at a level not approached until the Maoists and the cultural revolution and the slaughter of almost 60 million of their own people, mostly instigated by courts of terror led by out of control college students who worshipped Mao’s “Little Red Book.”
Pasha is a bit more sympathetic, as the beginning of his journey into communism, he shows some compassion. Trotsky, who was like Pasha, a slim physically unremarkable man, demonstrated from a very young age total antipathy towards other human beings.
Great job again. I need to add another request, "Reds" with Warren Beaty and Diane Keaton.
The Russian revolution was brutal. The pheasant who during the czar's regime was starving. The last czar of Russia was not an evil man, but he was someone indifferent to the suffering of the poor. He and his wife had 4 daughters and then one son, who turned out to have hemophilia, they were caught up in that, which was part of their downfall.
What great night! Mia's video and Real Madrid winning the European Champions League. One big hugh from Spain.
Yay!! What a lovely night indeed!!
The Russian poems from this movie in English-are beautiful.
If you love Tom Courtenay then you need to watch Nagisa Oshima's 'Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence'. You'll see David Bowie all over the posters, but he's a symbollic presence, the film really belongs to Courtenay. It also has an incredible performance that brought knowledge of 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano to the outside world, plus a beautiful score by Ryuichi Sakamoto (whi also stars in the film).
Dear Mia, you seem to like Westerns, and Omar Sharif, so I thought I would make a very serious recommendation, one of my favorite films of all time, Mackenna's Gold, starring Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas, Edward G Robinson, Ramon Massey, Keenan Wynn, Ted Cassidy (Lurch), Julie Newmar ( Catwoman), Burgess Meredith (Penguin), Eli Wallach (Mr Freeze), and many others. It's a wild cross country chase to get to the mythical Valley of Gold. Omar Sharif steals the show as notorious Mexican bandit named Colorado. It's an unusual role, because Colorado is a deadly killer, but also had a very playful sense of humor. Colorado has kidnapped former Sheriff Mackenna, because Mackenna saw the map to the valley of gold. Mackenna doesn't believe it is real, but Colorado believes it is.
Crazy adventures ensue. Insane panic ending!
Now your ready for "Must Love Dogs." It's a morale imperative.
I have always thought that Kamarovsky is a symbol -- political revolutions solve nothing, because the men willing to do anything for their own power will always wind up on top. Kamarovsky is powerful under the Czar, and ultimately he is powerful under the Bolsheviks.
The book goes more into background. Yuri gets married 4 times... Pasha and Yuri have a conversation at the end of the book... all night.. and then in the morning, he commits suicide.
Another great movie from the past is "The Man who Never Was". Based on a real operation from World War II.
Audrey Hepburn series? Great! I hope one of the movies is 'Charade' (1963). It's my favorite of her movies.
The British were offered the Tzars family as they were relatives. The British refused them. Then the Bolsheviks shot them.
Actually, a lot of what you're crediting David Lean for is the work of Boris Pasternak who wrote the novel. It's all in the book. And even more so.
Although I hate the part where Zhivago says, "Lenin's in Moscow!" Lenin was in Petrograd, not Moscow.
If you liked Rod Steiger - you should see In The Heat of the Night (1967), where Steiger got his Best Actor oscar.
Mia, I think you give Lean too much credit for character development. These characters were Pasternak's creations after all. The depth of the stories behind each character was Pasternak's doing, not Lean's.
Thank you! I can't wait for the Audrey Hepburn series, i've seen all her movies and love many of them. Sabrina is so great, one of my favorite romances ever.
So what do you think of Kamarovski now? Strelnikov starts off as the idealist and becomes the a-hole. Kamarovski actually doesn’t change.
Zhivago is essentially Russia. He suffers and dies but he children live on.