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Doctor Zhivago (TV Miniseries)Rating:
Release Date: 04 November, 2003 Retail Price: $39.99 OUR Price: $35.99 You SAVE: $4.00! Cast: Complete Cast (7 total) |
Doctor Zhivago (TV Miniseries) Reviews
Quite an excellent movie, I would reccomend
Having decided to watch "Dr. Zhivago", I was initially conflicted on what to see first - the classic or the new English version, since I have not seen the classic yet. I sat and read people's reviews in an effort to finally come to a decision. Most of the reviews of this English version said that it didn't match up to the classic older film, which I wasn't surprised, since people usually say so about classics and remakes. But I remember a few times before when I was deciding between classics and something newer, I was slightly disappointed when I opted out for the classic versions. So despite some of the not-so-favorable reviews of this English remake, I decided to watch it first. I was very impressed with this movie. I think it is quite excellent. As a Russian, I was impressed how closely the filmmakers stayed close to the Russian scene and Russian reality. It seemed very real - the snow, winter cold, the way the characters were portrayed and their behavior, the poverty of the post-war and post-Revolution 1900s. I was also impressed that there was a constant background of real Russian language, which made the movie seem more Russian, almost as though the main character's were translated into English or dubbed. The scenery was also very Russian, and I was wondering where they filmed the movie - on location in Russia (but probably not). I watched the entire movie, like the Russians say, "on one breath" - I was completely immersed in the movie and the story. Visually the movie was very rich and pleasing to the eye, the beautiful landscapes, snow, and the occasional documentary pieces. I thought actors did an excellent job also, with captivating and sincere acting. I though all of the actors were quite good, and would disagree that the "Lara" character was "the weakest link", as some people have said in their reviews. I liked this movie so much that I was inspired to read the book. So, if you are wondering about this movie, take my advice and watch it - you won't be disappointed, I'm sure.
Remake worth revisiting
It takes courage to revisit a classic, not only because of the inevitable comparisons but because many people simply will not be able to evaluate the film on its own merits. In this case both the film and the novel upon which it was based have reached reverential status, so Masterpiece Theatre had quite a task on its hands, and it was with considerable interest and an open mind that I approached it's re-adaption of Pasternak's tender, melancholy and beloved romance.
I must say I was happily surprised. Overall I think this was an effective and quite beautiful, though flawed, treatment, which was both emotionally and intellectually involving, though lacking some of the power and intensity of the original.
In some ways this version provides a more thorough exploration of the complex relationships between the characters. For example, it deals more explicitly with the sexual dynamics between Lara and Komarovsky which the Lean film merely hinted at (perhaps because of the times and the need to make Lara a less morally ambiguous/complex character). It is very clear that Lara is at some level a willing participant in the relationship even beyond her initial curiosity, that she is warring as much against the moral ambiguities within herself as against Komarovsky, and the complexities of her relationship with her mother are more fully addressed. These private tensions reflect the broader political, moral and social themes of the film (eg. lust v. love; the worldly/material represented by the exploiter-of-the-weak lawyer Komarovsky (evil) v. the spiritual/intellectual represented by healer and poet Yuri (good); the collective v. the individual, etc.) They also provide deeper insight into why Lara would be so fatally attracted to Yuri, who represents unattainable goodness and deliverance from all she finds hateful in herself, and why Yuri, the Christlike figure, finds in her someone he is compelled by love to save.
This version is a bit darker and more brooding than the original. Gone are the magical locales (no, no breathtaking ice palace) and the larger-than-life emotions and sense of time and place they evoked; still, it compensates well and creatively for what it lacks in big budget production values. I also found the ending less stark; I was always a bit frustrated by Lean's ending and the additional details provided here were a kindness and a relief to me.
Among the other highlights of this version: its achingly beautiful score, so full of tenderness and melancholy; and several truly marvelous supporting performances, including the child Yuri with his serious pale face and enormous eyes; Lara's tormented mother; and best of all the luminous and heartbreakingly beautiful Tonya.
Given such strong supporting players it is a tremendous disappointment that the lead characters -- particularly Kiera Knightly as Lara--are so very weak; her performance is the major flaw of the production. Hans Matheson captures well the honor, sincerity and kindness of Yuri, though her never quite achieves the intensity of the tormented Omar Sharif. Still, he fights manfully for Yuri, and succeeds in giving an excellent, moving and very credible performance, especially for such a young actor.
Sam Neill's Komarovsky is less effective; he is never as powerful, convincing or complex a villain as the brutish Rod Steiger. He hits only one note, and not a particularly interesting one, but it suffices.
Pasha, while convincing as a naive young ideologue, fails to make the transition to the brutal and ruthless Strelnikov; his confrontation with Yuri was tense, even frightening in the Lean version, here it barely registers.
But it is Kiera Knightly who is the real Achilles heel of the production. I found myself constantly struggling to overlook her performance; she is so terribly self-concious, so wooden and flat, with an annoying mannered petulance that is painful to watch. It is a great difficulty because the story depends so much on Lara. How are we to believe that the lives of three great men are destroyed by this woman? Ironically, the actress playing Tonya makes matters worse by being 10 times more interesting in her role than Lara. In the Lean version, the pinch-faced, anxious Geraldine Chaplin was a much worse match for Yuri, it was much easy to see why his intense poet's heart would need something more. But this Tonya has so much more depth and passion than Knightly that it is hard to imagine why noble Yuri would betray his pregnant wife, his vows, even his own finely tuned conscience for her. The adultery feels a little seedy and the love affair less compelling and passionate.
Knightly is helped by her beauty, but it is not enough, she conveys none of the ambiguity or mystery that would inspire a poet's heart, nor the vulnerability and fire that would drive an honorable man to abandon his vows and a hard man to become weak. Nor do we see the terrible internal struggles that would drive Lara to murder, nor the transformation that a life of such wrenching suffering would bring. She is exactly the same from beginning to end. Her best scenes are the early sex scenes with Komarovsky--unfortunately even this backfires, she uses some of the same mannered posturings in the love scenes with Yuri (which should be entirely different, entirely pure and tender and emotional)so there is a certain seediness that clings to her. She is far too inexperienced an actress for a role this complex.
(This reminds me of "The Age of Innocence" and the MPT "Forsyte Saga"-both films hurt by inadequate leading actresses. Directors listen: intense material needs intense talent, not just looks!)
Still, this material is so rich and moving that it can withstand some mishandling; and there is very much to enjoy in this adaptation. See and enjoy it if only to witness a wonderful classic molded by new and different hands.
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