At 60, David Lean’s Doctor Zhivago Remains a Monumental Romantic Epic That Reflects Cinema’s Golden Age and Its Lasting Grip on the Imagination

22 December 2025

Julie Christie and Tom Courtenay on set. Photograph: Everett Collection Inc/Alamy

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Doctor Zhivago, the sweeping historical romance directed by David Lean, and as film lovers revisit the 1965 classic they are reminded that its power lies less in strict historical accuracy than in its grand emotional sweep and enduring depiction of love persisting amid turmoil and upheaval. Released at a cultural inflection point between the grandeur of old Hollywood storytelling and the emerging modern sensibility of the 1960s, Doctor Zhivago arrived as a long, lavishly crafted epic that seemed almost out of time even as it captured the imaginations of audiences around the world. At its heart, it remains a testament to cinema’s ability to turn personal longing and human connection into an experience of mythic scale.

Adapted from Boris Pasternak’s controversial novel, which was smuggled out of the Soviet Union and initially banned by the Communist Party, Doctor Zhivago shifts the focus from strict political narrative to the interior lives of individuals swept up in events far beyond their control. Lean’s version of the story centers on Yuri Zhivago, played by Omar Sharif, a poet and physician whose personal life is irrevocably altered by the tumult of World War I and the Russian Revolution. The film’s romantic core springs from Zhivago’s complex relationship with Lara, portrayed by Julie Christie, whose youthful magnetism and depth of emotion anchor the story’s emotional arc. Although many early critics dismissed the film as romantic escapism detached from the harsh realities of Russian history, audiences and subsequent generations have celebrated its beauty, scale, and emotional resonance.

Lean’s cinematic vision for Doctor Zhivago was shaped by his extraordinary ability to marry visual spectacle with intimate human drama. At more than three hours long, the film unfolds with the rhythmic cadence of an epic poem, moving between sweeping landscapes, wartime chaos and the private moments that define human connection. The director’s approach emphasizes how individuals respond to and are often overwhelmed by the tides of history. In one early sequence Zhivago witnesses demonstrators being slaughtered by tsarist troops from a distance, an image that encapsulates the film’s thematic tension between personal detachment and historical inevitability. It is the interplay between these vast external forces and the fragile interior worlds of its protagonists that gives Doctor Zhivago its enduring emotional power.

The film’s narrative gestures toward romance as both defiance and refuge. In a world where political upheaval and social transformation seem to crush individual agency, the love between Zhivago and Lara symbolizes resilience and hope. Their moments together, often fleeting and set against expansive snow-covered plains or the ruins of disrupted lives, possess a poignancy that transcends the era in which the movie was made. These scenes suggest that even in the face of chaos, personal bonds can endure and offer meaning. This thematic thread has resonated with audiences for decades, transforming Doctor Zhivago from a mere historical artifact into a cinematic touchstone that continues to speak to successive generations.

The film’s production itself was an enormous undertaking. Lean reunited with screenwriter Robert Bolt, with whom he had previously collaborated on Lawrence of Arabia, to adapt Pasternak’s sprawling novel to the screen. The choice to emphasize the romance over overt political commentary was deliberate, allowing Lean to explore the psychological and emotional terrain of his characters rather than deliver a polemic about revolution. While some critics felt that this approach distanced the film from the political realities of the era it depicts, others have praised Lean’s decision as a masterstroke that elevated the story into a universal meditation on love and loss amid historic change.

The performances of the cast contribute immeasurably to the film’s gravitas. Julie Christie’s portrayal of Lara is often cited for its ethereal beauty and emotional complexity, capturing the contradictions of a woman torn between duty, survival and passionate desire. Omar Sharif’s Zhivago embodies the quiet intensity of a man whose life is shaped by art, love and war, offering a performance that continues to be celebrated for its nuance and depth. Their chemistry infuses the film with a romantic force that feels both timeless and immediate, inviting viewers to invest in the characters’ inner lives as fervently as they do in the epic sweep of history around them.

Six decades on, Doctor Zhivago endures not simply because it is beautifully made but because it speaks to something fundamental about the human condition. It captures the way love can persevere even in the face of relentless adversity, a theme that resonates as powerfully today as it did when the film first captivated audiences in 1965. Its legacy has been cemented not only through the affection of generations of viewers but also through its influence on filmmakers and storytellers who have looked to Lean’s work as a model of cinematic craftsmanship.

The score by Maurice Jarre, particularly the haunting Lara’s Theme, has become iconic, its melodies instantly evocative of the sweeping snowfields and emotional terrain of the film. The music’s success, mirrored by its commercial release and critical acclaim over the years, underscores how Doctor Zhivago transcends its narrative to become a cultural touchstone. While political interpretations of the film will inevitably evolve, its core remains an exploration of how personal narratives persist even as history reshapes the world.

In reflecting on Doctor Zhivago at 60, its enduring appeal lies not in strict adherence to historical narrative but in the way it humanizes history through romance, memory and resilience. The film stands as a testament to the era that produced it and to the timeless power of cinema to capture the depths of human experience.