Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Ironically, the initial reaction to this masterpiece so demoralized director Sir David Lean that he wanted to quit making films. Despite its staying power over the years, this film was not well received at first -- difficult to believe if you've seen it. Omar Sharif plays Zhivago, the doctor/poet whose love for Lara (Julie Christie) during the Russian revolution inspires great poetry and a great story! The cast includes Rod Steiger, Tom Courtenay, Alec Guiness and Geraldine Chaplin -- all of whom were worthy of a supporting acting Oscar. This film won Oscars for Robert Bolt's screenplay, Maurice Jarre's music ("Lara's Theme"), Art/Set Direction and Costume Design. The remaining major Oscars for that year went to "The Sound of Music." "Doctor Zhivago," like all of the Lean films I've seen, is a display of filmmaking skills demonstrated by no other contemporary filmmaker. With a running time of 3 hours and 20 minutes, the slow pace might bore those of you with little patience, but every minute is worth watching, and the ending will jump out at you like a jungle cat stalking you from the bush.

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