The making of Doctor Zhivago

Arguably one of the most famous epic bucks of the last fifty years, David Leans 1965 reading of Boris Pasternaks novel concern Zhivago still continues to garner acclaim world-wide and was recently voted number thirty-nine in the recent AFI (American Film Institute) poll of the best century films of all time (100 films, 100 years www. AFI. com ), yet the road to the silver screen was not a smooth one.That the novel itself was ever create is the result of both luck, determination and civil disobedience. Semi-autobiographical in nature, an attempt perhaps on Pasternaks behalf to make sense of some of the horrors he witnessed during the Russian Revolution, crimson though his limp prevented his being called for active service, Pasternaks own love of art, beauty and poetry and the ability to discover those things even in a set ashore shadowed by tragedy was mirrored in his protagonist Yuri Zhivago.Like Zhivago, Pasternaks own poetry, while affording him a super respected reputation also resulted in problems with the politicians of the day, with his 1932 autobiographical poem Spectorsky resulting in accusations of anti-sociability and leading him to concentrate his time thereafter mainly to the translation of foreign playwrights and poets. (Press Book, Doctor Zhivago, Turner pastime Co).Although parts of Doctor Zhivago were written during the revolution, and also into the 1920s (Wikipedia) it was not until 1954 that the completed novel was to be ready for publication, originally submitted to (and declined by) the Russian journal Novyi mir, the manuscript was smuggled out of the country in 1957 by the Italian publisher Giacomo Feltrinelli , who despite receiving orders form the commie Russian government to return the manuscript unprinted, published the novel in Russian, with slope and Italian translations appearing the following year.Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958, but like his hero Zhivago, could not conceive of leaving his belo ved Russia and so, due to the communist principles of the ruling state was forced to decline his prize, explaining I am bound to Russia by my birth, my conduct and my work. For me to leave my country would be to die. (Press Book, Doctor Zhivago, Turner pastime Co). Pasternak was to die just deuce years later, eighteen years before his magnum opus was be published in his home nation.Acclaimed British film conductor David Lean, known for such masterpieces as The Bridge Over the River Kwai and Lawrence Of Arabia saw in Pasternaks story more than simply a story close the Russian revolution, but a highly complex love story, what he himself termed as the drama, the horror, the turbulence of the Revolution simply provides the canvas against which is told a moving and highly personal love story. (Press Book, Doctor Zhivago, Turner Entertainment Co).With an estimated budget of eleven million dollars, filming took place between December 1964 and October 1965 with a principle toss out in cluding Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Tom Courtenyy and Rod Stieger. (IMDb) The press book for the film claims that over a six month period, around 780 men, including 120 carpenters were responsible for transforming a ten acre neighborhood of the Madrid suburb of Canillas into an accurate representation of Revolutionary Moscow.Filming for the demonstration scene, and the revolutionary chanting accompanying it was said to have been so convincing that local residents at first thought that the demonstration was real and that Spanish Dictator Generalissimo Franco had been deposed, leading to subsequent filming of the scene to be closely monitored by the police. (IMDb)The two other most famous locations in the film could be said to be the ice palace at Varakyno which in reality was fashioned from a specially formed type of wax and the snowy plains of Finland doubling for the Russian Steppes, shown during the long train journey which lead in turn to one of the film indu stries most famous urban legends namely that a stuntwoman fell under the train during filming, losing both of her legs. (Snopes.com) In reality though, although she did indeed fall, and was injured, the injuries were not severe and she returned collar weeks later to re-shoot the scene. Above all else though, what is remembered about the film itself is the love triangle of three ordinary people just trying to make sense of love, life and the terrible times they are living in and although the premise of the film itself is in no way a happy one, it stands as a testament to the endurance of the human spirit.References Doctor Zhivago Special Edition 2 disc DVD (Warner Home Video) IMDb The Internet Movie Database http//www. imdb. com Wikipedia http//www. en. wikipedia. org Press Book, Doctor Zhivago, Turner Entertainment Co From the BFI (British Film Institute) http//lean. bfi. org. uk/material. php? theme=1&type=Press%20Book&title=zhivago&folder=dr_zhivago_1&fcount=2 American Film Institute (AFI) http//www. AFI. com Snopes. com http//www. snopes. com