What was the obsession with Doctor Zhivago when it first came out

[Hawkee]

For reasons unknown my aunt is obsessed with the movie Doctor Zhivago and I can never figure out why this movie was a hit when it debuted in theaters? Is it because Doctor Zhivago is one of Omar Sharif's best movies or is it because of the beautiful scenery or just because of the romance scenes in it? Because I never understood why people enjoy it because my mom saw it once and found Doctor Zhivago unappealing. And ever since it's debut the love theme Lara's Theme became popular and almost every singer from Andy Williams to Engelbert Humperdinck has covered it and had a hit with the song
Bestie

[Steve_uk]

Originally Posted by LaBestia

For reasons unknown my aunt is obsessed with the movie Doctor Zhivago and I can never figure out why this movie was a hit when it debuted in theaters? Is it because Doctor Zhivago is one of Omar Sharif's best movies or is it because of the beautiful scenery or just because of the romance scenes in it? Because I never understood why people enjoy it because my mom saw it once and found Doctor Zhivago unappealing. And ever since it's debut the love theme Lara's Theme became popular and almost every singer from Andy Williams to Engelbert Humperdinck has covered it and had a hit with the song
Bestie

I don't normally cut and paste an answer but the one below sums up my feelings about the film down to a T. I might just say looking back the 1960s seemed much gentler times than the world we live in today, a period when there was time to sit back and enjoy a film of three hours in length.

Above all, the film is what the Germans call a Gesamtkunstwerk - a work of art where the sum is greater than the total of its parts. And what magnificent parts they are! The film is more than the just the film itself, and I have to admire the sheer hard work and coordination that must have been required in order to create such a masterpiece - because, for all its faults, that is what it is: a masterpiece. The casting, the acting, the direction (by David Lean), the cinematography, the sets, the lighting and the musical score - especially the musical score (by Maurice Jarre) - are all done to the highest standards. That’s what makes the film a Gesamtkunstwerk, particularly when seen from today’s perspective where Gesamtkunstwerke are thin on the ground. No-one seems to make films with such a holistic approach anymore: a blockbuster is not the equivalent of a Gesamtkunstwerk.

From the opening bars of the overture, set against a painted forest of beryozki (birch-trees) in the pale winter sun, to the end-credits set over water thundering through a hydro-electric dam, the film offers a metaphor of Russia from the 1910’s through to the 1950’s, interpreted as the life and times of the main protagonist, Yuriy Andreevitch Zhivago, a.k.a. Dr. Zhivago.

https://youtu.be/vXtFRl1nSs4

[biffbronson]

I agree to an extent that those were "gentler times" - however, I must point out that Mad magazine thoroughly parodied the film back then -- and in a not-so-gentle manner...!

[Steve_uk]

Originally Posted by biffbronson

I agree to an extent that those were "gentler times" - however, I must point out that Mad magazine thoroughly parodied the film back then -- and in a not-so-gentle manner...!

Biff how do you think The Sound of Music starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer would be received today?

[biffbronson]

I don't really know enough about The Sound of Music to answer that well, I must confess. However, coincidentally I was watching an interview with Angela Cartwright yesterday, and she mentioned that at times people have mistakenly believed some the beautiful background scenery was achieved by use of backdrops.

So I think cynicism can step in and is not necessarily tied to any era or genre. But people who love film I'm sure would find plenty to enjoy there. I was watching a woman's new reaction to the 1954 Seven Brides for Seven Brothers film musical on YouTube recently, and despite its age she enjoyed it very much without reservations.

I'm glad you're back Steve, I look forward to learning more about the U.K. from you. Most of us I think hardly know quid from quail...! Please call me Jim.

[Steve_uk]

Originally Posted by biffbronson

I don't really know enough about The Sound of Music to answer that well, I must confess. However, coincidentally I was watching an interview with Angela Cartwright yesterday, and she mentioned that at times people have mistakenly believed some the beautiful background scenery was achieved by use of backdrops.

So I think cynicism can step in and is not necessarily tied to any era or genre. But people who love film I'm sure would find plenty to enjoy there. I was watching a woman's new reaction to the 1954 Seven Brides for Seven Brothers film musical on YouTube recently, and despite its age she enjoyed it very much without reservations.

I'm glad you're back Steve, I look forward to learning more about the U.K. from you. Most of us I think hardly know quid from quail...! Please call me Jim.

Well we're not allowed to discuss politics so it will only be anecdotal cultural references I'm afraid. I could discuss the nicest places to visit and the weather, which for the most part where I live is rain with some sunshine beginning to appear from this time of year onwards.