As it turns out, 17-year-old Lara was shooting her tormentor and lover, Komarovsky (Rod Steiger), a man who appeared to be a family friend, but was really only using Lara for his own gain. In giving in to Komarovsky, Lara has also betrayed her mother, Komarovsky's lover, and her own fiance, Pasha (Tom Courtenay), a young revolutionary in the Bolshevik Revolution. When she reveals her betrayal, Pasha forgives Lara and they wed regardless of her transgressions. Fast-forward several more years and Yuri and Tonya are married with a son, while across the country, Pasha and Lara are married with a daughter. Because of the war, Dr. Zhivago crosses paths with Lara on the front lines and it is here that the sparks truly begin to fly. Although the two fall in love, they do not give in to their feelings and go their separate ways once the battles draw to an end.
Fate thrusts Yuri and Lara together again at a later date when he travels into the city from the countryside where he now lives with a pregnant Tonya, their son and her father, Alexander. At the library, he sees Lara once again and their passions can't be contained. They begin an affair, with Yuri "traveling to the city" for any little excuse. Tonya begins to sense a change in Yuri, however Yuri determines to break things off with Lara once and for all and he does so. But, on his way home, he is kidnapped by the Partisan Red Army who forces him into service as their military doctor. A good bit of time passes with Yuri never being able to tell the two women he loves what has happened to him, when he finally escapes the Partisans and returns to find many things have changed, both with Lara and his own family. Although fate always seems to push and pull Lara and Yuri together and apart, such is the case with an epic romance like this.
Doctor Zhivago has been masterfully restored and the film probably looks even more beautiful than it did when it was first released. The restoration team did a marvelous job and everything looks crystal clear, from the amazing vistas of the Russian steppes, to the ice palace briefly shared by Yuri and Lara. The sound has also been remastered and "Lara's Theme" by Maurice Jarre, made so famous by the film, has never sounded so good. So often, with older movies, a lot seems to be lost in the sound department, but everything has been restored to pitch-perfect clarity here.
Aside from the obvious upscale to Blu-ray that you get in sound and video, there's also a hearty helping of special features for the true Zhivago fan. There's a new 2-part retrospective hosted by Omar Sharif himself, which was really interesting to watch, plus an hour long documentary on the making of the film, which really goes into so much about the production. There are news interviews with Julie Christie and Omar Sharif by several different New York members of the press, plus a screen test by Geraldine Chaplin, daughter of Charlie Chaplin. There are little vignettes about the three main actors, plus the original trailer and commentary on the film, and exclusive to this release is the soundtrack containing the 8 most famous songs of the film. Lastly, the Blu-ray case itself is also a book which contains lots of tidbits and trivia about the film.
For the fan of this epic film, this is definitely the release to own. While a number of these special features are found on the previous release of Doctor Zhivago, because of the stunning imagery director David Lean used throughout the film, the jump to Blu-ray might just be the excuse you need to pick this up on the latest high-def medium. This movie certainly isn't for everyone and probably won't win over any new fans, but for those who have been waiting for the consummate release of Doctor Zhivago, your wait is over.
