Doctor Zhivago

Screenwriter Andrew Davies has created a brilliant adaptation of Russian author Boris Pasternak's 1957 novel. This classic tale of love set during the Russian Revolution opens with the suicide of young Yury Zhivago's father and follows Yury to Moscow, where he is taken in by the Gromeko family, develops his love of poetry, and ultimately becomes a physician. Zhivago (played by Hans Matheson) eventually marries Tonya Gromeko (Alexandra Maria Lara), a friend since childhood, but is haunted by his love for Lara Antipova (Keira Knightley), a woman he encounters several times over the years. This plot is intertwined with scenes depicting the harshness of the revolution and its impact on Yury and the families of Tonya and Lara. Pasternak won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958 for Doctor Zhivago, which he ultimately declined to accept owing to pressure from Russian authorities. Director Giacomo Campiotti's film features vivid landscapes. His use of black-and-white moving images from the era to open several scenes lends authenticity to the film. Special features of the DVD include 70 minutes of cast and crew interviews. The film, although recommended for mature audiences, is appropriate for public and academic library literature collections.-Angel Smith, Univ. of Louisville Lib., KY(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.