Doctor Zhivago (2002 British Mini-Series)
Picture: B-
Sound: B- Extras: C- Episodes: C
Some classics just should not be remade, but there are
those with the snobbish frame of mind that feature films always destroy classic
literature and only the length of a TV mini-series can possibly capture a given
literary classic. This does not always
hold true, especially when those films are underrated. In the case of Doctor Zhivago, the
1965 feature film by David Lean is considered a classic. It may not be the be all and end all on the
book, but it is closer than most. There
is even a good DVD set from Warner of the MGM classic, but now we have this
2002 British Mini-Series from Granada, released by Acorn Media.
Unknown Hans Matheson take the title role, then-unknown
Keira Knightley plays Lara and Sam Neill is the evil Komarovsky. Though formidable actors, they are no match
from Omar Sharif, Julie Christie or Rod Steiger, nor do they fit the roles well
outside of comparison. As Lara,
Knightley looks unusually lost and is more histrionic than sympathetic. Neill has done this kind of role too often
and holds back too much. Matheson just
falls flat. Additional problems is the
cheap use of old stock footage for the Russian Revolution, the teleplays amazing
ability to keep that historic event more in the background than the feature
film (!) was much criticized for doing and for a love story that falls flat
here.
Sure, they do not have the rights to Lara’s Theme,
and that feels like not having the James Bond theme and doing a Bond film
watching this. However, this was not
even comparatively as good as Never Say Never Again, the 1983 mixed Bond
where that was the case. The pacing is
too slow here, almost as if they were trying to fill extra hours, not unlike
the awful Mini-Series version of Stephen King’s The Shining versus
Stanley Kubrick’s brilliant feature film version of it.
Most important, though, this version has no clue on how to
present or revive the ugly nightmare that was The Soviet Union and how it was a
system that crushed the individual and humanity at every turn. It cannot make any statement and seems lost
throughout. Andrew Davies is a good
writer, but he just could not pull this off and director Giacomo Campiotti
brings endless problems and clichés in his approach too numerous to go into
here. David Lean was a master filmmaker
and remaking any of his films, especially a classic like this, is simply doomed
form the start.
The 16 X 9/1.78 X 1 image is anamorphically enhanced and
not bad, though there is some image limits.
The colors are limited and there are just too many close shots, even
during the Revolution! The Dolby
Digital 2.0 Stereo has Pro Logic surrounds, but is actually not as interesting
or as exciting as the sound mix on the 1965 film. If only Warner could reissue it in DTS. Extras include 70 minutes of cast and crew trying to explain this
entity, a stills gallery, text on author Pasternak and filmographies of some of
the cast. Unless you are obsessed with
the book, curious beyond belief or like to see a train wreck, skip this version
of Doctor Zhivago.
- Nicholas Sheffo
