2025 FILM SERIES: The Epic David Lean

Doctor Zhivago (1965, 200min)

Christopher Llewellyn Reed, chair, film & moving image department, Stevenson University

Lean’s third widescreen epic in a row, this adaptation of Nobel laureate Boris Pasternak’s 1957 novel of the same name brings back Lawrence’s Sherif Ali (i.e., Omar Sharif) in the title role. A monumental saga set before, during, and after the 1917 Russian Revolution, the movie—like Kwai—is probably as famous for its soundtrack (featuring the balalaika melody “Lara’s Theme”) as for its story. Another stunningly photographed work—thanks to Lawrence’s cinematographer Freddie Young, here winning his second Oscar—Zhivago co-stars Guinness, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, and Rod Steiger, to name just some members of the vast ensemble. Ice palaces have never looked the same…

The summer film series is created in partnership with The Renaissance Institute.

$10 fee for guests or $40 for six films (No fee for ASG/RI members, or ASG subscribers)