Doctor Zhivago

• Title: Doctor Zhivago
• IMDB: link

Set against the Russian Revolution of 1905 and the Second World War, this four-hour mini-series adaptation of the Nobel Prize winner Doctor Zhivago tells the tale of doctor and poet Yuri Zhivago (Hans Matheson) whose duty and honor keep him from the woman (Keira Knightley) he truly loves and engenders no love from the new Communist state.

A more faithful adaptation than David Lean’s 1965 film, this less grand version still has to make concessions to fit the near 600-page novel into its four-hour running-time. The result is very good version of the story strengthened by the performances of Knightley, Matheson, Sam Neill, and Alexandra Maria Lara.

Re-released yesterday on DVD, the two-disc set include information about author Boris Pasternak, a photo gallery, filmographies, and cast and crew interviews from Knightley, Matheson, Neill, Kris Marshall, director Giacomo Campiotti, writer Andrew Davies, and producers Anne Pivcevic and Andy Harries.

[Acorn Media, DVD $29.99]