Best and worst of idealistic Zhivago is evident in Masterpiece Theatre's creation"
Doctor Zhivago
Saturday, November 1, 2003
By MELANIE McFARLAND SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER TELEVISION CRITIC
TV REVIEW
DOCTOR ZHIVAGO
WHEN: 9 p.m. Sunday and Nov. 9
WHERE: KCTS/9
GRADE: B+
Though the word usually has positive connotations, the cold definition is one whose behavior is based on ideals. As explained in the BBC drama, the upper-class quartet set out on the path to treason because they sought class equality through the perpetuation of communism, an ideal they held dear.
Lara's (Keira Knightley) life is nearly ruined by Victor Komarovsky (Sam Neill) as he stalks her across Russia amid war and revolution. That I would cite this ostensibly unrelated item to introduce Boris Pasternak's "Doctor Zhivago," re-created for Masterpiece Theatre, may seem odd until you see the four-hour work. The first two hours air Sunday at 9 p.m. on KCTS/9, with the conclusion airing the following Sunday at the same time.
In the PBS version, Yury Zhivago (Hans Matheson) represents the romantic idealist in the best and worst sense. Set during the Russian Revolution, the doctor/poet's attempts to stay true to his highest personal truths -- the foremost being the all-importance of love -- are tested through a series of trials that show him the absolute worst in humanity. Bearing witness to kidnapping, cannibalism and war atrocities, he never becomes hardened to the loveliest aspects of life.
We share these rosy views via sweeping cinematography of frosted woods, snowy shores and the gleaming interior of the idyllic Moscow home where he was raised by his aunt and uncle after his father committed suicide.
At the same time, Yury never lets go of his aching for Lara Antipova (Keira Knightley). What sparks with a glimpse through a cafe window blooms years later into an affair that ruins Yury's marriage to his cousin Tonya (Alexandra Maria Lara).
Yury thinks of himself and Lara as epic lovers; his sins of adultery and abandonment are an afterthought. The lies are beautiful even as everything around them crumbles.
In the smooth way Masterpiece Theatre's version moves along, you won't mind buying them. Besides, his and Lara's actions are excusable compared to those of Victor Komarovsky (Sam Neill), the man who damaged them both, or the oppressive regime that perverted the ideals of Lara's husband, Pasha Antipova Strelnikov (Kris Marshall).
What makes Pasternak's Nobel prize-winning novel such a classic is that it can be dissected to achieve any number of interpretations, something screenwriter Andrew Davies ("Bridget Jones's Diary") is hoping people will keep in mind. The temptation will be to compare his work to David Lean's legendary and lengthy 1965 film.
"The previous film I thought was really great," Davies, who has previously adapted "Daniel Deronda" for Masterpiece Theatre, told TV critics in July. "Then I went back and read the book again, and I found that what I thought were my memories of the book were really memories of the film, and there was lots in the book that wasn't in the film."
Thus, this new version manages to maintain true to the main story line, streamlining incidental characters to keep the film from becoming too unwieldy, which takes some effort considering the book's rich language and numerous characters.
All the most notable men and women are fully fleshed out in Davies' version, one that, as host Russell Baker states in his introduction, emphasizes the more carnal aspect of the tale. The thought of the sensual sell could have cheapened PBS's "Doctor Zhivago," but the film handles it with taste and understatement.
Even so, this version, though a little better paced than the original, is still fairly sluggish. Given the book, perhaps that's unavoidable.
Rising "It"-girl Knightley displays a laudable range of expression here that dispels any notion of whether her dramatic abilities match her looks, and Matheson makes Yury suitably enigmatic and sympathetic.
Should the oily Komarovsky make you shudder, credit Neill's wonderful performance. He brings an extra sinister flare to the obsessive villain who ruins Lara, stalking her throughout her life. Combine these elements, and you have another great work for Masterpiece Theatre. You might even say it's ideal.
P-I TV critic Melanie McFarland
Doctor Zhivago
Saturday, November 1, 2003
By MELANIE McFARLAND SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER TELEVISION CRITIC
TV REVIEW
DOCTOR ZHIVAGO
WHEN: 9 p.m. Sunday and Nov. 9
WHERE: KCTS/9
GRADE: B+
Though the word usually has positive connotations, the cold definition is one whose behavior is based on ideals. As explained in the BBC drama, the upper-class quartet set out on the path to treason because they sought class equality through the perpetuation of communism, an ideal they held dear.
Lara's (Keira Knightley) life is nearly ruined by Victor Komarovsky (Sam Neill) as he stalks her across Russia amid war and revolution. That I would cite this ostensibly unrelated item to introduce Boris Pasternak's "Doctor Zhivago," re-created for Masterpiece Theatre, may seem odd until you see the four-hour work. The first two hours air Sunday at 9 p.m. on KCTS/9, with the conclusion airing the following Sunday at the same time.
In the PBS version, Yury Zhivago (Hans Matheson) represents the romantic idealist in the best and worst sense. Set during the Russian Revolution, the doctor/poet's attempts to stay true to his highest personal truths -- the foremost being the all-importance of love -- are tested through a series of trials that show him the absolute worst in humanity. Bearing witness to kidnapping, cannibalism and war atrocities, he never becomes hardened to the loveliest aspects of life.
We share these rosy views via sweeping cinematography of frosted woods, snowy shores and the gleaming interior of the idyllic Moscow home where he was raised by his aunt and uncle after his father committed suicide.
At the same time, Yury never lets go of his aching for Lara Antipova (Keira Knightley). What sparks with a glimpse through a cafe window blooms years later into an affair that ruins Yury's marriage to his cousin Tonya (Alexandra Maria Lara).
Yury thinks of himself and Lara as epic lovers; his sins of adultery and abandonment are an afterthought. The lies are beautiful even as everything around them crumbles.
In the smooth way Masterpiece Theatre's version moves along, you won't mind buying them. Besides, his and Lara's actions are excusable compared to those of Victor Komarovsky (Sam Neill), the man who damaged them both, or the oppressive regime that perverted the ideals of Lara's husband, Pasha Antipova Strelnikov (Kris Marshall).
What makes Pasternak's Nobel prize-winning novel such a classic is that it can be dissected to achieve any number of interpretations, something screenwriter Andrew Davies ("Bridget Jones's Diary") is hoping people will keep in mind. The temptation will be to compare his work to David Lean's legendary and lengthy 1965 film.
"The previous film I thought was really great," Davies, who has previously adapted "Daniel Deronda" for Masterpiece Theatre, told TV critics in July. "Then I went back and read the book again, and I found that what I thought were my memories of the book were really memories of the film, and there was lots in the book that wasn't in the film."
Thus, this new version manages to maintain true to the main story line, streamlining incidental characters to keep the film from becoming too unwieldy, which takes some effort considering the book's rich language and numerous characters.
All the most notable men and women are fully fleshed out in Davies' version, one that, as host Russell Baker states in his introduction, emphasizes the more carnal aspect of the tale. The thought of the sensual sell could have cheapened PBS's "Doctor Zhivago," but the film handles it with taste and understatement.
Even so, this version, though a little better paced than the original, is still fairly sluggish. Given the book, perhaps that's unavoidable.
Rising "It"-girl Knightley displays a laudable range of expression here that dispels any notion of whether her dramatic abilities match her looks, and Matheson makes Yury suitably enigmatic and sympathetic.
Should the oily Komarovsky make you shudder, credit Neill's wonderful performance. He brings an extra sinister flare to the obsessive villain who ruins Lara, stalking her throughout her life. Combine these elements, and you have another great work for Masterpiece Theatre. You might even say it's ideal.
P-I TV critic Melanie McFarland