On this date in 1964 Principal filming of the movie classic, Dr. Zhivago, began. 10 things you might not know about this movie.
Dr. Zhivago is a 1965 epic historical romance film directed by David Lean with a screenplay by Robert Bolt, based on the 1957 novel by Boris Pasternak.
The film stars Omar Sharif as Yuri Zhivago, a married physician and poet whose life is altered by the Russian Revolution and subsequent civil war, and Julie Christie as his love interest Lara Antipova.
Although filming began in December, much of it was shot in the summer months, including some of the winter scenes. It was over 30 degrees when the charge of the Partisans across the frozen lake was filmed. They were charging across a cast iron sheet covered in fake snow. Also, spare a thought for the extras, bundled up in winter furs. Costume designer Phyllis Dalton had to keep strict watch over them to make sure none of them took off layers of clothing to cool off.
Jane Fonda was the first choice to play Lara, but she turned it down because she didn’t want to film in Spain for nine months. She did change her mind, but by then, Julie Christie had been signed. In 2014, Fonda said that of all the movies she turned down, this one is the one she regrets the most.
The soundtrack, composed by Maurice Jarre (Jean-Michel’s dad), sold more than 600,000 copies during the film's initial release.
Recording the score required a 110-piece orchestra, including 22 balalaika players. The balalaika players were members of a Russian Orthodox church in Los Angeles. None of them could read music and they’d never worked with a conductor before. Maurice Jarre needed to teach them the 16 bars of Lara's Theme by example, then mime and hum their cues as they played with the orchestra.
The book the film was based on was banned in Russia at the time, because it “rejected socialist realism”. Mikhail Gorbachev allowed the source novel to be published in Russia in 1988, as part of his "glasnost" policy. The film wasn't shown in Russia until 1994.
Omar Sharif's son Tarek Sharif played the eight-year-old Zhivago.
Julie Christie hated having to wear the infamous red dress. David Lean told her that was fine – her character was supposed to hate wearing it. Lara's older lover had bought the dress for her and expected her to wear it.
As of 2010, adjusted for inflation, this is the eighth-highest grossing movie of all time. It won Academy Awards for Best Score, Costume design, Cinematography, Art direction and Best Screenplay.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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