# Doctor Zhivago (2002)

> A married doctor and a beautiful young woman find their love tested by the upheaval of the Russian revolution.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/10430

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 3
- Episode runtime: 75 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, romance, history
- Created by: Andrew Davies
- Network: ITV1, PBS
- Cast: Hans Matheson, Keira Knightley, Celia Imrie, Alexandra Maria Lara, Sam Neill, Hugh Bonneville, Kris Marshall, Bill Paterson
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0324937/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: melancholic, sincere, sweeping, aching, romantic

## What critics say

Audiences rated this adaptation of Pasternak's novel positively, valuing its sweeping romance and period production.

## Synopsis

Doctor Zhivago (2002) is a British-American period drama miniseries created by Andrew Davies and broadcast on ITV1 and PBS. Adapted from Boris Pasternak's novel, the three-episode epic follows Yuri Zhivago (Hans Matheson), a married doctor and poet, whose life is pulled into the turbulence of Russia's revolution when he meets Lara Antipova (Keira Knightley), a young woman loved by three very different men. Her relationship with the revolutionary Pasha (Kris Marshall) and the powerful mogul Komarovsky (Sam Neill) complicates every choice she makes. Around them, the upheaval reshapes Yuri's career, his household and his sense of duty, while his half-brother Yevgraf (Hugh Bonneville) moves through the political machinery of the new order. The engine of the story is a thwarted romance fought against war, displacement and shifting loyalties, rendered in lush, sweeping set pieces. Its tone is melancholic and sincere, with an aching emotional register. Viewers who love the epic romance of War and Peace or the literary heartbreak of Anna Karenina will find resonance here.

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