David Lean brought together a strong group of performers, and along with Maurice Jarre’s striking music and some beautiful camera work from Freddie Young, he does a commendable job adapting Pasternak's long story about "Yuri"—a Russian doctor played by Omar Sharif. Alec Guinness portrays a General who serves as the storyteller—using the very earnest Rita Tushingham to trigger the memories—and we slowly learn that things are quite complicated right from the beginning. “Yuri” finds himself drawn to the mysterious “Lara” (Julie Christie), who is also involved with "Komarovsky" (Rod Steiger), a character who seems willing to betray anyone, including his own wife. After hitting a dead end there, he marries his cousin "Tonya" (Geraldine Chaplin). But as World War II approaches and the October Revolution throws the nation into turmoil and violence, nothing is straightforward—families are torn apart trying to escape the fighting. It turns out that “Lara” later married a Communist official named "Pasha" (Tom Courtenay), but their marriage didn’t last because of the war, and when “Yuri” finds this out he can't help but think about what could have been! At its heart, it's a series of love stories—love for individuals, for one’s country, for an ideal. Lean manages to explore these complicated subjects without getting bogged down in political theory or excessive brutality. We are aware that those issues exist, but Robert Bolt’s clever screenplay presents the politics in a way that is very appealing while keeping the human experiences at the forefront. The vast Russian landscapes—particularly during their train trips—are impressive and create a sense of unease, offering a break from the constant dialogue usually needed to understand what's happening. If you ever have the opportunity to spend three hours watching this on a large screen, do it. This is cinema at its most impactful, and the sheer scale of organizing so many people, moving them around, and creating such beautiful photography—all without computers—is definitely worth experiencing as this epic unfolds before you.

Source on TMDB