Newly uncovered letters offer rare glimpse behind the scenes of Sir David Leans spellbinding 1965 classic, Doctor Zhivago
Sir David Leans Doctor Zhivago which has a running time of more than three hours is one of the greatest but also one of the longest films ever made.
Sir David Leans Doctor Zhivago which has a running time of more than three hours is one of the greatest but also one of the longest films ever made.
But letters published for the first time today show that the epic tale of romance set against the backdrop of the Russian revolution might have been even longer if it had not been for the hit sixties drama Z-Cars.
Sir David, who directed the movie told his screenwriting partner Robert Bolt that he hoped to keep the running time of the film down by emulating the story telling techniques used by the BBC cop drama.
On 11 April 1964 he wrote: I have watched a little TV lately and was very impressed by one of the Z-Cars episodes. The actual content isnt up to much but the speed and keeping ahead of the audience is far ahead of most movies.
Its very interesting comparing them with some of the old TV movies such as Prisoner of Zenda. They are of a different age and one can almost forecast every move – even down to camera movement.
Sir David, widely regarded as Britains greatest ever film director was 56 at the time of the correspondence and desperate to keep his forthcoming adaptation of Boris Pasternaks Doctor Zhivago down to a running time of two hours and fifty minutes.
His admiration for Z-Cars belied a crisis of confidence in his own techniques which he thought were a little old fashioned.
He wrote: Makes me even more frightened of the rails Im always talking about because those old slow techniques are still somewhere in my blood and I have to fight against them, consciously all the time.
Sir David Leans Doctor Zhivago which has a running time of more than three hours is one of the greatest but also one of the longest films ever made
Doctor Zhivago which starred Omar Sharif, Julie Christie and Sir Alec Guinness opened in the United States in December 1965 with what even its own trailer conceded was a monumental running time of three hours and twelve minutes
Sir David, widely regarded as Britains greatest ever film director was 56 at the time of the correspondence and desperate to keep his forthcoming adaptation of Boris Pasternaks Doctor Zhivago down to a running time of two hours and fifty minutes
Sir David who had just viewed the 1963 spy film The Prize with Paul Newman wrote: Things like The Prize are still almost identical to Zenda I am amazed to see.
He added: I hate obscurity and muddle as far as the audience is concerned and I am not sure how some of these modern young chaps do it. I think its that the more daring cuts and moves forward are done with great neatness and clarity in the actual joining.
The idea of Sir David having a crisis of confidence will surprise many.
Prior to beginning work on Doctor Zhivago he had directed some of the greatest films ever made including Brief Encounter, Great Expectations, Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia.
At the time Z Cars with its iconic theme tune was one of the grittiest and most popular shows on the box.
It is not known how Bolt responded to Leans suggestion about Z-Cars. There is some evidence to suggest he may have caught at least one episode of the show. In one undated letter to Lean he suggested that an unknown Judi Dench be considered for the pivotal role of the girl who is the daughter of Zhivago and Lara.
At the time the actress who was in her late twenties and who was incorrectly referred to as Judy by Bolt, had only a handful of stage and TV credits to her name.
She had, however, won favourable reviews playing a rebellious young woman in a 1963 episode of Z-Cars called Made for Each Other.
In an undated letter to Lean he explained that the character must be naturally attractive rather than a raging beauty.
The film initially received a lukewarm reception from critics who insisted it couldnt compare with Leans 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia
Dame Judi (pictured) was not screen tested for the big screen role and the part went to rising star Rita Tushingham
He wrote: Just as a starting point for you I think somebody like Judy Dench might be good. Incidentally, I think she [the character] should be fair rather than dark. Its this quality of innerness, some inner life which is secret and jealously protected, which is the interesting thing I think.
Dame Judi was not, however, screen tested for the big screen role and the part went to rising star Rita Tushingham.
Doctor Zhivago which starred Omar Sharif, Julie Christie and Sir Alec Guinness opened in the United States in December 1965 with what even its own trailer conceded was a monumental running time of three hours and twelve minutes.
It initially received a lukewarm reception from critics who insisted it couldnt compare with Leans 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia.
But interestingly even those critics who were not enamoured with the movie praised the way it had managed to condense the novel into a series of fast moving short, sharp scenes.
A critic for the Daily Mirror noted: the screenplay subtly retains the spirit of Pasternak but tosses away pretty well everything else except a handful of basic characters. It couldnt have worked out any other way short of the film running for about fifteen hours.
The film which went on to win six Oscars including one for its screenplay proved to be critic proof and rapidly became a box office phenomenon.
The movie, which celebrates its sixtieth birthday this year remains the eighth most successful film ever made when box office takings are adjusted for inflation.
A spokesperson for Dame Judi said: If Judi was considered [for the film] she was unaware of it and certainly never screen tested for it and never met David Lean.