Thank God for the library--I took out 8 movies today.
Dr. Zhivago is an epic-drama-war-romance (everything but a musical comedy, it seems) based on the novel by Boris Pasternak. It follows the life of a doctor during the Bolshevik Revolution and Russian Civil War. The story did make me angry about Bolshevism and the Red Guards (bravo?). The film had me for about 45 minutes, which is to say I was pretty bored for the other two and a half hours (yes, it's that long). For a number of reasons, I don't much like David Lean as a director (for example, intermission in a film?). Also, Russians portrayed by English people saying "oui, Monsieur" is a tad ridiculous. Even Alec Guinness as narrator couldn't save it. I can appreciate that it's a classic, but I didn't enjoy it that much. 6/10
The Graduate is about--well I'm sure most of you know. Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), a college graduate, has a brief romance with a married woman named Mrs. Robinson but then falls in love with her daughter. The music, provided by Simon and Garfunkel, is phenomenal. The camerawork is unique, though jarring at times, but very effective. The film's got some really great lines and a number of good laughs, but it's also rather touching. You come to feel sympathy for Benjamin's situation--he's trapped and confused. Despite its age, it's definitely not dated. It's sad, funny, and numbing at times, and the ending is beautiful. 8.5/10
The plot of The Philadelphia Story is complex and makes it difficult to sum up without giving much away, so I won't really attempt a synopsis. It starts off slow but takes off in the second half. There are some fun and interesting characters supported by great acting by Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart, Cary Grant, and the rest of the cast. Great writing and very funny. And I just love James Stewart. 7.5/10
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