As the subject asks. Which one has your heart?
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Film and Television Discussion
fnj2002 — 12 years ago(August 21, 2013 08:36 PM)
As the subject asks. Which one has your heart?
I know they complement each other; one so angelic; the other so earthy. I also know it's not fair for us men, because it is always Lara's face in the candlelight, and what a face it is. And after all, Zhivago's masterwork is titled "Lara", not "Tonya".
But Geraldine is such an angel, is she not? -
fnj2002 — 12 years ago(September 04, 2013 12:43 AM)
How many of us were in our high school years when we saw this on the big screen? Julie Christie was a sensual force of nature, an engine of irresistable lushness unleashed on us. They sure nailed that casting choice.
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Jez — 5 years ago(January 14, 2021 08:45 PM)
As far as I'm aware Audrey Hepburn was almost Tonya not Lara.
Julie Christie was the IT girl of the 1960s. The 1960s equivalent of Lily James. British, alluring voice and unconventional.
Omar Sharif was a fool to turn her down in real life just because she had a fondness for egg sandwiches. He ended up having a fling with Barbara Striesand, while filming Funny Girl. Barbara Streisand was beautiful yes but Julie Christie was way more stunning. -
s007davis — 12 years ago(December 21, 2013 08:59 AM)
This is kind of like asking "Mary Ann or Ginger?"
Both ladies are lovely but I'm going to vote for the underrated and overlooked Tonya(the film's "Mary Ann"). She's so cute, loyal and sweet and has less baggage(i.e., a husband who's a mass murdering communist fanatic and an opportunistic ex-lover) to deal with than Lara(the film's "Ginger"). -
daddymo — 12 years ago(February 18, 2014 08:42 AM)
I like the "Mary Ann vs. Ginger" comparison.
Up until yesterday I would have sworn that Lara was the more desirable one; she certainly is beautiful and alluring. But after my latest viewing I have changed my mind. Tonya is so innocent and faithful, and is fully devoted to Zhivago. She has loved him since they were young and fully supports him. Look at some of the examplesshe saved a salami for three months waiting on him to get home. She let the fire go out of the stove and re-lit it before he got home in order to save fuel and save Zhivago worry. Despite knowing about Lara from his wartime letters, Tonya never confronted Zhivago about a possible affair, trusting him completely.
If we are considering which one Zhivago should choose, I say he should stay with his wife. As admirable as the good doctor is, being unfaithful to Tonya is unacceptable.
I'm not saying Lara is undesirable, just that Tonya is more so. As far as looks go, she's very attractive herself. Give me Tonya (and Mary Ann, for that matter) any day. -
hankaaron — 11 years ago(July 27, 2014 05:22 PM)
I always thought the casting was upside down. Chaplin has an angelic face and an inherent sweetness that I believe works more as a muse than Chrisite. Christie is pure lust, but Chaplin is what the heart desires.
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kevayreski — 11 years ago(December 26, 2014 04:41 PM)
This is one of the small things that I didn't like about this otherwise excellent movie.
Whatever about the casting (I do like Julie Christie - love Don't Look Now - but Geraldine Chaplin was beautiful too), I never got a sense of why he kept leaving Tonya for Lara)
She seemed a much more pleasant character, a better & more loving partner. They had a child togetherr. They seem to have been through more together
It reminds me of Fatal Attraction.
Fatal Attraction mini-spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler
I've no idea why Michael Douglas's character would cheat on his wife with Glenn Close (or her character)
And we never get to see what happened to Tonya in the end.
Like she never mattered.
I spent all the time hoping he'd not cheat on her, then always go back to her. -
CountJohn — 10 years ago(July 19, 2015 02:58 PM)
I liked the movie, but I genuinely didn't understand Zhivago's motivation for his affair. Tonya was the sort of loyal wife most every man dreams of having. Zhivago didn't really seem like "the type" to have an affair just based on lust, but even if he did, Geraldine Chaplin is certainly a very attractive woman herself, so really there was no reason for him to be unfulfilled in that area either.
Maybe he just thought Tonya was "simple" whereas he could relate to Lara on a more intellectual level, hence why she inspired all his poetry. -
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JaneThree — 9 years ago(December 17, 2016 06:56 PM)
Julie Christie is beautiful but distractingly contemporary looking, with bleached blonde pouffy 1960s hair and a tan, to boot. I also found that Shariff's Yuri seemed more tender with Geraldine Chaplin's Tanya, more connected. They seemed to belong together. I didn't dislike Lara. I've never disliked the people Julie Christie plays; they're always relatable in some way, not vain, and down to earth.
For me it's not a matter of which woman is better, but which couple is better. Without question Yuri/Tanya is the couple. I remember being upset when Tanya disappeared from the film. If Yuri had been flung apart from his family without his control, separated thousands of miles, and started an affair with Lara, it would have felt more real. But even then I wouldn't have believed they could have succeeded as a couple after the war.