Why don they make romantic epics like Doctor Zhivago anymore?
“Because the world is not the same,” says Omar Sharif. “Society is harder, faster. There’s no time today to court a woman – not slowly, where you hold hands, look into each other’s eyes and take your time. And with sexual harassment and AIDS – this is such an unlucky generation!” Sharif – still regally handsome at 63, despite a heart attack and surgery last year – stopped in New York from his Paris base to talk about the restored version of 1965’s Doctor Zhivago, which is being released Friday in 15 North American cities to honor its 30th anniversary. “I haven’t seen it in 30 years,” Sharif admits. “Occasionally I’ll watch the beginning on TV. My son played me in the early scenes; I’ll watch it that far if I’m missing him.” Sharif’s most vivid memory of Dr. Z: His nervous breakdown three months into the 10-month shooting schedule. Before production began, Sharif recalls, director David Lean warned him that he would set him a difficult task: “He asked me to do nothing. All the scenes wo
