Editing Doctor Zhivago (film) (section)

===Development and casting===
The film treatment by David Lean was proposed for various reasons. Pasternak's novel had been an international success, and producer [[Carlo Ponti]] was interested in adapting it as a vehicle for his wife, [[Sophia Loren]].<ref>{{harvnb|Maxford|2000|p=123}}.</ref> Lean, coming off the huge success of ''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]'' (1962), wanted to make a more intimate, romantic film to balance the action- and adventure-oriented tone of his previous film. One of the first actors signed onboard was [[Omar Sharif]], who had played Lawrence's right-hand man Sherif Ali in ''Lawrence of Arabia''. Sharif loved the novel, and when he heard Lean was making a film adaptation, he requested to be cast in the role of Pasha (which ultimately went to [[Tom Courtenay]]).

Sharif was quite surprised when Lean suggested that he play Zhivago. [[Peter O'Toole]], star of ''Lawrence of Arabia'', was Lean's original choice for Zhivago, but turned the part down;<ref name="Maxford 2000 124">{{harvnb|Maxford|2000|p=124}}.</ref> [[Max von Sydow]] and [[Paul Newman]] were also considered. [[Rod Taylor]] was offered the role but turned it down.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rodtaylorsite.com/unfilmed.shtml|title = The Complete Rod Taylor Site: Not Starring Rod Taylor}}</ref> [[Michael Caine]] tells in his autobiography that he also read for Zhivago and participated in the screen shots with Christie, but (after watching the results with David Lean) was the one who suggested Omar Sharif.<ref name=Caine>{{cite book|last=Caine|first=Michael|title=What's It All About?|date=1994|publisher=Ballantine Books|location=New York|isbn=978-0345386809|edition=1st U.S. Ballantine Books ed. Feb. 1994.}}</ref><ref name=AboutCaine>{{cite web|last=Murray|first=Rebecca|title=Michael Caine Discusses 'Journey 2: The Mysterious Island'|url=http://movies.about.com/od/journey2themysteriousisland/a/michael-caine-interview.htm|work=About.com: Hollywood Movies|access-date=4 March 2014|location=Oahu, HI|year=2010|quote=I did all the back heads for the screen tests for Dr. Zhivago. Julie Christie, who's a friend of mine, went up to play the part and she said 'You come and play the other part with me,' so I went.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408214036/http://movies.about.com/od/journey2themysteriousisland/a/michael-caine-interview.htm|archive-date=8 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Rod Steiger]] was cast as Komarovsky after [[Marlon Brando]] and [[James Mason]] turned the part down.<ref name="Maxford 2000 124"/> [[Audrey Hepburn]] was considered for Tonya, and [[Robert Bolt]] lobbied for [[Albert Finney]] to play Pasha.

Lean convinced Ponti that Loren was not right for the role of Lara, saying she was "too tall" (and confiding in screenwriter Robert Bolt that he could not accept Loren as a virgin for the early parts of the film), and [[Jeanne Moreau]], [[Yvette Mimieux]], [[Sarah Miles]] and [[Jane Fonda]] were considered for the role.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1SqXAAAAQBAJ&q=jeanne+moreau+dr+zhivago+considered&pg=PA73|title = Casting Might-Have-Beens: A Film by Film Directory of Actors Considered for Roles Given to Others|isbn = 9781476609768|last1 = Mell|first1 = Eila|date = 24 January 2015| publisher=McFarland }}</ref> Ultimately, [[Julie Christie]] was cast based on her appearance in ''[[Billy Liar (film)|Billy Liar]]'' (1963)<ref name="Maxford 2000 124"/> and the recommendation of [[Jack Cardiff]], who directed her in ''[[Young Cassidy]]'' (1965). Sharif's son Tarek was cast as the young Zhivago, and Sharif directed his son as a way to get closer to his character.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/129/doctor-zhivago#articles-reviews|title=Doctor Zhivago (1965) - Articles - TCM.com|work=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=10 March 2016|archive-date=2 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102054334/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/129/Doctor-Zhivago/articles.html|url-status=live}}</ref>