The scene where Yevgraf comes to see Yuri in Moscow makes an odd use of narration. Sharif speaks a line, and then Guinness narrates ("I told him this and that," etc.), and then Sharif speaks another line, and then Guinness narrates again. The way it flows, it's like they're having a conversation but we're not hearing it all. I'm curious about why they did it that way. Has anyone ever heard anything about it?
sharePresumably, Guinness was telling the story to Rita Tushingham, "the girl" and that lwould account for the unusual narration.
shareSPOILER ALERT********
That scene is one of my favorites. It is rather unconventional. I suppose it may show their two distinct characters... Yevgraf coldly narrates, conveying his power and a sense of control. Zhivago speaks passionately, illustrating his soulfulness and vitality. Of course, narrating is done in the present and the scene took place in the past, giving us a clear sense that Yegvgraf is alive and Zhivago is not.
I don't believe Yevgraf speaks at all in the film. He narrates the scene in which he joins the Army, the scene we are speaking about in the Gromeko's home, and at the end when he sees Zhivago to the trolley then meets Lara at the funeral and escorts her to the orphanage.
The decision to have the narration seems really tacked on, as if David Lean realized in hindsight that the framing device (the fact that the movie was really being told by Yevgraf) wasn't convincing enough.
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