25 best Oscar-winning movies on Netflix

25. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

An epic romance with that doubles as a tragic history lesson, Doctor Zhivago won the Oscars for Best Art Direction, Cinematography, Adapted Screenplay and Original Score at the 38th Academy Awards. Despite its accolades, critical acclaim and enduring popularity, the film is a mixed bag.

Directed by legendary filmmaker David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia), Zhivago aims to put a human face on one of the most important events of the 20th century. It does this by telling the story of the long and complicated relationship between Doctor Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif) and Lara Antipova (Julie Christie). After becoming acquainted in their youth, the two fall in love while working in a field hospital during the February Revolution.

Like most great Hollywood romances, the greatest obstacle to Yuri and Lara’s lasting happiness is obligation. Initially, they are kept apart by duty and their obligations to their respective spouses. Then, they are separated by the second Soviet revolution and the oppressive regime that it brings about.  As a result, their love has a timeless beauty and tragedy to it that is still affecting more than half a century after the film’s initial release.

However, despite its epic scope and weighty themes, Doctor Zhivago is diminished by a lack of urgency and a melodramatic tone. Plus, with a 200-minute runtime, the film feels like a binge-watch unto itself. As such it’s an ideal film to watch on streaming because viewers watch it at their preferred pace, which highlight’s the film’s strengths and minimizes its weaknesses.

Regardless of his flaws, Doctor Zhivago is a classic Old Hollywood film and one of the best Oscar-winning movies on Netflix.