We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

If you’re a movie fan, you likely have a favorite movie — and people who actually work in the industry are no exception. Like many other luminaries, two-time Oscar nominee, musician, philantrophist and overall entertainment legend Dolly Parton has shared her own favorite movie with the world … or rather, movies. Perhaps unsurprisingly, her choices are nothing short of iconic. 

In an old interview recounted in the book “Dolly on Dolly: Interviews and Encounters with Dolly Parton” (edited by Randy L. Schmidt), Parton revealed that her first-choice favorite film is none other than “Doctor Zhivago.” The David Lean-directed 1965 epic starring Omar Sharif landed an impressive 10 Academy Award nominations, winning in five categories (including Oscars for screenwriter Robert Holt and costume designer Phyllis Dalton). In the same interview, Parton also confirmed an affinity for another stone-cold classic:

“My favorite movies of all times is ‘Doctor Zhivago’ and I love ‘Gone With the Wind.'”

Based on a novel by Boris Pasternak, “Doctor Zhivago” is about an artist’s legacy and much more. It’s an exploration of a very personal love story between the poet Yuri (Omar Sharif) and Lara (Julie Christie), intertwined with the political themes of Russia’s October Revolution.

A classic work and a stellar example of an oldie that’s also a goldie, “Doctor Zhivago” retains enough pop culture relevance to be one of the many meaningful movie references on “Better Call Saul.” Pasternak’s 1956 book was promptly banned in the Soviet Union for failing to walk the party line. In the West, however, “Doctor Zhivago” was a hit even before the film adaptation — in more ways than one. 

As a literary work, it earned Pasternak the Nobel literature prize in 1958. As an influencing tool, the CIA embraced the story and happily flooded the Russian market with Agency-financed copies. In other words, the fact that living legend and secret “Buffy the Vampire Slayer producer Dolly Parton happens to consider it her favorite film in the world is just one of the interesting facts surrounding the story.