Directed by:
Stanley KubrickScreenplay:
Stanley KubrickCinematography:
John AlcottComposer:
Leonard RosenmanCast:
Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Hardy Krüger, Steven Berkoff, Diana Körner, Murray Melvin, André Morell, Philip Stone, Peter Cellier, Ferdy Mayne (more)VOD (2)
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Stanley Kubrick's exquisite costume drama meticulously details the rise and fall of Redmond Barry Lyndon (Ryan O'Neal), an Irish rogue with dreams of grandeur and glory. As Lyndon schemes to make himself part of 18th-century English nobility, he experiences war, romance, and tragedy during his climb to wealth and privilege. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (10)
Even though one might think this would be incredibly dull, something Kubrick couldn't even accidentally direct, the Master once again proves that even this is a film that captivates. Even though it's not action-packed, you'll still be tense, whether because it's entertaining, dark, intimate, or sometimes just sexy, in its own way. Those three hours gonna fly by fast.
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Sometimes you're down, sometimes you're up. This saying perfectly captures the life adventures of Redmond Barry, who, starting as a poor Irish peasant, manages to ascend to the position of a noble title owner and a welcomed visitor in the households of the highest social circles. However, the means he chooses for his ascent are not exactly kosher, and hence the change of name and identity comes in handy. It is often said that you reap what you sow. Stanley Kubrick was known for his precision bordering on obsession and megalomania. He meticulously cared for every detail, had costumes and accessories made according to historical sketches, and selected locations carefully, and from the perspective of a fan of the historical genre, it is hard to find fault with him. In the case of Barry Lyndon, perhaps more so than in other Kubrick films, his ability to create visually stunning images with perfect color execution and composition shines. The panoramic shots of landscapes, estates, army camps, and battles are a feast for the eyes, just as the viewer's ears are pleased by the precise selection of music from different genres that characterizes various social environments and creates the mood. Barry Lyndon signifies the same for capturing the atmosphere of the second half of the 18th century as Amadeus does for the Rococo period and Marketa Lazarová does for the early Middle Ages. Overall impression: 95%.
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A slowly unfolding, utterly unpredictable, and almost intimate story of one man who greatly influenced the fates of many people. Stanley Kubrick presents his most magnificent work cautiously, perhaps somewhat unevenly, but every scene, even the smallest, has its justification in the final outcome. What's more, he chose the perfect actor, Ryan O'Neal, for the main role, who showcases his acting skills the most in gradually escalating scenes of a card game or an interrupted concert. The narrator, however, remains a flaw, for while he fills in the gaps nicely, his guiding speeches hinder the tension of the events that unfold.
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An ineffable experience that can only be matched in my life as a spectator by Fanny and Alexander from Master Bergman's magic workshop. Especially from a visual point of view, it is one long timeless orgasm, sometimes obsessively ornamental (exactly in relation to the time when the story takes place), otherwise rurally simple and natural... Barry Lyndon is the embodiment of the European school of film storytelling... notice the mastery with which Kubrick uses the narrator's voice for epic abbreviations, light sarcasm, the way in which the narrator manipulates the viewer's perspective of the story. From the opening light joke and lively passages to the prediction of the tragic ending. The music changes according to the mood – from the jumpy Irish folk songs, through the British marches, to fateful strings and timpani. Barry Lyndon's story is the story of one wonderful human destiny, the story of a man who has always tried to break through as best he can. His journey full of tricks, small lies, deceptions, hypocrisy and, of course, love, leads to tragic catharsis. Kubrick chose the slow pace typical of the film 'saga' of life. The slowness of the film is described by many as a negative; yet it is not a negative, but rather a characteristic feature of the film. I love this slowness, the feeling, the honesty of filmmaking. Barry Lyndon is made from it, just like it's made from Ryan O'Neal's riveting performance. To live a human life in one role is an art worthy of a master. This epic has not only extraordinary and unrepeatable visual magnetism, but it is also extraordinarily powerful in its story. It's just necessary to go with it a little bit and then just get carried away by the strange kindness and magic of beautiful moving pictures. Barry Lyndon is the best I've seen from Kubrick so far. It's a conservative film in the best sense of the word. A timeless gem.
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The third time’s the charm. While it's a nice chapter in the history of film on the subject of lighting, and I'd love to read William Makepeace Thackeray's novel someday, if the scene of finding the bow in the cleavage doesn't work, there's something wrong with the film. That something is called Kubrick. Hooray! And we clap and we high-five. While we do not enjoy the realities of the 18th century, for which of course we have no understanding, we do enjoy the compositions and the anti-hero, and like monkeys, we adopt the lessons of the divine auteur who is so familiar to us.
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Gallery (213)
Photo © Warner Bros.
![Barry Lyndon - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/162/120/162120674_c8e840.jpg)
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