Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

After the 1971 release of the highly controversial film A Clockwork Orange, director Stanley Kubrick nearly put himself in danger over the level of sex and violence that was put into the film. With a slew of copycat killings abroad, Kubrick asked Warner Brothers to pull the film from the U.K. theater circuits. Despite losing money, Warner Brothers chose to keep their relationship with Stanley Kubrick into a creative one. Since gaining notoriety with 1962's Lolita and the artistic masterpieces of Dr. Strangelove in 1964 and 1968's 2001: A Space Odyssey, Kubrick achieved the kind of power and respect that many directors to this day, envy and desired. For his next project, Kubrick decided to go back in time for an adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's novel Barry Lyndon.

Set in the 18th Century, Barry Lyndon is the story of the rise and fall of an Irish rogue turned aristocrat through a series of mishaps, opportunities, and mistakes. Adapted into a script by Kubrick, the film is a character study piece of a dim young man who was willing to do anything to be among the elite aristocracy where once he makes it, he squanders it foolishly. Taking a more restrained approach to costume period films, Kubrick aims for not just a realism but an atmosphere to capture a period in time. Starring Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick McGee, Steven Berkoff, Leon Vitali, Gay Hamilton, Hardy Krueger, and Michael Hordern as the narrator. Barry Lyndon is an evocative, rich masterpiece from the always brilliant Stanley Kubrick.

In the 18th Century in a small village in Ireland lived a young man named Redmond Barry (Ryan O'Neal) who lives at home with his mother Belle (Marie Kean) while courting his cousin Nora Brady (Gay Hamilton). Then one day when a British regiment getting ready for war show up to present themselves, Nora falls for a British captain in John Quin (Leonard Rossiter). Quin, who is a respectable, dignified man with everything the young Barry would want though it makes him jealous. After a couple of encounters where Barry refuses his presence, he insults him and is forced to go into a duel. While Barry's relatives and Quin's partner Captain Grogan (Godfrey Quigley) try to sway him from not participating in the duel. Barry does and succeeds in defeating him though he is forced to leave town and ride to Dublin.

After getting some money from his mother, Barry goes on his way while briefly stopping where he is asked by two men. After the stop, Barry continues his journey where he sees those two men again where it turns out to be Captain Feeney (Arthur O'Sullivan) and his son Seamus (Billy Boyle) who takes all of Barry’s things. Barry stops at the next town where in his need for money, he joins the British troops regiment. After going through some training and getting into fights with a soldier over material things, Barry learns that Grogan is leading the regiment Barry is in. He tells Barry about Nora and what really went on so Barry learns he is trapped and the timing couldn't get worse as the Seven Year's War with Prussia against Germany, Sweden, and France is about to begin. Barry goes to battle as Grogan is badly wounded as Barry tries to save him as Grogan gives him some final advice before he dies as Barry now desires to leave the army.

Barry finally takes his desertion when he steals a lieutenant's uniform and pose as an officer while riding through the Prussian army and stopping by to take shelter from a German girl (Diana Koerner). On his way out, Barry encounters Prussian Captain Potzdorf (Hardy Krueger) who asks for his identity papers and asks him question as he accompanies Barry to dinner only to expose him as a fake. Barry volunteers to be in the more disciplined Prussian army where during battle, Barry saves the life of Potzdorf.

In return, Potzdorf offers Barry a job to look out for a suspected spy in a man named the Chevalier (Patrick McGee) by using Barry's Irish background for the job. When Barry meets the Chevalier, he is amazed by his presence and aristocratic behavior in which Barry confessed his intentions for the Chevalier. The Chevalier takes Barry in to make him give false reports to Potzdorf and his uncle.

When news that the Chevalier plans to leave Prussia, Potzdorf suggests he is accompanied but what he doesn’t know is that the Chevalier left the night before and it's Barry who pretends to be the Chevalier. Immediately, Barry has helped the Chevalier become a successful and competitive gambler, even when Barry fights for him over payments like he did with Lord Ludd (Steven Berkoff). Then during a lunch with the Chevalier at a palace in Britain, Barry catches the eye of Lady Lyndon (Marisa Berenson) who is accompanied by her frail husband Sir Charles Lyndon (Frank Middlemass), her young son Lord Bullingdon (Dominic Savage) and the family advisor Reverend Runt (Murray Melvin). Barry immediately courts Lady Lyndon as the two fall for each other much to the dismay of Sir Lyndon, who immediately dies after meeting Barry. Barry finally has reached into the world of aristocracy as he is now known as Barry Lyndon.

After marrying Lady Lyndon and acquiring the name in 1773, Barry has now put himself into the family while bringing his mother to be his business advisor along with a man named Graham (Phillip Stone). His mother knows that if Barry and his soon-to-be born son Bryan Patrick Lyndon was to live the aristocratic lifestyle for eternity, he must try to acquire a title of sorts in the way Sir Charles Lyndon had and the young Lord Bullingdon. Yet Barry's infidelities not only made Lady Lyndon insecure but made an enemy out of the young Lord Bullingdon who at first glance doesn't trust Barry despite Reverend Runt's advice to try and accept him as his new father.

Eight years later as Barry tries to pursue a title, he foolishly buys things that become too expensive for him in order to try and persuade other aristocratic men into helping get a title. The now grown-up Lord Bullingdon (Leon Vitali) was becoming increasingly attached to his own mother as his hatred for Barry intensified. Finally when the 8-year-old Bryan (David Morley) finally angered Lord Bullingdon, the tension between Barry and Bullingdon got more troubling as during a private concert at their home. Bullingdon announces his departure from his home and tells his mother that she's brought shame to him for marrying a scoundrel like Barry as the two fight and Bullingdon is exiled. The news of Barry's assault on his stepson only caused problems as Lord Wendover (Andre Morell) stops going into the Lyndon house as Barry's allies are declining.

With the Lyndon family now in debt and Barry's chance for a title now becoming dim, Barry and Lady Lyndon only find comfort in spoiling their son Bryan. Then tragedy is struck for the Lyndon family as Barry goes into a period of grief and Lady Lyndon goes into a more fragile state. With Belle taking over the business, Runt is dismissed as he turns to the exiled Bullingdon where he challenges Barry to a duel.

Films about 17th-18th Century periods are often designed to be nothing but costume pieces or to display some kind of decadence. In Stanley Kubrick's approach was to capture a period just as it is by going back in time. Using Thackeray's novel, Barry Lyndon is really about a lot of things. It contains themes of conformity, willpower, intelligence, desire, and delves into all kinds of world from the aristocratic world that Barry Lyndon lives on to the world he moved away in the beginning. Time Magazine film critic and fellow Kubrick fan Richard Schiekel says in the documentary film Stanley Kubrick-A Life in Pictures that the movie is really about a young dim man who tries to define himself in a climate that is foreign to him.

That's pretty much an idea of what the film's plot is about since it's about a naive, not-so-smart young man who stumbles into his way into the world of power. Yet, it's in Kubrick's script adaptation that brings a careful structure into the journey of Redmond Barry into being Barry Lyndon. The first act is the young Barry going into a duel, being exiled from his Irish village, and finding himself in the British and Prussian armies as a volunteer. The second act that is split into two parts where the first part is Barry entering the world of aristocracy and the second part is him trying to attain a title. The third act is where the emotional payoff of the film in terms of its tragedy and results where Barry loses everything and is confronted by Lord Bullingdon.

The structure and narrative style of the film is carried in a pacing style that really fits with the times, especially in the narration by Michael Hordern. While the narration reveals a lot of plot spoilers into the fates and situations Barry and other characters would lead to, it adds excitement to what the outcome would be and how someone like Barry would screw something up like a bid for a social title. The narration also conveys a melancholia to those outcomes in its third-person point-of-view where it's the narrator and the audience who sees what is happening and who should be sympathized in these situations.

The epic-narrative style with its place of history is something Kubrick has been fascinated by since he is so engrossed in detail of capturing a period. The directing style that Kubrick aims for wasn't just authenticity but an atmosphere. A big complaint many people had with Barry Lyndon was that it moved very slow in its 184-minute running time. Considering the time that we live in now where we move very fast, Kubrick goes for a movement and rhythm that is slow in the minds of the audience but in truth, that was the way the 18th Century was. There was more patience, there was more time to be valued, and this was way before machines came into the world.

Another complaint some people with the film is the restraint, subtle tone in Kubrick's screenplay and direction. Particularly in the acting since there isn't enough emotions displayed in the film, notably in the second and third act of the film. Well, considering the world of aristocrats, emotions aren't meant to be displayed and a certain emotion can lead to trouble and unwanted gossip. Kubrick chose the restrained style to convey the atmosphere of that period where very little emotions is in during public areas. It's in the private moments of the film where the emotions do come. Particularly most of all in the third and final act of the film.

***Warning: The Following 5 Paragraphs features Spoilers that Reveals Plot Devices, For Those Who Haven't Seen It, Skip the 5 Following Paragraphs***

In that final act, the audience sees that Barry has arrived but the one person who isn't happy with Barry entering into his life is Lord Bullingdon. Bullingdon is a characterization that can be described as Oedipus since he craves for the honor and care of his mother, especially when her first husband had died. When his hatred intensifies as a young man, we see that Bullingdon does his best into containing his emotions but when his young brother Bryan accuses him of stealing a pencil and Bullingdon responds by spanking him. The tension between him and Barry is reaching certain breaking points that leads to exile. It's also in the way Barry treats his own son in Bryan and how Bullingdon was raised before Barry’s arrival.

Bryan was indeed a spoiled child who was given all sorts of things while Bullingdon might have been spoiled but he had a discipline to playing cello with his mother and Reverend Runt while Runt attains as not just a spiritual advisor but also a tutor in many lessons. When Bryan demands a horse for his birthday and gets it, it leads to the stupidity and weak generosity in Barry's love for Bryan. Bryan tries to ride a big horse and falls that would lead to his death. Barry falls into grief while Lady Lyndon, who had gained some brief moment of joy, falls into a fragile, suicidal state as she returns to her lifeless world as just being a lady in display early on.

When Bullingdon returns, he challenges Barry to a duel. Now the duel scene contains a lot of irony, especially when you compare it to the first duel scene. In that first duel, it turned out to be arranged by Quin, Captain Grogan, and Barry's relatives so he can be exiled out of fear. The main intention for Barry to duel with Quin was over the love of Barry's cousin Nora, which he foolishly is fighting for and she has no care for him at that point. In the second duel with Bullingdon, it's about honor as Bullingdon tries to reclaim the name, fight for his mother’s sanity, and to defeat Barry over ruining the name of Lyndon.

In that second duel, there is something very shocking in Barry’s actions. After an anxiety-ridden Bullingdon mistakenly fires his first shot on the ground while trying to pull the trigger. Bullingdon learns that he is about to die where he throws up and goes back to his position. Its there Barry begins to see himself in the situation he was in that first duel and what he does not only attains him a humanity that he had forgotten into his journey but also a choice for Bullingdon.

While Bullingdon's reaction was in anger as he responds by shooting Barry, afterwards he, Runt, and Graham decide to give Barry autonomy of some money for a year in exchange to return to Ireland and to never return. In the end, Barry loses a leg and his desire to lead the aristocratic lifestyle but does gain a bit of a soul for his actions in the duel. Lord Bullingdon meanwhile, is forced to come to the conclusion that his mother did love Barry despite his actions.

***End of Spoilers***

Kubrick’s ability to create situations and permeate emotions is a testament into why he's been considered to be one of the greatest directors of all-time. Aside from setting an atmosphere and style into his directing, there is also in the way he filmed many of those scenes. With help from cinematographer John Alcott and a cameraman in Ed Di Guilio, Kubrick's approach to capture an atmosphere and look of the film without a lot of artificial lighting was in the use of Zeiss lens.

Most of the artificial lighting was on some of the exterior scenes but in the interior settings, Kubrick wanted the light from just candles and sunlight. In order to get the right look, Kubrick bought two old Mitchell BNC Cameras for rear projection, with Di Guilio to create a camera to fit in the Zeiss lens that were 50mm in its shots. In some scenes, the zoom lens would move back where image looks just like a painting coming to life. It's in that atmosphere that gives life to the images in Kubrick's expert direction.

The cinematography of Alcott is very exquisite to what Kubrick wanted, especially in the interior sequences. In the candlelight scenes where the rooms look like just like in those times without any kind of polish or visual effects. The scenes with sunlight contain an elegance in the way the light comes across from the window to the room. There's an atmosphere to the film, especially in the exterior sequences where sun is providing the light for most sequences to give a look that is authentic and extremely mesmerizing. It's one of the best work a camera and a cinematographer have done into a single frame of film.

Detail is important to the film and no one knows detail in its look than production designer Ken Adams. With art director Roy Walker and set decorator Vernon Dixon, every piece of painting, furniture, and floorboard, notably in the aristocratic settings give the film. The whole feel in the production looks like they’ve gone back in time, got everything they looked for and everything in the room has a feeling that it's from those old days. It's remarkable in the way Adams and company help bring the look of the film by making the production feel authentic in every way.

Adding to the look of the film is the costume design work of Ulla-Brit Soderlund and Milena Canonero. The costumes in the movie, notably the dresses of Lady Lyndon have a movement and feel in the way that really reminds the audience of a time. The costumes in every stitch feels like they're from those times and that they flow well in the movement. Even the soldier's clothing are given intense realism. Along with wigs by Leonard of London, it's the work of Soderlund and Canonero that adds a lushness to the film.

Editing the film in its slow but entrancing pace is Tony Lawson that presents itself in a meticulous form by adding frames where he shows scenes of an entire cast or going from perspective to perspective in Kubrick's directing. The way the film moves is wonderful as Lawson gives what Kubrick wanted along with the sound design work of Robin Gregory and Bill Rowe in capturing wind and sounds of battle in their most natural way of those times.

Then, there's the film's music that includes two different kinds of music. The first act of the film is dominated mostly by traditional Irish folk music of the Chieftans with its woodwinds and acoustics that reminds the audience of Barry's Irish background. There's also pieces of original music from Leonard Rosenman who goes for classical to set the mood and tension of the times, particularly in any scenes involving conflict. Also used in the film is orchestral pieces from Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Franz Schubert that are all used to bring the melancholia and atmosphere of the film. One particularly scene that is stunning is when Barry walks up to Lady Lyndon to kiss her in the balcony with Schubert's Piano Trio In E-Flat, Op 100 (2nd Movement) where the rhythm of the piano plays to the walking rhythm of Barry. It's one of the best uses of music onto a film.

Finally, there's the film's wonderful ensemble cast. With some great performances from Kubrick regulars like Anthony Sharp as a lord, Steven Berkoff as Lord Ludd, and the wonderful Patrick McGee as the Chevalier with his illuminating presence. Diana Koerner is wonderful as the sullen German girl while Gay Hamilton is wonderful as Nora Brady. Leonard Rossiter is excellent as Captain Quin while Godfrey Quigley gives an excellent performance as Grady who becomes an early mentor for Barry. Arthur O'Sullivan is wonderfully memorable as Captain Feeney with Billy Boyle as his son. Frank Middlemass is excellent as Charles Lyndon as is Andre Morell as a lord who examines Barry's worthiness for a title. Dominic Savage is excellent as the young Lord Bullingdon as well as David Morley who brings a lot of brilliance into his role as Bryan Patrick Lyndon.

Phillip Stone gives a good supporting performance as the Lyndon's financial advisor Graham while Marie Kean is amazing as the tough-minded mother of Barry who is willing to do anything to gain a lifestyle that is worthy of her son. Murray Melvin is also amazing as the sympathetic Reverend Runt who brings an indifferent behavior to everything around him only to reveal his loyalty to the Lyndon family against Barry's mother. Leon Vitali steals the show as the older Lord Bullingdon with his intensifying performance that is filled with rage and ambiguity.

Hardy Krueger gives a brilliant performance as Captain Potzdorf with his questionable approach to Barry while teaching him the ways to be an officer and becoming a mentor of sorts to the young man. Marisa Berenson gives a wonderfully subtle performance as the melancholic Lady Lyndon who is trapped in her own world with very little joy. While it's a role many will say isn't great, Berenson is mesmerizing in channeling the sadness that is Lady Lyndon who rarely finds happiness.

While Ryan O'Neal may not be considered to be a great actor in comparison to the likes of Al Pacino or Jack Nicholson. This is truly the best performance of his career. Rarely being emotional in many scenes except for a few, O'Neal gives a restrained, voyeuristic performance to everything he’s surrounded by. Not speaking much throughout the film unless he does in a good Irish accent, O'Neal shows his ability to bring emotions by doing so little. Knowing the flaws of his character, O'Neal doesn't try to be sympathetic or unlikeable. It's in the development in the way he creates his character by making him foolishly try to attain a title. In the end, despite his actions, O'Neal makes sure that Barry at least attains some kind of humanity in probably in his best work to date, aside from his performance in the hilarious Malibu's Most Wanted.

When the film was released in late 1975 after a two-year period of filming, Barry Lyndon, like many films of Kubrick since Dr. Strangelove had always attained some form of anticipation. Many were expecting the film to be raucous but for those who read the Thackeray novel knew that whatever Kubrick was going to do, it was going to be amazing. Unfortunately, the timing for the film's release was very crucial. Months earlier in the summer of that year, a young director named Steven Spielberg released Jaws which marked the beginning of the blockbuster age of Hollywood which would dominate cinema for many years to come. Kubrick's three-hour, character study epic film was something a mainstream audience wasn't looking for.

If the film's disappointing box office was bad enough, the film received a lot of lukewarm reviews from critics in the U.S. and Britain who labeled the film to be very tedious. Legendary film critic Pauline Kael, who didn't like many of Kubrick's films, complained about the narration for spoiling the plot points of the film. Director Sam Peckinpah replied to Kael's review saying, "That's the godd*mn point, Pauline!" While the film didn't do well in the U.S. and U.K., in Europe, the film received amazing reviews for its look and production while winning four Academy Awards for cinematography, costume design, art direction, and music. Yet Kubrick was disappointed by its reaction and went on a five-year hiatus before returning with a more commercial project in an adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining in 1980.

Since the film's release in 1975, Barry Lyndon has been hailed as a masterpiece and some fans of Kubrick considered the film to be a peak in his approach as a director and storyteller. In a lot of sense, it was Kubrick's last masterpiece while later films do have a lot of brilliance but not in the way Lyndon, Dr. Strangelove, 2001, or A Clockwork Orange would have. Still, Barry Lyndon proved to be very seminal in the way period films would become as the team of director James Ivory and his late producing partner Ismail Merchant created hits out of costume period films. Now, Sofia Coppola is making a period film about Marie Antoinette while employing Milena Canonero as her costume designer for her upcoming 2006 film. Overall, Barry Lyndon is not a film to be liked at first but repeated viewing of the film will give the audience a chance to realize what the film is about. With a great cast and a remarkable group of collaborators, Barry Lyndon is still a lush, elegant, mesmerizing masterpiece from the late Stanley Kubrick.

Stanley Kubrick Reviews:

The Killing (1955):

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Paths of Glory (1957):

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Spartacus (1960):

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Lolita (1962):

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Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love the Bomb (1964):

http://www.epinions.com/content_355477196420

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968):

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A Clockwork Orange (1971):

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The Shining (1980):

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Full Metal Jacket (1987):

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Eyes Wide Shut (1999):

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Stanley Kubrick-A Life in Pictures (2001):

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Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older