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

Stanley Kubrick had already established himself as an innovative kind of director what with the success he had four years prior with his cult hit A Clockwork Orange, so how else could he have stayed in ‘awesome’ status? Well, after conquering a social commentating adventure, a political satire, a romance, and a space drama, he delved into something no one expected (to my knowledge): a period piece.

But a period piece like no one had ever seen before.

Ryan O’Neal assumes the role of Redmond Barry, a young Irishman in love with his cousin (it is the 18th century, come on, everyone’s doing it)—and circumstances being what they are, something happens jumpstarting his long life story from the time he spent on the road trying to outrun his past to the trouble he found in the English (and later Prussian) army all the way to his loveless engagement with one Lady Lyndon (whom he takes the last name of). The movie is more of a memoir of his life, but loosely based on the William Makepeace Thackeray story ‘Memoirs of Barry Lyndon’ about the Irish gentlemen Andrew Robinson Stoney.

The movie stars Ryan O’Neal who had hit pay dirt a few years before with the pretty well done Paper Moon and I thought he did a very nice job. A lot of other reviewers on the site thought his performance was ‘wooden’ and ‘stale’, and I can see where they could have gotten this picture. He is a pretty stiff actor, very orthodox and serious, but I still felt compelled by his performance especially as he slowly changed throughout the course of the film. In the beginning, you feel sympathy for him all the way until you see what kind of person he becomes and find yourself loathing this man.

Marisa Berenson, who’s familiar to me because of Caberet, plays Lady Lyndon in a solid role who’s very neat to watch onscreen. I felt a lot of sympathy towards her character. She is such a sweet woman and you see the trials and tribulations that are put forth after her meeting of Redmond Barry from the treacherous relationship between her son (created with her late husband, who dies shortly after meeting Barry) and Barry (this plotline really goes places as the story progresses by the way) to Barry’s lusting and constant orgies and dominance of finances. This woman takes it all and the strain of the character and the internal conflict is really shown perfectly in Berenson’s performance.

What sets Barry Lyndon apart from a lot of other period pieces is its atmosphere. It is rich and lush with background and costumes and I found myself constantly in awe at what I was seeing onscreen and I haven’t seen a film of this magnitude and style since the recent Marie Antoinette. Possibly one of the best things to mention in terms of atmosphere is the superb use of lighting especially in the indoor candle-lit sequences, which no artificial lighting was used. If you know anything about lighting in films, this is simply taboo—how can a movie be well lit by candles and fire? Well, Kubrick had mastered his craft at this point and in doing so creating sequences that were simply breathtaking.

Speaking of breath-taking, the music was simply wonderful and very reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange is the use of synthesizer and moog work (yes, this is a period piece) as well as more traditional sounding music from fiddles, violins, and harpsichord is add to the atmosphere of the movie and complement all of the verdant nature pieced together in Barry Lyndon.

The nitpickers will certainly come to the conclusion that Barry Lyndon is a tad bit slow and I definitely must agree. At 183 minutes, it is surely not a light watch, you’ll have to devote a night to it and as it does follow a man’s life, it is a bit slow and I found that some things were added without a purpose such as a scene involving Barry romanticizing with a mother from the Netherlands (which never really goes anywhere) and getting robbed right after he leaves home. I guess it attaches a sort of character background, but at the same time I sort of felt like the plot was up in the air some of the time.

On a side note, this movie is rated PG, but I’d for sure call it a liberal PG-13 in this day and age for it’s graphic nature, a sexual scene, subtle violence, and so on, but it’s nothing you couldn’t watch with your teenage son or daughter (or if you’re a delicate little creature yourself). The movie is a very good milestone for Kubrick (as it did win him a few more awards as well as being recognized by THE Academy for it’s set decoration, cinematography, scoring, and costume design) and I think that if you are a fan of Stanley Kubrick, let alone a nicely done period drama, you should rent Barry Lyndon.

(c) Jason Haskins, 2007

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Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older