Barry Lyndon

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Kubrick's fascinating, audacious masterpiece
This is the tale, set in Eighteenth century Europe, of the rise and fall of Barry Lyndon . Three hours long, filled with stunning imagery, and superb use of music. In many ways this is Kubrick's best film as his meticulous attention to detail is shown to great advantage. Fascinatingly he loses interest in his main character about three-quarters of the way through to focus on those around him. Contrary to other reviewers concerns this DVD is presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.66:1.

Aspect Ratio was KUBRICK's choice!
Since I love this movie I'll limit myself to the issue of the aspect ratio. In summary: Kubrick wanted the film to look this way--a decision he made while preparing the now out-of-print "Collection" of his films. According to an Editor's Note on the 1999 release (found here (Amazon doesn't allow URL-insertion, so you'll have to copy-paste): [...] the Aspect Ratio is exactly the way The Master intended. According to the WB spokesperson quoted on the above ref'd page, "In every respect, the films in the Collection remain as Kubrick approved them." (who was that decided on these description? 16X9 TVs are more accurately described as full-screen that 4X3 TVs which leave a very large area of the screen unused). So, while the 4X3 "full" screen is annoying for those of us with 16X9 TVs, it they way Kubrick wanted us to see it. (He also favored mono over stereo because of the vast differences in theatrical audio equipment and quality; e.g. the original cut of "Star Wars: A New Hope" had mono (the overwhelming majority of theaters, back then, had one speaker placed behind the screen), 2-channel stereo, and 5 channel stereo mixes for those tiny number of theaters which had them in 1977 (two years AFTER "Barry Lyndon"!). Unfortunately, Amazon's product description of this version frustratingly doesn't indicate if it comes with even a 2.1 stereo version, let alone a full 5.1 mix. Either way, it's still a great movie, gorgeously photographed and including all the hallmarks of his inimitable style.

Another Kubrick film that manages to leave a visual impression
Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon is a spectacle, full of luscious visuals, extraordinary costumes, and a very aggressive underlying theme of cheating, and losing at life. This is not a contender for Kubrick's top five films of all time, and for good reason, but regardless, this film put me in a trance from beginning to end. I had not read William Makepeace Thackeray's novel beforehand, so I honestly cannot add to the discussion of whether or not this is a proper adaptation, or if O'Neal's performance was right for the character. I will however say what I saw, and that is a movie with Kubrick's visual style stamped on every single shot. The story is a rise to riches tragedy revolving around the life of an Irish lad by the name of Redmond Barry. As a teen we are first introduced to his character as one who shares a romantic relationship with his cousin, Nora Brady. When Nora is set to marry British military Captain John Quin, the naive Barry retaliates confronting the captain to a duel, which ultimately drives him away from his town, mother, and Nora. This starts Barry's long adventure to "becoming a gentleman". Along the way he shall be robbed, enlist in the British army, serve in the Seven Year War, and become a professional gambler. He'll finally acquire wealth beyond his wildest dreams when he manages to court Lady Lyndon, after her husband, Sir Lyndon, finally dies from years of crippling disease. This starts a vengeful relationship between him and his acquired stepson, Lord Bullingdon. From here on out Barry's ultimate demise becomes inevitable as his life falls apart into tragedy, mostly due to his own actions. As stated earlier by myself, Barry Lyndon is one of the most expertly shot films I have ever seen. The visuals alone make this one of the best movies I've ever seen, but it is not at all a perfect movie. Sadly none of Kubrick's films are "perfect", but that's intentional by the director, and no one comes closer to making perfect movies than Stanley Kubrick. Though he's never really made a film with truly captivating human characters, his stories, and underlying messages have always been the strongest aspects of his films. Kubrick's dislike for humanity is as present as it ever was in his other films, even if not as strong as say `2001 - A Space Odyssey'. Barry is always displayed as being a character that seems to be...well, he's hollow. Barry is a man who hardly ever shows emotion, and once he is at the top you can't help but feel as though his mannerisms are that of a spoiled child. You never really grow attachment to this character, and the narrator makes sure of that, which makes it apparent that Kubrick never intended you to grow truly fond of Barry, so when he ultimately is left poor and crippled you can't truly feel for him. That being said, Ryan O'Neal's Barry is not to be confused with a "cardboard character", like what you see in 80% of summer action films. He's actually quite complicated, the only thing he ever shows passion for being the well-being of his son, Bryan. The way he takes everything for granted, from Lady Lyndon, to his wealth, he just seems to not care about anything, other than his young son, who he spoils by treating him to whatever he desires. This makes it apparent that the thing Barry loves most will be taken away from him in a cruel fashion. I'm not spoiling anything, because the ultimately, tragic ending of Barry's life is given away by the Narrator's first few comments over the course of the first hour of the film (and if you don't catch it there he'll announce it bluntly in the last forth of the film). When going into this film you shouldn't expect for something truly compelling, nor should you expect Barry to be an average Joe, whom you can relate to. The movie is in no way intended for you to leave it with a smile on your face. Don't go to a Kubrick film and expect a film that's intended to leave you happy (Even Dr. Strangelove, one of the best comedies of all time, had an ending that made you speculate the future of the human race). If you are new to Kubrick, these negative plot points may drive you away, but if you are familiar with his work Barry Lyndon will not surprise you in its underlying themes. That being said, for people who are fond of period pieces, there are few movies that I've seen that can match the visual style of Kubrick's film. While watching it you will feel swept away by the Academy Award winning cinematography of John Alcott and the costumes, which also earned one of the films four Academy Awards. Leonard Rosenman's winning score must also be acknowledged, for it also makes this film an attention grabber. The music is never overused, and if feels perfect for the film. It is full of elegance, something that could stand for the upper class which Barry tries so hard to be a part of, but beneath its beauty you can feel a sense of treachery, and corruption, which perfectly reflects the ruthless behavior Barry tries so hard to conceal beneath a façade of grace, but ultimately fails to keep it suppressed. The film is a must see for Kubrick, and fans of period pieces, but if you don't fall into one of those two categories Barry Lyndon may be hard for you to stomach, with its running time of about three hours. You may enjoy this film, but it seriously depends on how you take in Kubrick's other work. If time's a problem you can watch this film in intervals, because there are plenty of chances throughout to pause and take a break. If you want to watch Barry Lyndon you'll need to pay it full attention. It is better to watch it in intervals than watch it straight through while being distracted. It needs full attention for you to take in its full impact. Not Kubrick's best, but I give it a solid 9 out of 10.

Masterpiece
The film portrays an unusual young Irish man, Redmond Barry, and his endeavours as he is forced to leave his home and tries to make good his life elsewhere. His life away from home starts out as a career in the British Army; only to evolve in surprising ways and lead to as different places as a position of trust within the Prussian Army and later a title of nobility, gained by what our time can only measure as rather disgraceful means. "Barry Lyndon is", amidst Kubricks' many masterpieces, a film so easily dismissed due to length and the fact that it is overshadowed by others, but I deeply recommend this film to anyone who would like to see a film both for the plot line, the story and the pure enjoyment of the images presented. Stanley Kubrick made many great films and this one is most definitely one of them! It's a pity Kubrick stopped making epics after this. Look at the ones he's responsible for: "Spartacus" (not a project Kubrick was fond of, admittedly, but still the most magnificent of all Roman epics) "2001" (the most magnificent of ALL epics), and "Barry Lyndon". The last of the three is by no means a poor cousin.

Great Story, Great Director, Great Movie
No problems here with this release. No real special features, but at least it's not one of those crappy snap cases. Anyway, cinematography is A+, as well as the acting. This is one of the greater films from Stanley Kubrick because of its incredible story telling. It's long, but it's all good content. Watch this if you wanna see somethin' good.