Customer Reviews
Masterpiece 
2008-08-20
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 2008-08-18
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.
Time to correct and enhance the DVD 2008-07-20
It would be nice if someone could reissue the DVD with enhanced, repaired color and grain. Kubrick wanted Barry Lyndon to have a 'washed out' look but the DVD displays the clearly visible degradation of the original film negative.The same could be said for the 2001 DVD. Perhaps HD versions are already on their way!
MASTERPIECE 2008-07-03
YES ONE OF THE GREATEST FILMS EVER. AFTER ALL ITS KUBRICK. THE ONLY FLAW EVIDENT IS THAT ITS NOT IN BLU-RAY...YET.
I saw BL twice(!) the month it came out - in 1975... 2008-05-23
I was already a devoted Kubrick fan - after all, "Dr Strangelove", "2001" and "Clockwork Orange" all debuted within the previous 10 years (my teens). In the months preceeding the release of Barry Lyndon I read about several aspects of the filmmaking that piqued my anticipation - and ultimately contributed to my lifelong appreciation for this film: 1. The fact that Kubrick assisted in the development of lenses of heretofore unequaled sensitivity in order to film numerous interior scenes by natural or candlelight; 2. That he chose as subject matter a novel (by Thackery), that the author himself had so disliked that he discouraged its publication during his lifetime; and 3. I read that Kubrick had listened to "every" extant period composition for quartet to choose the accompanying soundtrack. Sure, I was as skeptical as anyone as to how Ryan O'neill - Mr "Love Story" - could possibly have the gravitas for a Kubrickian character, and I knew going in that it was 3+ hours long... but I was hypnotized from the opening frame. The pacing, the sardonic narration, the breathtaking cinematography, the unerring score. Certainly my affinities for photography and art history were thoroughly rewarded, but I also found the storytelling strangely compelling as well. Which is why I sat through the film twice, on the BIG screen, within the first few weeks that it opened. As an insight into my cinematic preferences, the only other film that I recall seeing twice within the first few weeks of release, was "Natural Born Killers"... The soundtrack to BL is also highly recommended.
definitely top ten movie of all time 2008-05-22
Thackeray's tale of a roguishly charming 18th century Englishman, card shark and con-man whose good fortune and luck finally run out.
One of the finest films that I have ever seen! 2008-05-14
I had known about BARRY LYNDON for a while, and it was one of those films that I always wanted to see, yet wanted to wait for the right time to watch it. Well, I just watched it today, and I have to say that I loved it! I would consider it one of Kubrick's best films. However, it seems to be slightly underrated. I have no idea why...the film is perfect in every way, from the direction, the acting, the score, and the lighting (yes, the lighting). It's one of the most beautiful films that you will ever see.
Ryan O'Neill is wonderful as Redmond Barry, an Irishman who falls into high society during his life, which ultimately spirals out of control near the end. This film has the feel of a great novel. At three hours, the pacing is brilliant, and you will find that it flies by in no time at all. The story is so engrossing and the characters so well drawn, that I can't imagine anyone having a hard time sitting through it in it's entirety. Most of the criticisms for this film were mostly related to the pacing. This, I do not understand. A film like this needs to be told in three hours. If you are impatient when it comes to films such as this, which are epic in nature, I would still encourage you to give it a try.
I simply cannot tell you enough: see it! You will not regret it. It is definitely a film that you will never forget.
Badly, Badly Miscast 
2008-05-09
Ryan O'Neal does a terrible, repeat, TERRIBLE job as trying to feign an Irish accent. It is like he is not even trying. The grace in the movie is that the story is much better than the acting of O'Neal. It is a shame that Liam Neeson was not old enough at the time to portray Barry Lyndon: everything else in the movie is great, but O'Neal's disinterested acting makes it a toss-up between comic and dramatic...especially the part when he "beats up" on a much heavier and savvy soldier in a bare-knuckled fight. "Might-en I be allowed to keep my horse?" Keep the horse, and spare us the acting.
Pretty as a Picture. Not the novel. Too long, but enjoyable. 2008-05-03
I have always loved the writings of William Makepeace Thackeray, especially when I am not in a hurry to be rushed through a novel. I had never watched the film by Stanley Kubrick until this morning, and I had a lot of mixed feelings about it. Kubrick wrote the screenplay, and it is definitely not the Thackeray novel, especially when it comes to character intent, several plotlines and even the viewpoint, as the novel is first person; so this is Thackeray ala Kubrick first off, and that's okay. Kubrick's take on Barry Lyndon, though, left me very chilled and detached from the character, unlike the book....and Ryan O'Neal's portrayal did nothing but pull me further away.
The film is so beautifully photographed and the set design so amazing, that I was able to endure the 183 minutes of constant brooding looks by Ryan O'Neal as Barry Lyndon. The film seemed ponderously unbearable at times, because the scenes are so long and drawn out. The novel is complex, so I can't understand why Kubrick changed it and made it even more so. For me, personally, I wanted to stop and give up on this film, because the story line is dragged out ad nauseum, and quite honesty, I could not abide Ryan O'Neal's portrayal. It is pretty tough to watch a film where I feel the lead actor is THAT awful; but, when a film's look and feel is so beautiful, I can overlook some things. I am glad I watched it. It is memorable, but editing would have been the better piece of valor IMO. Thank Kubrick that he included an Intermission. I ate and .....well you know!
Revisiting The 18th Century Through A 20th Century Master 2008-05-02
When Stanley Kubrick's film BARRY LYNDON was released at the end of 1975, many people were probably expecting either something along the lines of DR. ZHIVAGO, or a raucous period piece in the manner of TOM JONES. But giving people what they expect was never the stock-in-trade of this particular director, and instead he delivered a very clinical 18th century period study that, initially, was deemed a failure by critics. And this being the dawn of the "Blockbuster" age in Hollywood, it failed to do particularly well at the box office, either in England or in America (making most of its money in Europe).
But as with so many of Kubrick's films, BARRY LYNDON has, over the years, come to be seen as a striking piece, worthy of the four Oscars it won in 1975 (Set Decoration; Musical Adaptation; Cinematography; Costume Design). Ryan O'Neal stars as the title character, a charming but scheming kind of rake who goes up the ladder of 18th century society by fighting, lying, cheating, and being more or less a gold digger by the time he marries Lady Lyndon (Marisa Berenson). He finds out what the limits are to what he is doing when he is confronted with a his stepson Lord Bullingdon (Leon Vitali), who knows about his stepfather's cruelty.
Based on William Makepeace Thackeray's somewhat obscure 1847 novel, BARRY LYNDON, along with EYES WIDE SHUT, is probably the most misunderstood film in Kubrick's entire oeuvure. This is perhaps because this study of 18th century manners, complete with jaw-droppingly gorgeous nighttime candelight scenes shot by Kubrick's favorite cinematographer John Alcott, is fused with a deeply clinical, and even cynical, attitude about human nature. Such was the way with Kubrick, at least in the eyes of the critics, particularly after 1960, when he left America to live and work in England (much of BARRY LYNDON was filmed in Ireland in 1973 and '74). And as the cold and clinical way Kubrick made this film turned off one too many critics, so too did the extreme length of the film itself turn off audiences. Even in 1975, attention spans were starting to shorten ever so gradually; and a three hour-plus film like BARRY LYNDON was likely to try even the most patient filmgoers.
But as mentioned before, time has given us a new perspective on this arguably odd duck in the Kubrick canon. Though the casting of O'Neal in the title role was considered a misjudgment on Kubrick's part, in retrospect it now seems like the right one. Berenson is also tremendous as Lady Lyndon; and Kubrick regulars Leonard Rossiter and Philip Stone turn in very professional performances as well. The whole period atmosphere is shot through with a typical Kubrick touch in terms of the music--some of it is by the Chieftains, but most of it is by Baroque and Classical-era composers like Mozart, Vivaldi, Schubert, and Handel. In particular, the adaptation of the D Minor "Sarabande" of Handel is used to grand and sometimes sinister effect. For this, much of the credit must go to the late and often underrated Leonard Rosenman, who won one of this film's four Oscars for his adaptations.
Four stars may seem curiously low for a Kubrick film, but this is not to imply that BARRY LYNDON is a far lesser piece than 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY or THE SHINING. But it is a vastly different kind of film from this enigmatic and often controversial filmmaker; and like any of his films, it requires repeat viewings--a tall order here, admittedly, given its length. In the end, though, the rewards are considerable.
