Barry Lyndon (1975)

Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, an adaptation of the 19th century novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon tells the story of Irishman Redmond Barry. The film is set in the mid-18th century in various parts of Europe. The title character is a seemingly ordinary person who, over the course of his life, doesn't do anything all that extraordinary. While he does serve in two different armies during the Seven Years War, marry, have a child, get in duels, etc. nothing in this film is really all that exciting. While parts of the film, namely the second half, were good, the fact that it's three hours of seemingly random actions made for a sub-par plot.

While the plot itself isn't all that great, everything else is pretty good. The film won four Oscars, all of which were for more artistic categories. The costumes in this film were outstanding and the film really felt like it was set in the 1760s. Special lenses were developed so that the film could be filmed using candlelight and natural (or simulated natural) lighting, and this was also well-done. The music, which samples a wide variety of 18th Century music, is also good.

Ryan O'Neal plays the title character and does a pretty good job. The other actors aren't bad either, but with only a few exceptions, they have smaller parts.

Overall, this film is a lesser-known Kubrick film and it isn't one of my favorites. While it's artistically brilliant, the sheer length and dull plot makes it a chore to sit through. The film also doesn't really feel like a Kubrick film as there's nothing all that bizarre in the film. Decent, but nothing special.

70/100
C-

UP NEXT: More Hitchcock, Dial M For Murder.

This was a beautifully fimed movie. Kubrick always took such special care in filming his movies. That is why he made so few movies.....

I really enjoyed this movie a lot and highly recommend it.