User Reviews

Superb cinematography and pacing breathe life into a dreary tale of a young mans ambitious struggle from his lower class upbringing to become an upper class man of stature. Its an often melancholic one as Redmond makes foolish decision after foolish decision with moments of good fortune and tragedy sewn in equal measure by Kubrick's direction and editing. Its aged fantastically well watching in 2025 on my 85inch TV in Dolby vision.

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Swindles and duels abound in this eighteenth-century historical drama from Stanley Kubrick. Adapting film from literature was nothing new for the idiosyncratic director, who’d already bent Paths of Glory, Lolita and A Clockwork Orange to meet his will, but this is his first production to really show its roots. Barry Lyndon is divided into two distinct, themed books - one for the title character’s rise and another for his fall - and its framing, pacing and dialogue also feel distinctly literary. We really take the time to soak up this world’s details, from the magnificent green landscapes to the dim, painterly interiors, and to dwell in the nuance of each character’s reaction after a weighty act or conversation. I could almost hear the author’s voice describing these scenes; if a picture’s worth a thousand words, that manuscript must’ve been the size of a phone book. Set in an age of powdered wigs and petticoats, the plot celebrates the era’s opulence while acknowledging the dirty, desperate lives of its serving class. Our protagonist comes from such lowly means, but he’s too proud to grind out an existence on the bottom rung and hastily sets to climbing the social ladder by any means necessary. Usually by working a con on those less-wary than he, after being taken for a demonstrative ride by equally canny crooks early in life. It’s like Amadeus meets Catch Me if You Can, with Barry stabbing every back and burning every bridge as he claws ever-closer to the peak of baroque notoriety. Of course, the problem with gaining renown in this way is there’s always going to be a bigger a-hole, with fewer scruples, and eventually your paths are going to cross. Near his goal, Barry gets stuck, and so does the story. A rogue’s best ability is agility, his sense of when to cut losses and move on, and Lyndon makes a fatal mistake in planting roots. Now settled in for the long haul, he’s decreasingly successful in forcing his will and he’s a far less interesting focal point. Much of the third act is burnt on malaise. The story regroups in time for an intense finale, a riveting private face-off between affronted lowlifes that shows off Kubrick’s mastery of suspense, but the sharp preceding decline in tempo and emotion cast a damper over the moment. The energy has already left the room. Technically masterful and captivating while on the upswing, but the home stretch is a drag.

One of the 10 greatest films of all time wonderful cinematography and story that just suits the period superbly. Another masterpiece form Kubrick

Here is Stanley Kubrick coming with this way-too-little-known underrated long feature. It reminds me of 'Boyhood' but with a grown man during Georgian era. This movie is a pure tribute to history and William Makepeace Thackeray's eponymous novel.This 185 minute-long movie showcases subtle acting skills from Ryan O'Neal (especially) and his fellow actors and actresses. Marisa Berenson (as Lady Lyndon) also makes a great deal of the film. Its length manages to expose many intertwined characters and so to create a dense atmosphere. 'Barry Lyndon' sacrifices a decent pace just to pin down spectacular outdoor evironments (which are particularly there during the second act) characterized by ethereal colours and an outstanding lighting, looking like perfect paintings.Some scenes are very slow and doesn't add anything to the whole content. I would rather see some of the plot holes filled than these many empty scenes. The narrator also spoils some major turns of events, which is a shame. The dialogues are beautiful and inspired.Music also occupies a major place in the artwork. It perfectly fits the atmosphere even if being also redundant at times (as the main theme often goes on and on).Ultimately, this is a poetic and moving film, focusing on the psychology of characters governed by 18th-century society. Worthy of a Dostoyevsky novel.

One of my favorite movies. While 3 hours long, it keeps me focused and always rooting for the underdog even when his actions become questionable. Always worth a rewatch.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Gorgeous film, every frame looks as if it was an XVIII century painting. On the other side, I hardly ever connected emotionally with the characters, and 3 hours may be a bit too much.

Funny what a lense time is. I sought out this film because of the reputation of the director. Without Kubric's touch I think this film would have been terrible, completely forgettable and left to the dustbin of history. It is only through the heightened cinematography of Kubric and his complete, almost compulsive, obsession to historical detail that this film is any good at all. The main character is bad. Not likable or charming. He has zero romantic chemistry with all but one female in the film. And its not the one that would make the most plot sense. Speaking of plot, in keeping with the stylized period painting esthetic of the film, the actors in many scenes are muted so much that the acting comes off wooden and you don't believe characters, especially professing love or fear. Stuff just happens and the narrator (and this film is narration HEAVY) justifies what we will see or just saw. Given that a lot of people will find the moving boring. I'm almost surprised I made it to the credits, the people I was with didn't.

Amazing movie.Kubrick is one of the best director of all time.This is a masterpiece with Rosseau's philosophy.

Probably the most gorgeous movie ever shot, and one of kubricks underrated masterpieces. Utterly brilliant.

The film has a spellbinding effect, almost as if the screen is a window through time itself.

What a surprise. After the first few minutes I was thinking the movie will be boring, because you see a naive boy, the time is the boring 18th century (the behaviour, the fashion, the language) and the duration of the movie is over 3 hours. But the movie is great: It was very interesting to see the development of Barry Lyndon from a naive boy into an experienced man. The movie felt like a biography, but also like a historical documentary, very accurate. Also the pictures were stunning beautiful with a lot of details.

Kubrick and the actors put up a long and beautiful show in one night and we are told it spans over years and years. Barry Lyndon Stanley Kubrick is something I don't get. He is a phenomenon more than he is a person or an artist or a storyteller. His calmness never holds the screen. It should. But it doesn't. Instead, it melts like warm butter. That, right there, remains to be a mystery. The unfathomable perspective that he spins on the known stories is both dangerous and sensual. The long slow seductive process that is exhaustingly beautiful casts a flattering impact on us, leaving us buzzed and provoked on the themes he explores. It is a date night movie in that sense. Despite being ironic in its bones and inhumanly dark in its analysation of the behavior that you would expect. And no, it doesn't shock anywhere to what it has to display. If anything it is a slow burn. You can predict the banality that these characters would go through and it is exactly how it goes. Not only now you are hooked to see the self created doom but also are waiting for Kubrick to put it on screen with his unique visual storytelling skills. The result is pure joy. Perpetually even, balanced in "how" it has to say. "What" has to say gets deliberately lost into the dust. The film is a character driven journey **** trying to fit into the change in the social norms of a bygone era where too, it found difficulty to enhance his views. The film starts from zooming in, framing the world that our protagonist lives in and fails to be unselfish in its vocab. As the film develops the camera zooms out to mock his character that thinks he understood the sacrifices and importance of the others in this world. While the truth of the matter is, Barry Lyndon isn't mature enough to take care of himself, let alone others.

Barry Lyndon is the deconstruction of the human being. A movie about a man and his adventures told by the wonderful hand of Kubrick. It's not a movie, It's a series of paintings. MASTERPIECE.

"The Duellists" and "Barry Lyndon" represent the best period movies of all time! A visual pleasure, every frame is poetic and perfectly built on the screen!

Barry Lyndon is perhaps the best historical movie ever made, with a wonderful directing from Stanley Kubrick!!! Great cinematography too.

Kubrick shows to all the people how much his powerful directing is masterpiece in every single scene and imagine. One of the best cinematography of ever.

Every single scene is a painting, a wonderful picture, a kind of travel into a big museum. GIANT MOVIE.

A masterpiece, nothing more to say. Great directing and acting. One of the best movie ever.