Review of Barry Lyndon (1975) by Daniel K — 30 Aug 2016

4: Barry Lyndon is certainly one of the most beautifully photographed films ever created. It truly does seem groundbreaking and unique, as it looks nothing like other high watermark pictures like The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus, The River, or The Leopard (although I'd say it's closest to The Leopard).

It is a soft and subtle texture and palette that makes more use of dim candlelight than one can imagine. This sense of authenticity and realism lends itself perfectly to the overtly novelistic elements of the story as well.

It is a supreme contrast of the theatrical and the real. Everything is simply bathed in a soft glow that reinforces for the viewer just what living in a time like this might have been like. The story is epic, compelling, humorous, incredible, and tragic.

Just as is allows the case with Kubrick, everything seems to have polished to a high sheen. By this I don't mean that everything is clean and glossy, but that each performance, edit, set piece, location, line of dialogue, etc has all been chosen very carefully.

It is by no means his greatest achievement, but it is undoubtedly a masterpiece.