Review of Barry Lyndon (1975) by Ryan M — 11 Nov 2009

In the late 60's, Stanley Kubrick planned on making an epic lifestory of Napoleon which didn't get the financial backing and was canned. A couple months ago, the amount of research Stanley put into this project reached the light of day: It was a lot. Some people have already jumped on the bandwagon, calling it "The Greatest Film Never Made". I don't share this sentiment: Kubrick is considered one of the greatest American directors of all time, but Abel Gance already made a 5 hour film on Napoleon, and the idea of a "Greatest Film Never Made" is all guesswork and doesn't have any real substance. But to be honest, I don't mind if "Napoleon" was never fulfilled: We would never have had "A Clockwork Orange", and we would never have been given the derided-at-first-but-now-regarded-as-a-masterpiece "Barry Lyndon" (Kubrick used some of his research on "Napoleon" to make this film).

It's the story of Redmond Barry's ascent towards the upper class by any means necessary, only to find emptiness at almost every turn. The dry narration deliberately tells you what will happen next, eliminating all suspense and emphasising the preordained nature of the events of the film. It's a very cold Kubrick film, quite self-indulgent, but it contains far more under the surface, and it ranks as one of his absolute best.

At the start, Redmond wants to marry his cousin Nola, but his family would prefer if she marries the wealthy Captain Quinn. Things turn bad as Barry has to leave his native Ireland, he enlists and deserts two armies, gambling and cheating his way into Lady Lyndon's bed and into nobility, but developing a strained relationship with his stepson Lord Bullingdon.

A common technique used by Kubrick in the film is to initially show a character, before zooming out to show that person's surroundings: Emphasising the insignificance of their actions, their alienation from society, and silently laughing at (when he's in the frame) Redmond Barry's attempts to rise above his surroundings. Closeups are used to signify a shift in a character's perspective (when Captain Quinn discovers that he has a love rival for Nola, and when Barry does "The Kubrick Stare" near the end).

The 3 hours go by at a leisurely pace, as the insanely beautiful cinematography draws you into the story. For all of its natural beauty, fantastic production values and costumes, a typical generalisation would be "It's beautiful on the surface but shallow underneath". But only Marisa Berenson as Lady Lyndon fits this generalisation: She is the weak link in the acting department, it's no wonder Kubrick focuses more on Redmond Barry's life than hers. Ryan O'Neal is effective as Redmond Barry, and the supporting roles are handled effectively. While the overall acting isn't up to the magnificent standard of the visuals and the music, this is still a wonderful way to spend 3 hours. An engrossing study of an empty man's pursuit of a dream that turns out to be just as empty.