Review of Barry Lyndon (1975) by Ben F — 13 Jan 2010

Once Barry Lyndon finished, I sat up from the couch, and my back ached a bit. I had been sitting their for a little more than three hours, so that's kind of why it hurt. But I really liked this movie. Stanley Kubrick's excellence is always shown in all of his films, from technological aspects, to story. This film is no exception, as we see that "Barry Lyndon" was amazing not only for it's story, but for how it was executed.

A lot of people might say that this film was very very boring. I don't think people would tell you that it's boring because it's a period peace, but because it is so long. Sure this film is long, but you have to admire everything about this movie to truly appreciate it for that long. Before I watch a Kubrick movie, I have to understand how he operates. The man didn't care how long his films were. He only cared about conveying a message. When you watch how his movies were executed, in dialogue specifically, actors take a long time to respond to other actors. This is something that he does in EVERY SINGLE one of his movies, and that's why I thought this movie was so long. We can have all of this dialogue, but in a shorter time, but I didn't want that. This movie let me understand, that even at a young age, Kubrick still had a dedication to his work, and that's truly remarkable.

The best thing about this film, was it's beautiful cinematography, which was oscar winning. Landscapes are all shot gorgeously, and we are completely intrigued by the vast and authentic environments that we are presented to. It keeps the movie entertaining, and I couldn't turn away.

This film was split into two parts, so we all knew that it was going to be long. I happened to like the second part over the first part, because all of the interesting events happened in the second part. One thing I'd like to say is that Barry Lyndon is an ass. He is a complete jerk, and when I sat down, I didn't think that I was going to watch an anti-hero film. What was so brilliant about this execution, is how we gradually see Lyndon fall from a good person, to a bad person. His recklessness always got him into trouble, and even in his old years. But I really loved how we saw him transform so much. It was truly wonderful.

The acting here is pretty well done from all actors. There really isn't anything special, but it had a unique aspect to it, and I liked it a lot.

"Barry Lyndon" was truly a special movie. I sat down expecting something, and I got something else entirely, and that always seems to happen with Kubrick. A truly great directer indeed, and a truly great movie.