Barry Lyndon The Criterion Collection 4K UHD

Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon is a spectacle, full of luscious visuals, extraordinary costumes, and a very aggressive underlying theme of cheating, and losing at life. This is not a contender for Kubrick's top five films of all time, and for good reason, but regardless, this film put me in a trance from beginning to end. I had not read William Makepeace Thackeray's novel beforehand, so I honestly cannot add to the discussion of whether or not this is a proper adaptation, or if O'Neal's performance was right for the character. I will however say what I saw, and that is a movie with Kubrick's visual style stamped on every single shot.The story is a rise to riches tragedy revolving around the life of an Irish lad by the name of Redmond Barry. As a teen we are first introduced to his character as one who shares a romantic relationship with his cousin, Nora Brady. When Nora is set to marry British military Captain John Quin, the naive Barry retaliates confronting the captain to a duel, which ultimately drives him away from his town, mother, and Nora.This starts Barry's long adventure to "becoming a gentleman". Along the way he shall be robbed, enlist in the British army, serve in the Seven Year War, and become a professional gambler. He'll finally acquire wealth beyond his wildest dreams when he manages to court Lady Lyndon, after her husband, Sir Lyndon, finally dies from years of crippling disease. This starts a vengeful relationship between him and his acquired stepson, Lord Bullingdon. From here on out Barry's ultimate demise becomes inevitable as his life falls apart into tragedy, mostly due to his own actions.As stated earlier by myself, Barry Lyndon is one of the most expertly shot films I have ever seen. The visuals alone make this one of the best movies I've ever seen, but it is not at all a perfect movie. Sadly none of Kubrick's films are "perfect", but that's intentional by the director, and no one comes closer to making perfect movies than Stanley Kubrick. Though he's never really made a film with truly captivating human characters, his stories, and underlying messages have always been the strongest aspects of his films.Kubrick's dislike for humanity is as present as it ever was in his other films, even if not as strong as say `2001 - A Space Odyssey'. Barry is always displayed as being a character that seems to be...well, he's hollow. Barry is a man who hardly ever shows emotion, and once he is at the top you can't help but feel as though his mannerisms are that of a spoiled child. You never really grow attachment to this character, and the narrator makes sure of that, which makes it apparent that Kubrick never intended you to grow truly fond of Barry, so when he ultimately is left poor and crippled you can't truly feel for him.That being said, Ryan O'Neal's Barry is not to be confused with a "cardboard character", like what you see in 80% of summer action films. He's actually quite complicated, the only thing he ever shows passion for being the well-being of his son, Bryan. The way he takes everything for granted, from Lady Lyndon, to his wealth, he just seems to not care about anything, other than his young son, who he spoils by treating him to whatever he desires. This makes it apparent that the thing Barry loves most will be taken away from him in a cruel fashion.I'm not spoiling anything, because the ultimately, tragic ending of Barry's life is given away by the Narrator's first few comments over the course of the first hour of the film (and if you don't catch it there he'll announce it bluntly in the last forth of the film).When going into this film you shouldn't expect for something truly compelling, nor should you expect Barry to be an average Joe, whom you can relate to. The movie is in no way intended for you to leave it with a smile on your face. Don't go to a Kubrick film and expect a film that's intended to leave you happy (Even Dr. Strangelove, one of the best comedies of all time, had an ending that made you speculate the future of the human race).If you are new to Kubrick, these negative plot points may drive you away, but if you are familiar with his work Barry Lyndon will not surprise you in its underlying themes. That being said, for people who are fond of period pieces, there are few movies that I've seen that can match the visual style of Kubrick's film. While watching it you will feel swept away by the Academy Award winning cinematography of John Alcott and the costumes, which also earned one of the films four Academy Awards.Leonard Rosenman's winning score must also be acknowledged, for it also makes this film an attention grabber. The music is never overused, and if feels perfect for the film. It is full of elegance, something that could stand for the upper class which Barry tries so hard to be a part of, but beneath its beauty you can feel a sense of treachery, and corruption, which perfectly reflects the ruthless behavior Barry tries so hard to conceal beneath a façade of grace, but ultimately fails to keep it suppressed.The film is a must see for Kubrick, and fans of period pieces, but if you don't fall into one of those two categories Barry Lyndon may be hard for you to stomach, with its running time of about three hours. You may enjoy this film, but it seriously depends on how you take in Kubrick's other work. If time's a problem you can watch this film in intervals, because there are plenty of chances throughout to pause and take a break. If you want to watch Barry Lyndon you'll need to pay it full attention. It is better to watch it in intervals than watch it straight through while being distracted. It needs full attention for you to take in its full impact.Not Kubrick's best, but I give it a solid 9 out of 10.

This film showed up in a list of films included with my Prime membership, so I added it to my watchlist without really knowing much about it. As I was flicking through my film choices tonight, this was the first one that remotely appealed to me, so I decided to watch it. If it turned out to be a turkey, I figured I could just turn it off and grade papers.Wow.As soon as I heard the opening strains of the heavily romanticized, dramatic rendition of Handel's "Sarabande" as the theme music, I just had a feeling that this film was going to be better than most. Once the wryly clever voiceover began its narration in the witty, richly textured diction of mid-Victorian English, I knew I was in the hands of a master storyteller."Whoever this writer is," I thought, "he is superb." No surprise, then, when I looked up the title and discovered the film was based on a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray. That explains a lot right there.I won't repeat what other reviewers have very fully covered in their reviews, other than to say I mostly agree. This is a masterpiece. The one weak link, for me personally, is Ryan O'Neal, who clearly was chosen for his box-office appeal rather than his suitability for this role. As an actor, he is wooden and one-dimensional. His character, the ambitious son of a down-on-its-luck Irish family, is supposed to be a charming rapscallion who arouses an equal mix of disgust and empathy. While there are rare moments when O'Neal successfully evokes genuine vulnerability and warmth, mostly he is boring and unrelatable. He's not even convincing as an Irishman: In contrast with all the other actors' superb mastery of the various dialects and accents, O'Neal can't seem to eke out more than the barest hint of a brogue here and there. Most of the time he has the flat Midwestern twang of a freckle-faced boy just off the farm in Iowa. I can't help wondering why someone didn't insist that O'Neal work extensively with a dialect coach. Maybe for the same reason that they didn't insist he take acting lessons.As with most films starring one big-name actor, it's the supporting actors who truly shine in this film. Especially stunning is Murray Melvin as the reverend employed by the powerful Lyndon family. His steady presence by the side of Lady Lyndon as her life cycles downward weaves a subtle thread of continuity and sanity through the escalating chaos. Melvin is a master of the small, telling gesture: with the faintest flicker of an eyelid, he communicates much that his character is feeling but not saying.I'm glad I happened upon this unsung masterpiece, and that I didn't read that this was a Stanley Kubrick piece until I was midway through the film. I didn't much care for either Space Odyssey or Clockwork Orange for their chilling, dystopian atmosphere, and I likely would have kept this on my watchlist indefinitely if I had known this was one of his. Although some critics have complained about the slow pacing and the sense of emotional detachment that characterizes Kubrick's films, it works well here. The film has a languid dissoluteness that spins out slowly, gradually pulling you into its dramatic center. No wonder several of Kubrick's contemporaries have lauded this as his finest film. I would agree.At three hours and some minutes, this is not some quick, delightful afternoon romp. It's a layered, dramatic period piece that will command your full attention. But if you have the time, it will reward you with a stunning work of exquisite and timeless beauty. Gorgeous. Luscious. Recommended.