A different Stanley Kubrick film

Rating: 10/10 (16 September 2008)

I have to declare I wasn't a fan of Stanley Kubrick. His movies weren't the type I could watch over and over again and enjoy. He was always set on adding stuff you would feel rather uncomfortable to watch.
Still, I have been rediscovering Stanley Kubrick, and Barry Lyndon was one of the movies I missed before.
The visual style of the movie is stunning. There are great landscapes in almost every single shot, and, because it's slow pacing, most of these shots seem like actual, beautiful, paintings. The wardrobe and make-up is quite accurate, although, since you are not so accustomed to the fashion of the time, you might find some of the extravagant hair-dos and heavily powdered faces rather laughable.
The story itself surprised me. Even though most of what happens is extremely simple, I was left hooked. As I am very fond with venturing and traveling to the unknown, I felt rather excited. I'm not sure if this is was Kubrick intended, but my sympathy for Barry slowly disappeared, as he was shown more and more as an opportunist, concerned with his own status than with his own wife.
Although the narrator was an informative resort, I felt it was spoiling much of the surprises, which also happened with the titling of each respective part.
Most of the performances were above excellent. All of the actors understand the posture and gestures one had to have while living in that time, and so, most dialogs may sound minimal. I personally would have enjoyed more small talk between characters, but the movie was more governed by style and setting.
As for the music, although very repetitive, the selections do fit the scenes good. Of course, Haendel's Sarabande heard here is beautiful and tragic at the same time. Unfortunately, you hear it far too many times.
Kubrick's style is present in the movie, but I think it arrives a little late, after the first 30 minutes. For the opening scenes, I didn't feel I was watching a Stanley Kubrick movie. It was as if the first scenes were inspired by classical paintings and so, they had look like them as much as possible. Still, the long shot with a character in the center does eventually appear, and it doesn't break the whole style of the movie.
I warn that, like most of Kubrick's films, you can't watch it with your friends or with the whole family. But this time it isn't because it's has strong graphic material or harsh language. It's more for how dense this movie really is. Every minute is heavy with emotion, visual elements, music, and extreme slowness. But it still had me hooked, as I wanted to find out what happened next, and that, along with Lady Lyndon's characterization and visual representation, is what makes it one of my favorite Stanley Kubrick films. I wouldn't call it a "must-see", but it's not a bad pick if you wan't to rent it (although it would help if you watch with full attention).