A Visual Feast

Rating: 9/10 (26 April 2013)

Most of Kubrick's presentations are pretty non-conventional, except for a few films such as 'Spartacus', 'Paths of Glory' and 'Barry Lyndon'. You're never quite sure what you're going to get with a Kubrick film, but with Barry Lyndon it's a pretty straightforward plot told with a running narrative.
I do have a few gripes with the film such as its overly long running time at three hours, as well as its slowness in certain areas, especially at the beginning. Some of the characters are rather wooden and there's a certain dated feel about the production, but that's pretty much my criticism all used up.
Contrary to the opinion of a minor amount of reviewers, Ryan O'Neal's performance is very believable. His aura lacks a little in conviction for the part, many feel, but I can't find anything wrong with it, neither the choice to cast him as Barry Lyndon. Even his Irish accent is tolerable. There are many memorably frail/weedy characters in the film such as Catptain Quin, Reverend Runt and Lord Bullingdon, but who only succeed in reinforcing Ryan O'Neal's character as a strong, competent and pretty straightforward opportunist, instead of the sneaky, snivelling sort of character that perhaps we might expect.
Marisa Berenson is absolutely out of this world in terms of cold, dignified and unamused beauty. She is the catalyst of the stunning characteristics of this film. She has very little to say and practically no personality throughout, living her life in a permanently formal and non-amused bubble, but her simple portrayal of out-of-sight dignity is compelling. She gets more distant and gradually sadder as the film progresses, even her incredibly stylized wigs getting greyer over time too.
Continuing on the theme of beauty, Marisa Berenson loses by a slender nose to the unbelievable camera work. Kubrick uses a long lens to imperceptibly zoom in on the action, then panning back to reveal the whole scene being filmed. His choice of scenery is without doubt the defining characteristic of this film. Generally, I don't consider beautiful imagery or colours to be a very important aspect of good film-making, but in Barry Lyndon it's the aspect that I enjoyed the most. The costumes are wonderful, but the outdoor landscapes and panoramic scenes are better still. The choice of autumnal colours and historic backdrops is a sight to behold and each time you see the film you appreciate how much thought went into filming certain scenes.
If you're looking for style and content, narrated at a leisurely pace, you can't go far wrong with Barry Lyndon.