Barry Lyndon (10/10) Classic!

Rating: 10/10 (14 April 2006)

Barry Lyndon by Stanley Kubrick is an ultimate classic for me. It shares so many attributes with Kubricks more renowned work 'A Clockwork Orange'. The script is fabulous and sophisticated yet very rarely harsh. Each scene is beautiful, as though it could be a painting or a postcard. The film is filled with great scenery, artwork and excellent music (as is Clockwork Orange). The film features some magnificent castles, houses, decoration all of which looks genuine. It shows the scenery of the British Isles like no film before. This shows Kubricks talent as an artist.
Although the story never gets really 'deep' the film still captivates an audience because of it's bizarre layout. The film layout seems very retro to me, in the way the film is structured around the narrators input. As with 'Clockwork Orange' the use of language, accents and local talk leaves a big impact. The layout reminds me of the way the great Tolkien story's - very exact, to the point and no beating around the bush. The film takes the audience through the incredible life of a young Irish man named Redmond Barry, through his days of glory, to great happiness right through to utter madness.
The film is long winded, but by no means is this a bad thing. This length allows the audience to get an incredible insight into more-or-less every character. The acting is very basic and the script seems very down to earth to me. This is why I loved the film. You can watch the film and really get a feel for what this era in Britain was like.
All respect to Kubrick for this one. Magal.