Beautiful Cinematography

Rating: 8/10 (23 August 2008)

Barry Lyndon is a film often overlooked within the Kubrick filmography due to its serious and slow-paced undertones. It is these undertones, however that help to build up the film into a work of art that inspires possibly only the most devoted of film enthusiasts. This film should be viewed as many have suggested as such, an artistic portrayal of a period long romanticised, yet scarcely interpreted with such loyalty and devotion to the screen. Whilst Barry Lyndon remains among the greatest works of modern cinema, it is one, whose viewing must only be conquered by the most passionate of film-goers, if it is ever to be truly appreciated. It accomplishes that which few films are capable of, in bringing pure life onto the screen. Perhaps only rivalled by the select few other masterpieces of cinema, Kubrick's Barry Lyndon is a life epic, which leaves the viewer shaken and inspired. It is a film with the power to leave the viewer standing upon a whole new perspective of life, one which told through the neutral story of Redmond Barry provokes pure sorrow and depression within the heart of the viewer. This is not a movie to watch when you want to see a "Shining" or "Full Metal Jacket" type of action.....Barry Lyndon is a very detailed period story featuring all the peaks and setting pace of a book. This is a perfect movie to have an intermission with, to help you regroup and be engrossed in the story. THe dramatic highs (Jonathan Quinn duel, War, Gambling, Fight, and later duels) feature some of the finest work (Acting, camera work, directing) ever put on film. This movie took me 2 viewings or so to get, and I've seen it maybe 5-6 times now, and I can tell you, Barry Lyndon quickly moved up to the top of my movie list. It's a must see (at least twice). The acting is phenomenal, the movie is a labor of love, the cinematography is beautiful, the sets/lighting is amazing. It's hard to believe this movie is 30+ yrs old and is virtually unknown except to the Kubrick faithful. This is a MUST SEE!