Beautiful

Rating: 10/10 (1 March 2004)

Barry Lyndon is the most beautiful movie I've ever seen. It is well known that this picture was shot with natural light. This works so well I found myself pausing the movie to admire many scenes. The landscapes galvanize the eyes. Victorian England has never looked so good.
For many this may not be enough. For me, it would've been but didn't have to be. I found Barry Lyndon to be very thought provoking as well as resplendent. Can't we all relate to Redmond Barry(Barry Lyndon) in this film? Don't we all long to be respected and to "do something" in our lives? Don't we all have flaws? Of course. This film is extremely relevant despite being a 20th century movie about a 19th century novel about a relatively unimportant 18th century life.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: This movie also contains one of the most gut-wrenching scenes on film. Barry's stepson warrants punishment, but Barry unfashionably deals with him. It is the worst way possible in light of the high society he is among. Barry lashes out with raw emotion and pulverizes the despicable youth in front of a large crowd. This is an unbelievably pertinent display of violence. It disturbed me that, on some level, I actually enjoyed watching this beating.
The ironic and poignant thing about this event, is that it is essentially the downfall of Barry. If he were to have challenged the young man to a duel and killed him, the society at-large would have been much more forgiving. The lashing he gave publicly, that only wounded the stepson, was deemed so lurid by the crowd, news of his cruelty spread and his reputation was decimated.