My favorite movie of the 70s

Rating: 10/10 (31 July 2013)

I guess this is one of Kubrick's most underrated movies. Every frame is like a painting. Just like in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and EYES WIDE SHUT Kubrick uses the expressions of characters (like the accountant cunningly looking at Barry and his wife as they write cheque after cheque slowly leading to ruin) to convey what is really going on in a scene. He uses dolly out shots quite frequently in this movie, as if slowly revealing parts of a painting. There is dolly out where a young Lord Bullingdown is gazing at a magic show - pensive and uninterested, but when the camera moves backwards and more characters are revealed we see Barry Lyndon, his wife and his mother all looking happy and laughing at the magician.
Kubrick also uses these exceptional and easily distinguishable actors (like Leonard Rossiter who plays Captain Quin, Patrick Magee as Chevalier de Balibari and Marie Kean as Barry's mother) to create tremendous impact. Actors in Kubrick movies are often used as special effects. The way Rossiter marches in as Captain Quin and the way he dances with Barry's cousin and lover create an immediate impact on the viewer. Patrick Magee is tremendous. He just has to be in the frame for example the way he stands at Barry's wedding, it is amazing. His caked up face conveys cunning as well as tenderness. And Mary Kean smiling grotesquely in the scene with the magician is also pretty unforgettable. Kubrick often uses these wonderful an grotesque actors to create small but memorable and unforgettable characters - like the sinister waiter in THE SHINING inspiring Nicholson to commit great unspeakable of violence, the Russian costume shop owner in EYES WIDE SHUT, the cruel warden and the crippled writer in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE etc.
And a few words about the duel between Barry and his stepson Lord Bullingdown - that scene was better than any Mexican standoff in a Sergio Leone movie. Tt was a slow burn, Kubrick raises the tension gradually without using any musical score, almost as if a ceremony is being conducted. Kubrick shot this great scene in 1975. And created a similar scene of almost equal or greater impact in EYES WIDE SHUT,nearly 25 years later when tom cruise's character is found out at the orgy and is questioned by the master of ceremonies in front of all the attendees.
The outdoor scenes are beautiful, conveying the idleness of life in the 18th century. The indoor scenes convey the richness of life (for the aristocrats), with the paintings in the background and servants to assist even for the smallest activity like shaving.
Ryan o Neal plays Barry Lyndon with a dourness that sort of predicts the eventual decline and fall of the character. And like i mentioned earlier, the supporting cast is stellar. I thought some parts of the movie like the sword fight scene and the one where Barry beats up his stepson were hilarious. Watching this movie is a pleasure. It is like having a huge sandwich or cake with many hidden layers. Or drinking fine wine (10/10)