there is no greater implementation of the myriad components that make great cinema than this marvelous film

Rating: 9/10 (24 September 2008)

Barry Lyndon 9-24-08
Here we have yet another film whose narrative is concerned with a central character who by all accounts is an a$$...and I couldn't love it more. Why these sorts of movies fascinate me is simple. Stories about "good" men or "bad" men are easy to tell, often times entertaining (whatever that means) and quite frequent. I find that in reality men are seldom either of these extremes to the exclusion of the other. I find films that depict characters as such to be more authentic and to my way of thinking much more compelling. Suffice to say the titular protagonist (who is arguably also the antagonist as well) is just such a character. With each subsequent viewing of Barry Lyndon I become more convinced that there is no greater implementation of the myriad components that make great cinema than this marvelous film. In nearly every respect this is a marvelous film. The cinematography is breath taking. Scenes appear to have been lit naturally...as this is a period film I find this to be quite a wonderful stroke of authenticity.