fascinating historical show

Rating: 8/10 (22 March 2003)

Fine acting, beautiful photography, haunting music and sure-footed direction show a - probably very realistic - slice of life of the English gentry in the 18th century, which is fascinating by itself. The story is captivating too but leaves a nagging question. The human soul can of course undergo many changes, yet Barry Lyndon's change from a good-at-heart lad in part I of the movie to a stupidly cheating husband and excessively behaving father, either intemperate or overindulgent, in part II is a little baffling. Kubrick deviated here from Thackeray's original novel, where the protagonist is somewhat of a rogue throughout, and tried to add a measure of human development to the adventure story. Yet the change for the worse happens quite swiftly, and marriage seems to be the cause. So the movie provides some things dazzling to watch, and some more things intriguing to contemplate afterwards...