Masterpiece of charlatanism

Rating: 10/10 (14 April 2001)

Evoking eighteenth century Europe masterfully, Barry Lyndon is told in layers of lies, tall tales about embellishments on rumors of past sins. This charlatan's tale is peopled with dissemblers and opportunists whose constant misrepresentation provides the motion of the plot. The visual world they inhabit, on the other hand, is so rich and vivid in detail, it seems proof of what we see. The secret to getting others to believe you is in the accumulation of extraneous details. In this gorgeous world, nothing is as it seems and beauty is often a mask for misery.