Barry Lyndon - "A Cinematic Vision of Life"

Rating: 9/10 (8 January 2008)

It can easily be said that in order to be fully appreciated, the films of Stanley Kubrick require a second viewing or at the very least one which is undertaken with the fullest of dedication. Both Barry Lyndon and 2001 fit into this category - both masterpieces of cinematography and of sound, they both seem to divert very easily from the pathway of other typical notions of cinema. Unlike Kubrick's other works both these films depart from any sense of dialogue and although narrative is highlighted in Barry Lyndon through the presence of a narrator, there is none the less a far more powerful underlying narrative technique present. One of the few films ever to accomplish such an art is Barry Lyndon, in which the narrative is conveyed through the pure emotion, melancholy and silence of the film's protagonists. Redmond Barry's character rarely speaks within the film and his actions are undoubtedly more powerful than his words. Rather than face heated argument or debate he instead reverts to man's violent tendencies - this is clearly seen when he throws a wine glass in Captain Quin's face; the presence of duels and fighting throughout the film, which soon develops into that of a very powerful motif, which is furthermore enhanced when he is seen whipping his stepson, Lord Bullingham. Kubrick has shown through this multi-faceted masterpiece a fresh form of cinema and a power of silence. By reverting from the typical artistic tendency of pathetic fallacy, (indeed it is hardly ever seen to be raining or cloudy within the film) Kubrick instead uses silence to display such a sense of raw emotion. It is very crucial to notice that Barry and Lady Lyndon's characters almost never speak to one another throughout the film, which adds a layer of sadness and depression to the film's narrative, whilst Barry's simple words of "I'm sorry" speak volumes of their relationship, one which is marked by pain, sorrow, betrayal and greed. Kubrick has produced a film of epic proportion, and whilst the battle montages are easily rivalled by other period pieces, it is Kubrick's power to shoot the development of Barry Lyndon's protagonist throughout his life that remains the film's quintessential element. The film is adorned with a period score and other resonating pieces of classical and baroque period music, which compliment both the so-close to perfection cinematography, and in the same vain as Kubrick uses sound in 2001, the exclusion of dialogue within the film.
Barry Lyndon is a film often overlooked within the Kubrick filmography due to its serious and slow-paced undertones. It is these undertones, however that help to build up the film into a work of art that inspires possibly only the most devoted of film enthusiasts. This film should be viewed as many have suggested as such, an artistic portrayal of a period long romanticised, yet scarcely interpreted with such loyalty and devotion to the screen. Whilst Barry Lyndon remains among the greatest works of modern cinema, it is one, whose viewing must only be conquered by the most passionate of film-goers, if it is ever to be truly appreciated. It accomplishes that which few films are capable of, in bringing pure life onto the screen. Perhaps only rivalled by the select few other masterpieces of cinema, Kubrick's Barry Lyndon is a life epic, which leaves the viewer shaken and inspired. It is a film with the power to leave the viewer standing upon a whole new perspective of life, one which told through the neutral story of Redmond Barry provokes pure sorrow and depression within the heart of the viewer.
In short it could be said that Barry Lyndon is one film which embodies the real values of cinema, the ability to portray precisely the notion of life on the screen and that which so strongly affects and resonates within the mind of the viewer. It is a film that will leave even the strongest of viewers humbled and depressively shaken. It is film of outstanding expertise and experience, both in artistic nature and in narrative. Barry Lyndon is a modern masterpiece and should be viewed as such, a cinematic vision of life. If one were to simply define it as "cinematic perfection", in doing so one would be doing it an injustice.
Harrison Cohen - harrisoncohen@msn.com