"I'll duel him, if I have to follow him into the church"

Rating: 10/10 (29 January 2007)

Barry Lyndon, if not one of Kubrick's most underrated pictures, is certainly his most unjustly overlooked by many of his fans. At first glance a period drama culled from a work of 19th century literature may seem completely at odds with the innovative and in-your-face look of Space Odyssey and Clockwork Orange, but it is perhaps the most carefully considered work by a director at the top of his game.
Apparently the source novel is one of its authors less well known works, but its structure and themes were perfectly suited to Kubrick. Kubrick's films can usually be seen as being made up of contrasting segments, and Barry Lyndon is in fact formally separated into Parts One and Two. Part one is the rise of Barry, Part two is his downfall. The two parts can be seen as mirror images of each other, and there is a sense of history repeating itself, particularly with the two main pistol duels. Barry's story begins with his duel with Captain Quinn. It ends with his duel with Lord Bullingdon. Both duels are between a young man and an old man. Both duels are (essentially) over a woman, and in both cases the younger man is a relative of that woman who has a somewhat inappropriate love for her, whereas the older man is or will be her legitimate husband.
Kubrick further contrasts the two halves of the story. Part one is largely set outdoors, and all the most important scenes take place in the open air, signifying Barry is at first an outsider. This is in contrast to the luxurious interiors of Part two. The music changes throughout the picture from delicate folk airs, to pompous military marches to stately classical pieces. Kubrick goes to some pretty excessive lengths to add little subtle touches that signify the changes in Barry's position. For example, if you watch carefully in the first half, you'll notice that every time there is a candle-lit scene, the number of candles on the table increases by one each time.
Of course, all these symbolic touches don't really add much to the story. What is the real key to Barry Lyndon's brilliance (and also the reason it isn't more popular) is its pacing. It is incredibly, indescribably slow. There is no abbreviation. Every little event, every encounter is played out at in full as it might really have happened. Establishing shots are held for so long that they almost become miniature scenes in themselves, and act to set up chapters in the story rather than the next scene. This is not simply a life story stripped down to the exciting bits, it really feels like a life story. Two things prevent the film from becoming mind-numbingly boring. Firstly, every shot is beautifully composed and lit, so if nothing else the film is nice to look at. Secondly is the way Kubrick handles the emotions.
Emotion is nearly always understated in Kubrick's films. His characters tend to hide their emotions, and Kubrick rarely uses any cheap devices to make things too obvious. The emotions in Barry Lyndon are at their most understated. All the dialogue and conduct is highly formal and ritualised, in keeping with the period setting. But paradoxically the emotions are also constantly on display. Throughout these unbelievably long drawn out set pieces the characters are constantly betraying their innermost thoughts and feelings through subtle gestures, body language, tones of voice and facial expressions. Kubrick actually makes more use of close-ups than in any of his previous pictures, far subtler than what is generally called a reaction shot, but the characters are constantly reacting all the same. The world of Barry Lyndon is one in which the characters say one thing, yet think and feel another. When eventually we do get to see a very openly emotional scene – little Brian between his mother and father – the effect is incredibly powerful, like the floodgates have finally been opened.
With all this considered the actors all do an amazing job, and the casting is perfect. Marisa Berenson is particularly good, keeping her face blank and expressionless, but showing very strong emotion just beneath the surface. There is a great supporting cast too, for example Leonard Rossiter as Captain Quinn, who helps keep that slightly bizarre and silly feel that is in all Kubrick's pictures. This is not to mention Michael Horden's narration, which gives a spot-on tone of friendliness with a touch of sadness.
Barry Lyndon is really a refreshing take on the period drama. All too often period films and historical epics simply duplicate the stuffy, formal manner of their source material. Barry Lyndon on the other hand transcends its literary roots and, while sticking to the language and story of the novel, shows a very genuine humanity in the characters. It never forgets that, no matter how much they are constrained by the conventions of the time and place, people still experience the same emotions. It's not the most entertaining of all Kubrick's films, but it is an amazing achievement nevertheless.