the finest period piece I've ever seen.

Rating: 10/10 (22 November 2005)

I often find myself avoiding period films. This is normally due to the stilted acting, or the movie being entirely historically inaccurate. "Vanity Fair" is a good example of this. It is by the same author as Barry Lyndon, but is completely off the mark. It is obvious that you are watching modern actors trying to act like they aren't modern. (Invariably by using a British accent, even if it's a civil war film.) I will admit that big reason why this movie is different is because I have a weakness for Kubrick films. The austere and symbolic aspects of his films, the breathtaking cinematography and framing as well as the understated acting that he requires; these aspects all really appeal to me. This movie is no exception.
Another Kubrick aspect to this film is his relentless pursuit of his inner vision. He had to practically invent a camera lens (based on prototypes built by NASA) to achieve his entirely candlelit scenes. He studied period paintings for months in order to work out his storyboards. He used authentic antique costumes. He would play Classical music from the time in order to improve his actors' mood.
The overall effect of this effort is that the movie draws you into its setting, making you truly feel like you are living in the time of the characters. I don't think I've ever seen a movie that REALLY did that. This is one of the best of the genre, and one of my favorite movies of all time.