A grand period adventure

Rating: 9/10 (31 August 2019)

This review contains spoilers.
Barry Lyndon is a period drama film that premiered in 1975. The movie's direction, production, and the screenplay is by Stanley Kubrick. The story is based on The Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray. The movie stars Ryan O'Neal and Marisa Berenson. The movie centers around the life of Barry Lyndon. The movie tells the tale of Redmond Barry's early life culminating in his marriage to the Countess of Lyndon. The movie is a sprawling 187 minute running time epic.
Barry Lyndon is an excellent movie. This movie is magnificently directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick. The best attribute of the movie is that it is incredibly beautiful. The movie uses natural lighting in its shots. There is a staggering number of shots that are utterly gorgeous to look at. This movie bases its shots on old 18th century paintings and it absolutely shows in the movie. The movie's production quality is incredibly high with props, and dresses being of immaculate quality. It made for the movie being one of the best produced movies in the 1970s.
The story in this movie tells a grand tale across the 18th century. The movie mainly takes the perspective of Redmond Barry as he transitions from Redmond Barry to Barry Lyndon. The movie focuses on the scoundrel of Barry as he seeks to elevate his social standing. Although the audience may not always agree with Barry, the scoundrel has enough charisma to make the adventure enjoyable. It made the adventure into an exciting morally gray zone. The movie has two main acts in Barry's rise and eventually his fall.
Both of the acts are incredibly fun to watch. The first act is more centered on Redmond Barry's rise. He has many misadventures that are incredibly fun to watch. Redmond Barry goes on a massive adventure across Europe as he fights in the Seven Years War. Eventually he encounters the Chevalier. This entire event makes a massive difference in Redmond Barry's life as he is able to change from a scoundrel gambler into someone poised to elevate his standing in society.
The second act is not as action packed as the first act. It centers around Barry's rise in nobility and eventual downturn. It makes for an exciting story as the second act has Barry at his worst that eventually destroys Barry's reputation. There are glimmers of Barry's roguish charm and his innocent nature that show in this second act. It made for an interesting act as the audience needs to grapple with whether they should sympathize with Barry or if he is deserving of his fate.
Barry Lyndon is a character and period driven movie that can be incredibly moving at times. It is however a slow movie that requires setup in order to drive its effectiveness for the viewer. This can make the movie seem too slow but I believe that the payoff is worth it. The movie has gorgeous visuals that can enrapture the audience. Barry Lyndon is a one-of-a-kind movie that is not often produced by large studios.
I highly recommend 'Barry Lyndon'. This is a solid movie that demands patience from the audience.
Grade: A