A history lesson with Kubrick.

Rating: 10/10 (24 January 2009)

No doubt for those of us that like to indulge in a little history lesson every now and then, it is hard to find a movie that so perfectly captures the realistic portrayal of people in earlier parts of the past millennium. Here, the great Stanley Kubrick has captured and frozen a part of time that will last forever. Taken from a European novel, the story is that of a young Irish rogue who takes it upon himself to rise up in the social class and make a life for himself. How he goes about this is quite unique and interesting, as well as the way Kubrick invites us the audience to partake in this journey.
Nearly every scene is so perfectly lit, designed and dressed, it simply sweeps you up in the times of eighteenth century England. The dialog is outstanding, including the narration. The costumes and sets are immaculate and nearly steal away from the drama itself. Most of all, Kubrick has given us a look into the past and what it meant then to be someone and all the hard work it took to matter. Certainly not for everybody, with a running time of three hours and a very slow pace, Barry Lyndon will polarize some people. For Kubrick fans as well as history fans, however, it will amaze, dazzle and uplift as one of the very finest works of a great director and a great period in human history.