Stanley Kubrick's Citizen Kane!

Rating: 10/10 (8 September 2013)

After "A Clockwork Orange" another of his masterpieces, Stanley Kubrick had already demonstrated his vision of the 1st World War; showed the consequences of the nuclear war between the USA against Russia; the evolution of man through a giant chocolate bar from space; he decided to demonstrate in every detail the rich dynasty from the XVIII century ....... creative wasn't he? Barry Lyndon tells the story of Redmond Barry (Ryan O'Neal) a simple farmer who lives in a small village in Ireland, which begins to live a great passion for his sadistic and persuasive cousin Nora Brady (Gay Hamilton) who makes Barry her loving slave. But when Nora gets a marriage proposal from the English captain John Quin (Leonard Rossiter), Barry challenges the captain to a duel with pistols that he end's up wining, but badly affects his family because the captain was rich and that marriage would save his family from suffered debts. Barry decides to run away to Dublin, but after being robbed on the road, he lists himself in the British Army to fight in the Seven Years' War, but ends up deserting it after the loss of a friend. Barry then ends up fleeing to Prussia and lists himself in the Prussian army and ends up saving the life of his captain becoming his personal spy. But the Prussian captain sends Barry to spy the Irish gambler Chevalier Balibari (Patrick Magee), but Barry just helps Chevalier fleeing the country and becomes his protégé and best friend. And later seduces and marries the noble Lady Honoria Lyndon (Marisa Berenson) where he finally wins the title of Lord Barry Lyndon that long after only brings him suffering and anguish.
Kubrick as always delivers a flawless script followed with a beautiful narrative also giving the film the language of the time with the highest English accent put to film, but every moment of the film Kubrick changes the tone of the story. The film is divided in three acts: The 1st act with Barry going poverty in Ireland and finally reaching wealth in England, the film follows a rhythm sometimes romantic when Barry is with her cousin and when he meets a lover in Prussia, and also with a certain humor at times when Barry flees the British army stealing the horses of two soldiers who appear to be gay and when he helps Chevalier flee from Prussia disguising himself of Chevalier while the real one fled; The 2nd act we see the rise of poverty to wealth of Barry and his great personality change, while in Ireland he was a young man with ideas of freedom and now he is a real greedy man thinking only about his fame and wealth and well-being of his little and sweat heir, becoming a real Oswald Kane; On the 3rd and last act after a sad event we see the decline in the life of Barry starting to lose everything that he built, and as I said before becoming a real Oswald Kane someone who has everything but at the same time has nothing .
And once again, in technical aspects Kubrick presents us with a real spectacle of photography and direction. Not only the photography that is beautiful, but in the film Kubrick delivers an amazing wardrobe, as if it had been done in that time, and with stunning views (certainly the most expensive Kubrick film before "Full Metal Jacket").
A film that may not please many or stay in memory, but the demonstration of Kubrick of this era and aesthetic study that he makes of the time through an excellent narrative and a beautiful direction with a luxury cast. Barry Lyndon may be the "Citizen Kane" of Kubrick with the philosophical study of man with a beautiful story, with technical aspects on top of the ceiling and the photography at the top of Kubrick, "Barry Lyndon" is another of his masterpieces! 10/10