One of the best period pieces I've ever seen

Rating: 10/10 (6 November 2004)

Far too many period pieces these days look like what they are -- 20th or 21st century actors putting on historical costumes (which may or may not be accurate) and acting out a story with no attempt whatsoever to really get into the mindset of the period in question. I think that exceptions to this rule are becoming more common these days (Master and Commander was very impressive) but only when helmed by especially conscientious and meticulous directors. And no director was ever more conscientious and meticulous than Stanley Kubrick
With Barry Lyndon, Kubrick does for the period picture what 2001 did for science fiction, what Dr. Strangelove did for the comedy, and what Spartacus may or may not have done for the costume epic. There's little enough by way of definite plot here, just Ryan O'Neil trying to make his way through life in the 18th century as best he can. It was a period where society's chosen ones could live like gods, and the unlucky could descend to sub-human squalor, and it was perfectly possible to do both in a single lifetime. It was also the Age of Reason, where weakness of nerve or instinct to self-preservation was considered much less important than a gentleman's agreement.
It's passed into film legend that no artificial lighting whatsoever was used in filming. This wasn't quite the case -- it was unavoidable for a few scenes -- but Kubrick was hell-bent on minimizing it as much as possible to get the authentic effect of rooms lit all by candlelight. Kubrick's background in still photography was apparent in A Clockwork Orange, but he's taken on a painter's eye here -- logical since 18th century painting offered an entire world of research material.
This is, in the end, a very visual film. As such, the level of acting isn't as memorably ingenious as in some of Kubrick's other films. An excellently written narration track and some ingenious text at the climax is needed to really tie everything together. But this movie apparently still gave Ryan O'Neil's career enough of a boost that two years later he ended up headlining A Bridge Too Far with the likes of Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Gene Hackman, and Elliot Gould. Just another day's work for Kubrick. This isn't his best-known work, but it's still a masterpiece.