Stunning, Mesmerizing and Not Without Some Good Laughs.

Rating: 10/10 (28 September 2005)

Barry Lyndon is as great a film as so many say it is. It truly does transport one to another place and time with a sense of authenticity. I too was completely taken in with Barry's story and the eloquent way in which Kubrick presented it and allowed it to unfold. It's remarkable how time slips by unnoticeably while watching this film despite its 3 hour length and deliberate slow pace. What also struck me about it which I've not seen others comment on is the sense of humor that this film evokes about many of Barry's fortunes and ironic twists that it takes. I feel it evident in everything from the opening and ending statements displayed on the screen to the dry droll of the narrators voice along side some pretty comical situations Barry finds himself in. The dueling scenes, the style in which battles were fought, the narrator explaining how Barry's lonely German Frau took many passing lovers into her cabin during the course of the war as he rides off into the misty morning after their romantic liaison. The base human desires, not so noble emotions and flaws that arise in the characters often bring a wry smile to the proceedings. This sense is especially strong in the first half, after the intermission when things become quite dire for Barry I felt less of this comical undercurrent or only in a much darker shade. Whether one senses an undercurrent humor to all of this or not, it is a stunning memorable film and easily one of the top 100 of all time.