Beyond Superb

Rating: 10/10 (28 December 2004)

Two films from this past year prompted me to revisit Kubrick's ultimate costume drama, "Barry Lyndon," both of them staring the opulent Nicole Kidman--Von Trier's "Dogville" for its languid pacing and literary narration, and the much maligned "Birth" for its classical music score and long, wide camera shots. What I discovered while watching for the first time uninterrupted the digitally remastered DVD of Kubrick's period piece is that the film was paradoxically way ahead of its time while at the same time over-indulgently a time warp of a film that much like a great sci-fi flick, took the viewer completely into another world, this one just happened to be late 18th century Britian and Europe.
Kubrick's attention to visual and sound detail (the music, the sounds of birds and trees rustling, the cold echos of a Lord's castle) is mind boggling. All the outdoor shots were filmed in the pure natural light of day, while all the interior shots were done by candle-light. The result is amazing. His attention to character, as usual is austere (only in the death scene of Barry's young son does the viewer feel any sympathy), but fittingly so given the grotesque formalities that surrounded everyday life in the era in which these characters lived and died. The themes are epic (duels, dastardly deeds by state and individual, wars at home and abroad, betrayal, greed, lust) as is the scope of the camera's eye. The visual sumptuousness of the entire endeavor almost pummels the viewer into submission and left me in an altered state almost as wondrous and weird as the one Kubrick created in "2001" where I actually felt like I was part of this strange world of 18th century Britian. For the film buff, this is a work of art, and for fans of period pieces this is the pinnacle of the genre.