Scenes interminably long

Rating: 5/10 (30 December 2018)

I think I just don't get the genius of Kubrick. This movie reminds me a lot of the previous film I have seen of his, Eyes Wide Shut. In both, the music was too loud and overused, often in long shots where very little to nothing happened. As another reviewer said, it's like the music was a substitute for real action. Surely, an interesting film could be made with this plot, but this film wasn't it.
Each scene could have been cut by 1/3 to 1/2, with profitable results. Even establishing shots (such as "here we are at a castle") were simply too long. It's like we were watching a cinematographer's CV reel, rather than a story. Anyway, I watched the entire thing and the pace never quickened.
Unlike others, I won't blame Ryan O'Neal. I think Kubrick must have directed him to be wooden and stoic, since everyone was basically wooden and stoic, save for attempted suicide and stepson's outburst scenes. O'Neal can be more of an outgoing swashbuckler (see The Main Event), so we have to assume he was told not be (see also Samuel L. Jackson in the Star Wars prequels). Anyway, I did not enjoy watching the film any more than I enjoyed the overrated Eyes Wide Shut. I just don't get it.
On the other hand, if you watch movies solely for set decoration, costumes, and establishing shots rather than storytelling, you might enjoy this.