"A monumental masterpiece by Stanley Kubrick"

Rating: 10/10 (16 March 2013)

The story takes place in 18th Century. A young Irish called Barry falls in love with his cousin and upon disclosing the rival in captain John Quin and his affection towards his beloved woman he resolves to regain her, even if it is indispensable to kill Quin. The instant everything appears to be ended up between him and his cousin, he insults Quin by casting a glass right at his face and demands having a duel with him which he eventually wins. Being positive that he killed his opponent, he leaves his parts so as to evade consequences of his act and discover a better place to start a new life.
This is frequently a disregarded effort in Kubrick's carrier which is quite astonishing since Kubrick achieves an utterly ravishing level of cinematic beauty and it remains one of his greatest feats. Whereas any other director could transform the script into an uneven work – a hodgepodge of stronger and weaker scenes, every aspect of Kubrick's masterpiece seems to be polished to an absolute perfection and shows that we are dealing with a great, self-disciplined master. The story is based on the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray. Barry Lyndon which often feels like a relation of the book forasmuch some events occurring on the screen are simply recounted by the narrator. Notwithstanding, it never becomes anyhow discordant or contradictory with the general concept, actually it is difficult to envision the movie without this element which gives it a distant perspective and thus render the flick more historical and epic. It has a great deal of subplots which slightly reminds of Full Metal Jacket. In that film, it does not diminish the excellence of Kubrick's rendition, however, owing to an exploited episodic structure, the ensemble invariably appears to be a little clutter, skipping from one location to another and it is incapable of creating an appropriate atmosphere, particularly in the second half, when a viewer is taken aback by an unexpected transition from a traverse, where a dehumanizing training of soldiers occurs, into a Vietnam chapter. One never recaptures the mood and the second part does not conjure up a suggestive climax of isolation in the jungle which would be adequate. Fortunately, Kubrick is always aware of his aim in Barry Lyndon, he does not delve into digressions that much. In spite of implicating a lot of minor episodes which sometimes slightly reminiscent of the above-mentioned film released 12 years later, the subject does not feel diluted with unnecessary subplots nor is it self-indulgent – the action always revolves around the protagonist. The pace is always right, neither rushed, nor excessively languorous. The story flows steadily. The narrative structure is simple and fortunately not oversophisticated, the linear storytelling makes it all comprehensive and the plot is easy to follow.
Whereas one is accompanying Barry becoming a soldier and struggling through the atrocities of war, Kubrick shows an indubitable brilliance in combat scenes which despite being few and far between are ravishingly portentous and electrifying. Successively, while the main hero slowly withdraws from the war and regains the status of a gentleman, a viewer is able to observe Kubrick's apt eye for visuals. Every frame is fascinating, not only owing to the opulence of scenography, but also on account of a sublime cinematography of John Alcott, who utilizes various colours ranging variations of grey, blue and finally warmer colours like red as well as yellow with talent of a prominent painter. The palette of hues is far from lollypop framing of A Clockwork Orange. Exploiting his talent for catching imposing images, Kubrick creates one of the best portrayals of 18th century and through the role of Barry who eventually comes to power, perfectly exposes the situation of those times. Notwithstanding, he never forgets about the major point of the story – the exploration of the power's impact on Barry's character who is more and more becoming a vain male. He disregards love of his wife, he prefers organizing orgies and having affairs to leading a traditional life, hence he becomes someone totally different from what he was at the beginning.
Ryan O'Neal is superb as Barry Lyndon. He shows an undisputable creativity with this undoubtedly complex role which gives him a great opportunity to expose his acting skills. He eschews being classified as a righteous persona or a straight-forward villain. He succeeds in being arrogant and charming at the same time. The moment one is likely to cease to sympathise with him, he seemingly becomes an elegant and nice man. Marisa Berenson is quite good as Lady Honoria Lyndon, although she is not remarkable anyhow and rather stays in the background. Marie Kean gives the best performance in the supporting cast as Barry's mother whose possessiveness is revealed near the end. This is something really fascinating and her character's development is atypically delightful. Towards the finale she is rather unlikable and the only matter she cares about is her son's fate.
The soundtrack consisting of music composed by John Sebastian Bach, Leonard Rosenman and The Chieftains is a great addition to the ensemble and the movie's classical feeling is even more articulate. The breath-taking cinematography and the ravishing palette of colours, the opulent scenography, the top-notch acting, the tremendous script – they all cooperate with each other excellently.
Saying that Barry London is no cinematic achievement is like arguing that sawdust is an exquisite dish. Kubrick did everything to render this a masterpiece and the execution is undeniably remarkable. Long as it is, this is also one of the most beautiful flicks ever created. The magnificence and its monumental nature overwhelms a viewer. The fabulousness of Kubrick's vision is simply eye-popping and jaw-dropping. It is one of the biggest treasures of worldwide cinema and a real tour-de-force that deserves more recognition that it actually received.