A movie seen as a painting

Rating: 10/10 (29 September 2013)

This film is to be seen as a painting of the eighteenth century. The characters are merely models in an art gallery. During three long hours they limit themselves to pose while most of the narrative moves off camera, evolving through the words of the narrator. And where is the genius of it all? To see it just think about the story and reflect on how it invites to be told. It's almost a story of musketeers that 90% of directors would have accelerated, florid and embellished with sword duels romantic scenes, grand statements (love, hatred, revenge ...) and boatloads of emotion. Kubrick went for a completely different path. If you want to see the story it has to be on his terms - as a still life that hardly communicates anything that yourself have to create the thrill of fitting in the frame that you have in front of eyes. Pure cinema. Its natural beauty will leave you speechless.