A Series of Pictures, Each Worth a Thousand Words

Rating: 9/10 (1 May 2004)

I saw Barry Lyndon when it was first released almost 30 years ago. I remember thinking "This would be great if only he had cast someone other than Ryan O'Neil". Now, viewing it again, I realize it wouldn't have mattered: the only star of any Kubrick film is Stanley himself and this is the most beautiful film he has ever starred in. Period films usually don't wear well; anachronisms creep in regardless of how meticulous a director is (and most aren't) so that on viewing, years later, one can tell immediately the decade(sometimes, even the year) in which it was made. Barry Lyndon is a notable exception. On a lush, exquisite, cinematic canvas, scene by scene, Kubrick re-creates the mid-18th century in beautiful, painterly detail. The acting, the actors, the plot are all of secondary importance to this visual masterpiece.