Stunning

Rating: 10/10 (1 November 2004)

Stanley Kubrik's 18th century drama about a young Irish rogue
who travels through Europe with various armies during the Seven
Years War is a stunning masterpiece that provides scenery and
sounds that overwhelm the moviegoers' senses. Redmond Barry,
played by Ryan O'Neal, is a tragic character in his young
adulthood who is forced to enlist in the British army, deserts, is
taken in by Britain's allies, the Prussians, and through the
opportunities afforded to him as a spy for the Prussian army
moves up the social ladder and nearly attains the title of Lord Barry
Lyndon. However, he cannot fully escape his past and suffers for
his wrong doings. The story is quite compelling despite its long
and drawn out format. But what makes the piece so unique and
thrilling for the movie enthusiasts is the way it is presented visually
and musically.
The way Kubrik depicts the European landscapes through deep
focus shots and high camera angles is stunning to say the least.
The camera captures the unspoiled beauty of picturesque
villages, and the rolling country hills of the European farmlands.
Kubrik also displays fantastic shots of palace courtyards that
place the viewer in the lap of an aristocratic era when luxury and
lavishness where at a pinnacle. In addition to the extraordinary
exterior shots are the unique interior shots beyond there time in
innovativeness. Kubrik used a special lens developed by NASA to
shoot much of the films interior shots in natural lighting. This
gives the movie watcher a real sense of being inside of an18th
palace playing cards by candlelight with Patrick Magee's
character, the Chevalier de Balibari (http://www.imdb.com/title/ tt0072684/trivia).
The other facet of Barry Lyndon that made it so powerful for
myself was the use of music, particularly surrounding the Lady
Lyndon, played by Marisa Berenson. When Lady Lyndon is first
introduced she is accompanied by a certain score of music that
fits her character remarkably well. The music continues as she
and Barry have their first liaison on a palace porch. As the couple
shared their first kiss there is a dramatic pause in the beat of the
song and their movement seems to almost echo the song as if
they were performing a dance. As the movie progresses the
same score is repeated at dramatic moments in Lady Lyndon's
life and is playing at the conclusion of the film at a moment when
she is obviously reflecting on her past with the Irish scoundrel.
The combination of visual creativeness and an understanding of
the power of music are two of Kubrik's trademarks as a director.
Visually Barry Lyndon can only be compared to the spectacular
outerspace shots of 2001: A Space Odyssey, and musically it is
on par with the dramatic scoring of A Clockwork Orange.