Truly stunning ....

Rating: 10/10 (19 July 2000)

Barry Lyndon, which I recently saw for the first time in nearly twenty years, remains one of the most extraordinary films I have ever seen.
I clearly remember seeing the film on it release and being quite literally overwhelmed.
No other film distills Kubrick's visual and directorial style so completely as Barry Lyndon.
Much of the film's brilliance lies in the stunning cinematography, which is not only a technical tour-de-force but also captures some of the most beautiful images ever created for film.
And few films have so successfully combined music and image, even though the soundtrack is in mono. (It proves all the modern multichannel wizardry is of no use if thought behind a film's sound scheme is lacking).
The much discussed central performance by Ryan O'Neal is in fact almost flawless. O'Neal's Lyndon remains a cypher and in some ways distant from the viewer but irresistible at the same time, buffeted by fate and the consequences of his own failings.
Indeed all the performances, from Sir Micheal Hordern, who narrates the film and the rest of the cast are excellent.
Whilst the story is episodic and the plot straightforward it serves as the essential backdrop for both Thackeray and Kubrick's biting wit.
It also contains some of the most trenchant anti-war sentiment you are likely to hear.
This is a great film.