Restrained historical drama with incredible period detail.

Rating: 7/10 (5 May 2003)

A roguish young Irishman goes on a tour of Europe and - various military adventures down the line - falls in to a marriage of financial convenience.
Three hours of screen time is long by anybody's standards, but at least you are viewing the incredible vision of Stanley Kubrick for that time. Whatever you might say about him, there are moments in all his films (even Clockwork Orange, which I detest) that are magical and moving.
Here there is not a scene, prop or location that doesn't ring true to the period; although maybe a bit over-the-top picture postcard at times.

Many indoor scenes seem designed to make the world almost in to a moving painting, in fact there are times when we linger (for a few seconds) in stillness before dialogue/action starts to further the effect.
Some say Ryan O'Neil was too modern for the central role, but I disagree, his acting is far from Oscar material but it gets us through the movie with minimal fuss. While BL is clearly not a man of honour, a lot of the time he is merely doing what he needs to do to get by and I found him hard to dislike - even through he is a child beater!
Often he is given no real lines, but emotes on the tragedy and his traps with looks, anxious glances and glazed expressions. Female lead Marissa Berenson (although hardly in the picture on the old stopwatch) seems chosen for her dazzling profile - which we linger on slowly and lovingly, by order of films joint producer and director. We don't know her or understand her though - and that is the film's one major fault.
BL is the kind of film that you are going to have to get yourself prepared for mentally and in terms of sitting comfort. There are real moments of mastery here (the duelling scenes - with the rules being explained slowly and clearly - are the work of someone who understands tension and timing perfectly), but while I salute it for its technical expertise and loving care, it does leave you with the feeling that you have spent three hours in an art gallery as opposed to watching a film.