A Work of Art

Rating: 10/10 (22 August 2001)

Barry Lyndon, perhaps more than any other Stanley Kubrick film, is more of a work of art than a motion picture. Kubrick was arguably one of the masters of the cinematic art form, however this particular movie is more like an exquisite still painting. In fact, if you are lucky enough to own the recent digital transfer of this movie, you can freeze-frame any scene of the movie for proof of this--whether it's a great landscape or a more intimate scene of human interaction, the stills are breathtaking. The story contains a lot of passion, despite Kubrick's trademark stand-offish characterizations. Ryan O'Neal's performance seems to get better with age (who would have thought that?) The three hours never drag. This is definitely one of Kubrick's best, and most underrated, films.