Kubrick's mild letdown sandwiched in between two greats

Rating: 7/10 (22 November 2005)

Following a troika of masterpieces ("Dr. Stranglove", "2001" and "A Clockwork Orange"), Stanley Kubrick decided to make a period piece. In "Barry Lyndon", the title character (Ryan O'Neal) abandons all morals with the goal of becoming rich and titled in 18th century England. Of course, he's only doing himself in.
It's debatable whether or not Kubrick was the ideal person for a costume drama, although he did a pretty good job here. Unfortunately, Ryan O'Neal isn't quite right to play Lyndon. Still, one can look for similarities to Kubrick's other movies. For example, the first Mr. Lyndon is in a wheelchair (just like Dr. Strangelove and the one character in "A Clockwork Orange"). There's a bathroom scene, like in "The Shining" and "Full Metal Jacket". Throughout most of the movie, Barry and Lady Lyndon (Marisa Berenson) are wearing red, but not at their wedding (that's a filmic element meaning that they aren't marrying for love). But overall, this isn't the Kubrick movie that I would recommend above all others.