Cheap Barry Lyndon (DVD) (Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson) (Stanley Kubrick) Price

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Customer Reviews of Barry Lyndon

"Barry Lyndon", unlike many movies which trip all over themselves to twist the audiences expectations, does take it's time; but it is for the journey that we must embark. Every character, every set, every line of dialogue, every frame has been touched by a craftman unequaled in his lifetime. From the highly detailed production design to the flowery, and at times, comical dialogue Kubrick has created a true vision of life in aristocratic Europe.

But instead of celebrating the chivalry and heroism of the period Kubrick peels away the layers of legend to reveal the true nature of kings and generals. He satirically castigating royalty and soldiers alike as petty and decadant rogues, who pay lip service to honor while stealing all they can to support their lifestyle (or "the manner with which they'd become accustomed"). And Barry, being from humble roots, is all too eager to play the game in exchange for a place at the table.

The film is both a literary and visual masterpiece. The former is likely due to the abilities of W.M. Thacker who wrote the book upon which the movie was based. Only a novel could be so rich in detail while mantaining it's overall theme. The latter, is all Kubrick - always a visual genius, the man invented a new lens system so he could film the whole thing with natural light. Amazing. At certain points in the movie, you will be wondering if that river or meadow in the background is a matte painting or if, in fact, a place that scenic does indeed exist.

I've seen the movie three or four times, I watch key scenes over and over again. To me, it's one of the funniest movies ever made. The fact that Kubrick made it also makes it one of the best.

Victorian life shown like none other
Barry Lyndon is a perfect example of a Kubrick film. It may not be as good as a clockwork orange, or 2001, but it is the most beautifully filmed movie ever made. Each set, each shot, is a victorian painting come to life. If you were to study the way kubrick made film's (which is very distinct, you notice them when you become a Kubrick coneseaur) Barry Lyndon might actually be the best place to start.
Barry Lyndon came out of the idea of Kubricks masterpiece. Kubrick deperately wanted to do a full scale napolean epic, only to find no studio would fund him ( he wanted epic battle scene's with thousands of extras). When he found he could not do this, he settle on William Thackery's victorian novel.
It is the story of an Irish lad who scams his way into English nobility. When he makes it to the top he slowly unravals through travesty and his own attitude (which blimps as the movie wains).
It is a great movie, and an Excellent Kubrick, and you should try it.

Gordon Gekko in 1767
Barry Lyndon is traditionally seen as Stanley Kubrick's weakest film. Yet a certain number of newer reviewers - and Martin Scorsese - are only now beginning to see that this film has been terribly underrated.

When I first saw this movie I sided very much with those who believed the film to be pointless eye candy. I couldn't see any point to this movie, which seemed to consist of more or less random events with no real beginning or end, and nothing worth remarking on in between.

Of course, years later I began having flashbacks of this movie, and was sorely tempted to buy the DVD, a purchase I finally made (the DVD is very good).

"Barry Lyndon" is as much a Greek tragedy as Godfather Part II or the second half of Gone with the Wind. Here Barry Lyndon is trapped by fate, after a series of events set off by aspects of his own character. His very attempts to make himself still richer, towards the end of the film results in an awful mess that is suspiciously reminiscent of Gone with the Wind. I think Margaret Mitchell may possibly have read the novel.(*spoiler!* Hmm, where have I seen a child falling off a horse before?)

Barry Lyndon, as a nouveau riche social climber desperately trying to find what we would call "the American Dream" is strangely modern as a figure. The story of his rise and fall is like that of any modern, money-hungry social climber, and is quite relevant to our present world.

At any rate, the film is also a masterpiece of atmosphere and style. The care with which the film was made was clearly excruciating, with scenes as carefully plotted out and filmed as any oil painting. Despite Kubrick's reputation as a rather emotionless director, there are plenty of funny scenes. My favourite scenes in this regard are the scenes showing the Chevalier de Balibari playiong cards - the innocent look on his face as he cheats his opponents gets funnier every time you see it.
Of course, there is the famous Schubert Trio scene, where Redmond Barry seduces Lady Lyndon in an incredibly long, slow, but well-timed scene. The movements of eighteenth century aristocrats through their ritualised world is truly as absorbing to watch, as the incredibly slow space pod scenes in Space Odyssey.

Of course, there is no Star Gate here; no profundity of theme or mysticism; no deep truths. Barry Lyndon does not try to be as deep as Clockwork Orange, in the same way that Scorsese's Age of Innocence did not aspire to the depth of Taxi Driver. That is not the point. The film could be said to be more style than substance; but in that case it could be said to join Citizen Kane and Blade Runner. It's still damn fine filmmaking.

The original novel frankly bears little resemblance to the finished film. (I am reading it now). The novel Barry Lyndon is truly a picaresque novel with a rascally, lively narrator far removed from Ryan O'Neal's very understated portrayal; and in fact the general atmosphere of the book reminded me much more of Oliver Twist or Gulliver's travels than the stately and classy environment of the film. In this respect Kubrick has taken the skeleton of plot from the novel, and laced it with copious amounts of Kubrickian flesh.