Barry Lyndon
The career of Stanley Kubrick was as such that even though he only directed 13 feature films in his lifetime, every single one of them is considered to be a classic in one way or another by most people. Yet, there is always some debate about just which one of his films (especially among the “big ones”) should be thought of as being the “black sheep” or rather the “odd film out” in being something that doesn’t quite live up to the rest of his filmography and many times the movie that is brought up the most is this 1975 release and for various reasons as well. Some cite the excessive running time at 3+ hours while others will mention the casting of Ryan O’Neal in the lead role (he was actually a very big star at the time coming off of Love Story although he is not as fondly remembered as such today) or perhaps because of the fact that it can best be described as being a period piece (1700s) with a vengeance, leaving no stone unturned in depicting that long ago time period complete with using natural lighting in almost every scene (night scenes are lit with pure candlelight) which required the use of having to have groundbreakingly advanced camera lenses literally invented just for the occasion of the filming of this one movie. And the main question asked by the doubters of this is, is it boring? Well, one thing that has to be agreed upon here is that, regardless of what one may think of the story, this is without a doubt Kubrick’s most BEAUTIFUL movie, at least from an aesthetic standpoint. As many know, Kubrick had started out as a professional photographer and had brought many of his traits and skills from that trade into his filmmaking ventures, taking great pride in forming and framing shots in the same way that a legitimate artist would and none of his films feature that type of creative quality at work as much as this film does, masterfully showing us quaint countrysides and villas throughout both Ireland and England in such a way as to purposely give us the impression of a perfect, idyllic oil painting come to life in live action. And Kubrick successfully endeavors (again, if the story gets too slow) to give us these amazing camera shots every 5 to 10 minutes for us to get completely lost in. Kubrick had been looking to make a movie set entirely in The 18th Century and had actually done extensive research on the period so that he could make a movie about the life of Napoleon. Failing that, he then set his sights on developing this semi obscure novel from the era by William Makepeace Thackeray that nonetheless is credited as being the first “novel without a hero” or rather the first where the main character can be considered an antihero, a morally and financially irresponsible asshole who smoothtalks his way into any and every position of respectability that he can attain for himself only to have it all blow up in his face by the end. There’s also the amusing irony of a story depicting an Irishman marrying his way into English nobility, a concern of both sides even during filming (Kubrick was reportedly put on an IRA hit list). The dubious studio trusted Kubrick with the massive budget on the condition that he use one of the Top 10 Highest Grossing Movie Stars at the time and after rejecting various names that were on it for obvious reasons (Burt Reynolds, Charles Bronson, John Wayne, Marlon Brando, Barbara Streisand), he settled on the very Irish Robert Redford who immediately turned it down so he was stuck with O’Neal instead who was also Irish and also on the list but it may have turned out for the best as O’Neal brings his usual almost passive quality to the role of a guy who’s a liar and cheater but gets away with much of it by projecting an aura of perplexed sensitivity that seems to get him out of trouble every time. We’re told in the opening scene that Barry’s father was killed in a duel over a bad business deal and thus we are introduced to Barry’s wayward life which includes an embarrassing love affair with his cousin, a botched duel of his own with a British officer, a highway robbery being committed on him on his way out of town, joining the military in order to fight in The Seven Years War only to run away from combat and ultimately become a deserter, wandering into Germany for a fly by night affair with a cute widow, being arrested by German troops for deserting The English Army only to be recruited into their own, being decorated for valor in combat which came about as a complete stroke of luck (similar to Forrest Gump), being assigned to keep an eye on a professional gambler (Patrick Macnee) believed to be a spy only to confess to Macnee the truth of why they’re so interested in him when he realizes that Macnee is also Irish, fleeing Germany with Macnee before making a killing with him at all of the gambling parlors in Europe and finally winding up in England where he makes a move on a nobleman’s wife and when the nobleman suddenly dies, marrying that very widow (Marisa Berenson) and even assuming the nobleman’s last name (Lyndon) in a role reversal of the woman usually assuming her husband’s last name upon marriage. After this whirlwind of a story that was just described (which almost reminds one of Voltaire’s Candide), it is here that Kubrick settles down the story for the final hour to depict the dramatic conflict that occurs when O’Neal’s Barry (obviously seen by most people as a slick gigolo type who especially being Irish has no business in calling himself English nobility) makes a mockery of his wife’s fortune and in particular clashes with his new stepson (Leon Vitali, whom after filming this movie became Kubrick’s personal assistant) who seems to see him more clearly than anyone else as built up through a lifetime of frustration and hatred not only over being whipped as a boy by this invader of his family’s estate but also by the love and the attention shown when his mother and Barry have their own son, a truly monstrous brat who makes Barry’s stepson feel inadequate in every possible way. For much of the movie, the viewer might struggle to try and figure out just what is the point of all this? It might be about the main character struggling with having an identity crisis and always trying to be something he’s not, but in the end it appears that after watching nearly 3 hours of O’Neal’s Barry lie, cheat and steal his way into a life of luxury, it is only at the end that we witness him commit an act of genuine honor and unselfishness as a possible form of redemption. But was it worth the journey? The rough answer would be yes and no. We get a small feeling of release from his climatic act, but other aspects of that scene (and much of the ironic narration which purposefully telegraphs several plot twists) reveal this to be more of a black comedy than anything, a movie where terrible and dramatic events happen but still there is the underlying feeling that our main character is just begging to have kharma bite him in the ass sooner or later (and even welcoming it by the end). Likewise with the stepson character (easily the second most compelling character in the film besides Barry himself) who can easily be dismissed as a weak, cowardly mama’s boy but who really WAS truly wronged by this interloper who fully expected to be accepted by him as his new father and was punished and disciplined by him instead for not doing so, not to mention having his relationship with his beloved mother become greatly strained and weakened (even when they see evidence that Barry is actually cheating on her on top of everything else including spending her money). It’s up to one’s own judgment to determine if Barry’s actions at the end which constitute his “redemption” is enough to bring the viewer satisfaction with the outcome, but at least this is all presented across magnificent landscapes and vistas with the strict authenticity making the whole thing eminently watchable. It’s entirely possible that Kubrick was purposely engaging in an exercise of style over substance (he knowingly wanted to do a film, any kind of film, that was set in The 1700s, story be damned) and in that way he very much succeeded (the film won Oscars for Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design and Music but nothing for acting, writing or directing) but considering some of the mind blowing stories that this legendary director has told in his more renowned classic films, this either amounts to giving him a free pass based on great visuals or determining that maybe this was his one slight misstep when it came to telling a great story…
7/10