There aren't many three-hour movies that I can say are captivating from the first frame through to the credits. I have written at length how much I dislike long movies. A tight 90 minute time limit is one of the greatest gifts a film can offer its audience. But sometimes. Sometimes a film comes along that demands more.
Stanley Kubrick's 1975 epic, Barry Lyndon is one such movie.
I. What Is It?
This is the story of Redmond Barry, an Irish scoundrel who scratches his way to the British aristocracy in the 18th century. Along the way there are duels, card games, military press-gangings, spy work, romance, tragedy, and familial strife.II. Painterly... Like, Literally
"Painterly" is a word often used to describe how pretty or beautiful something is. I have used it in the past, too.
In this case, the word is extra apropos: you see, Stanley Kubrick utilized paintings from the period to inspire the look and feel of Barry Lyndon. He arranges images that are evocative of famous 18th century paintings: broad, beautiful vistas of the English countryside, lavish castles, and lush garden parties. Shots usually start in either extreme close up, or extreme wide angle, and then pull out or push in, slowly revealing the full scene as they do so. What is astounding is that the initial frames are beautiful, but, as the camera reveals more and more, THOSE shots, also, are breathtakingly gorgeous. That Kubrick and cinematographer John Alcott were able to compose compositions within compositions that evolved into different compositions is just mind-melting.
People dot the landscape, frozen, often in mid-stance, as if they are trapped in paintings: it is an unnatural, highly stylized, affected choice, but it works. It forces the viewer to perceive what they are seeing as a work of art. Kubrick never did care much for naturalism, anyway.
The characters' faces are smeared with corpse-white makeup, and their heads are burdened with prodigious powdered wigs, and their bodies are draped in eccentric cloth. If you ignored all of the spoken words and music, this film would remain a visual feast.
Kubrick crafted one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. The use of natural light, and the shot composition, and the detailed set decoration, and the extravagant hair, makeup and costumes, and the music all combine to form a kind of gesamtkunstwerk. That's German for "total artwork." And film is one of the best ways to achieve gesamtkunstwerk because it mixes together multiple forms of art into one super work. Kubrick made his gesamtkunstwerk with Barry Lyndon.
It has been said that working for Kubrick was a harrowing, demoralizing experience. It is also said that many people believe that they did their best work for him. That is an interesting dynamic to mull over.
In this case, the word is extra apropos: you see, Stanley Kubrick utilized paintings from the period to inspire the look and feel of Barry Lyndon. He arranges images that are evocative of famous 18th century paintings: broad, beautiful vistas of the English countryside, lavish castles, and lush garden parties. Shots usually start in either extreme close up, or extreme wide angle, and then pull out or push in, slowly revealing the full scene as they do so. What is astounding is that the initial frames are beautiful, but, as the camera reveals more and more, THOSE shots, also, are breathtakingly gorgeous. That Kubrick and cinematographer John Alcott were able to compose compositions within compositions that evolved into different compositions is just mind-melting.
People dot the landscape, frozen, often in mid-stance, as if they are trapped in paintings: it is an unnatural, highly stylized, affected choice, but it works. It forces the viewer to perceive what they are seeing as a work of art. Kubrick never did care much for naturalism, anyway.
The characters' faces are smeared with corpse-white makeup, and their heads are burdened with prodigious powdered wigs, and their bodies are draped in eccentric cloth. If you ignored all of the spoken words and music, this film would remain a visual feast.
Kubrick crafted one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. The use of natural light, and the shot composition, and the detailed set decoration, and the extravagant hair, makeup and costumes, and the music all combine to form a kind of gesamtkunstwerk. That's German for "total artwork." And film is one of the best ways to achieve gesamtkunstwerk because it mixes together multiple forms of art into one super work. Kubrick made his gesamtkunstwerk with Barry Lyndon.
It has been said that working for Kubrick was a harrowing, demoralizing experience. It is also said that many people believe that they did their best work for him. That is an interesting dynamic to mull over.
III. An Epic
This is a three hour movie. We watch a man's life unfold before our eyes, and his journey from lowly country bumpkin to aristocrat is fun and tragic and compelling. Barry is borne along the tides of history, fighting in the Seven Years War and brushing shoulders with the likes of King George, and ending his life's journey a destitute gambler in the colonies.
Yes, I had to clear an entire afternoon to watch this film, but I found myself invested in the story and the artistry of the film the entire time. The film has an intermission built in, too, so you could easily experience this movie in two sittings if you wanted.
This is a three hour movie. We watch a man's life unfold before our eyes, and his journey from lowly country bumpkin to aristocrat is fun and tragic and compelling. Barry is borne along the tides of history, fighting in the Seven Years War and brushing shoulders with the likes of King George, and ending his life's journey a destitute gambler in the colonies.
Yes, I had to clear an entire afternoon to watch this film, but I found myself invested in the story and the artistry of the film the entire time. The film has an intermission built in, too, so you could easily experience this movie in two sittings if you wanted.
Yes, I had to clear an entire afternoon to watch this film, but I found myself invested in the story and the artistry of the film the entire time. The film has an intermission built in, too, so you could easily experience this movie in two sittings if you wanted.
IV. The Dangers of Excess
Kubrick is often accused of being a nihilist. And I can see why. But I think that Barry Lyndon is an example of his characters earning their own grief and trouble. Almost every character, in Barry's case a few times, is presented with an opportunity: accept what you have, carve out a life for yourself, and be content; or keep scratching, keep reaching, and scheme your way to more. Almost every single time the characters choose to keep scratching. And their lives end in heartache and trauma because of it.
At one point Barry is given an opportunity to live out the idyllic country life he so desires when he encounters a farm maid. And he does live the life with her, and the film shows us that their encounter, brief though it was, was a positive one. But Barry chooses to move on. And almost immediately is press-ganged into service in the Prussian army.
Barry's son dies after sneaking out to the stable to ride the new horse he was bought for his birthday. He was cautioned against doing so, but left any way. The boy is throw from the horse and breaks his back.
Bullingdon, Barry's step-son, is given an opportunity to walk away from the duel he challenges Barry to, with no harm. His gun misfires, and Barry, unwilling to kill this boy (he certainly would have, too: the film makes a point of showing us Barry's prowess with both the sword and the firearm), purposefully fires his own round into the dirt. They ask Bullingdon if he has been given satisfaction. He says he has not. His next shot doesn't kill Barry, it just takes his leg.
Barry survives. He survives all of it. But he tumbles all the way back down to poverty and obscurity. And it is arguably because he refuses to accept his own life. He is not satisfied with what he has. He always reaches for more, and is punished for it.
At one point Barry is given an opportunity to live out the idyllic country life he so desires when he encounters a farm maid. And he does live the life with her, and the film shows us that their encounter, brief though it was, was a positive one. But Barry chooses to move on. And almost immediately is press-ganged into service in the Prussian army.
Barry's son dies after sneaking out to the stable to ride the new horse he was bought for his birthday. He was cautioned against doing so, but left any way. The boy is throw from the horse and breaks his back.
Bullingdon, Barry's step-son, is given an opportunity to walk away from the duel he challenges Barry to, with no harm. His gun misfires, and Barry, unwilling to kill this boy (he certainly would have, too: the film makes a point of showing us Barry's prowess with both the sword and the firearm), purposefully fires his own round into the dirt. They ask Bullingdon if he has been given satisfaction. He says he has not. His next shot doesn't kill Barry, it just takes his leg.
Barry survives. He survives all of it. But he tumbles all the way back down to poverty and obscurity. And it is arguably because he refuses to accept his own life. He is not satisfied with what he has. He always reaches for more, and is punished for it.
V. Should You See It?
Miscellany
- Kubrick fled Ireland after learning that his name was on an IRA hit list. A number of scenes were not filmed because of this.- A special 50 MM lens was built by Zeiss so that Kubrick could shoot the indoor candlelit scenes using only the light from candles. The lens was previously used by NASA to shoot photos in space. The lens was such that even the slightest movement would cause the actor to go out of focus. Because of that, the actors essentially had to sit absolutely still during their takes. Kubrick was known to do around 50 takes (upwards of 100) in order to get exactly what he wanted. Kubrick also used custom candles to get enough light: they had three wicks, and were made of extra volatile wax.
- Kubrick would play the classical music he was using for the score during takes to get his actors in the mood. It was a method he reportedly borrowed from Sergio Leone.
- The film was shot in 300 days over two years, with two shut downs.
- Marisa Berenson plays Lady H. Lyndon. She speaks only 13 lines in the whole film.
- This is Kubrick's SECOND longest film at 184 minutes: Spartacus (1960) runs 197 minutes.
- During the final duel, Leon Vitali, who plays Bullingdon, vomits. Kubrick wanted him to really vomit, so they made him eat a raw egg. Vitali was worried that he was going to have to do the scene multiple more times. But Kubrick accepted the single take and moved on.
- Barry Lyndon was nominated for seven Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography and Best Original Score. It took home four statues: Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography and Best Original Score.
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