Great job,like your insights,just a small correction the piece is a mvt from the Schubert piano trio op 100...not Handel.thanks again...th-cam.com/video/R7ixGAOwCiQ/w-d-xo.html
I’ve always wondered why Kubrick picked the Schubert piece since it’s the only one that’s not of the time. I heard him say on another channel that he looked for another 18th century piece but nothing else worked and he was right. That trio is perfect, it has an uneasiness and cynicism that fits right in.
I’m a student of military history and I was very impressed at not only the historical accuracy of the movie but also how people thought of life during that time period. Look at Napoleon, for instance. This movie was incredible. It’s the only historical period piece that has kept me in the time period throughout the movie with no concept of when it was actually filmed. It’s like Kubrick found a window in time and let the cameras roll. It’s not for everyone, but that’s what makes it so good.
Hated this movie as a kid loved it as an adult.I wish the battle scenes were longer. You made a good analysis of the film. it really was like watching a living painting.Come alive! Kubricks best work 🏆
I was so intrigued by all the snippets I had seen and read about this film that I decided to watch it. I was totally blown away. Can't believe I missed it when it first came out and nearly 50 years on, it hasn't aged a bit. Amazing!
Hated this movie as a kid loved it as an adult.I wish the battle scenes were longer. You made a good analysis of the film. it really was like watching a living painting.Come alive! Kubricks best work 🏆
@ramonek9109 yes, but the comment addresses the piece of music at 8:33 that is mistakenly credited as Handel's Sarabande, when it is actually Franz Schubert's Piano Trio in E-Flat.
Fredrick Handel's sarabande ( the glorious kind of music)and Schubert's trio op 100 ( this starts playing when Barry sees miss lyndon for the first time) were used in this picture
I thought it was a incredibly lonley movie. The scene were he rides with his newly wed wife and he blows the smoke in her face and the narration says something along the lines of: "his wife had dropped into his background like the paintings and expensive furniture", i think really summarizes his loneliness. Also those constant shots of the castle, sitting alone in nature, as well as many other beautiful shots that always feel empty, even with people in it, really shows how kubrick almost created an entire world that is completely empty.
I just gave the second half of the movie a quick skim. Not entirely true, she has two additional scenes with lines. However, the one that you mentioned is the only time she speaks when they are alone. So, which I would have never noticed if you never pointed it out! Incredible!
Thanks for this perceptive review. As you say Barry Lyndon is an absolute feast for me the music, the visuals, and the bone dry narration of Michael Hordern ‘They are all equal now’ stand out. I would claim also that it is very rare in that it is a historical movie which goes a long way towards capturing the atmosphere of a time. Most, even very good ones like Zulu or Lawrence of Arabia, bear the stamp of the period in which they were made. Kubrick managed to convey a period in which emotions and enthusiasms were hidden or inhibited, a pre romantic era of pragmatism and calculation. The language used can still be heard in the Crown Court of England and Wales where judges and barristers still wear wigs and gowns and address each other in tremendously precise, ponderous, formal and antique ways ‘My Lord’ ‘Your Honour’ ‘My Learned Friend’ ‘if that is your Honour’s view’. As an ex lawyer I had plenty of chances to observe this.
I love how expertly directed the scene where Barry, Lady Lyndon and Samuel communicate and foreshadow the events and feelings all through eye contact. Barry looks at her she looks away looks back at him then she lingers a little too long and Samuel instantly catches on. That look in his eye when looking at Barry conveys so much he doesn’t break eye contact while having absolute contempt for Barry. He sees all the warning signs but alas… This shot also reminded me of Bergman’s ‘Autumn Sonata’ where Liv Ulmann’s character wants to impress her mother Ingrid Bergman a concert pianist by playing a Chopin Prelude and her mother can’t stand it then shows her how to play it her way and not the “mawkish” version her daughter just played. While Ingrid Bergman plays Ullmann’s character has tears in her eyes utterly destroyed like always we presume (backstory through a Chopin piece and eye contact; amazing) and it takes her the length of the Chopin piece to look at her mother just wanting acceptance she could care less about the music. I miss film. ❤
That was Trio Op 100 by Schubert not Sarabande by Handel and yes the movie does bare resemblance to the piece because it is a duet between a piano and a cello where they switch roles halfway through, playing what the other had played in the first half, which is similar to Barry’s life in that he goes from being swindled and screwed over to becoming the swindler and the one who screws over.
Both pieces were used in the film. Schubert's trio is a masterpiece. I recommend the Beaux Arts trio recording, which is played with a lighter touch. In the film, it is played much heavier and slower. The Sarabande was used in the boy's funeral, played like a powerful dirge.
This came out on You Tube. I was enraptured with the very first scene. I absolutely loved it. I love period piece dramas and this was one of the best I've seen . You're right, it's not for everyone but it was a masterpiece. I'm a huge movie buff and can't believe I overlooked this for so long.
I’ve never seen this movie. I thought I’ve seen all the good ones. I love period dramas. I love art films. I love Stanley Kubrick movies. I’m clearly mistaken and have missed a lot of good movies. I look forward to seeing Barry Lyndon. I have a TH-cam subscription so I hope this movie is still available. Thanks for the comment and please respond with other good movie suggestions that movie buffs like me may have missed.
The Prussian Army having a fife and drum band playing the Hohenfriedberger March (written by Frederick the Great himself) in the midst of battle is extremely authentic, as the earlier battle scene with British Grenadiers.
I saw this in the theater when it came out in the summer of 1975. The night we went to see it was August 9th, maybe the 8th, but I remember going into a drugstore, and Richard Nixon was on the radio announcing that he would resign the next morning, then I went outside and saw the newspaper in the rack outside the door the headline read: Nixon Resigns. I was about to turn 15.
I watched Barry Lyndon about 20 years ago, and I think it's about time for a re-watch. I love this series of videos you're making. Please keep it up and thank you.
Kubrick was never afraid of showing the dark side of humanity which is why he is one of my favorite directors. "The Killing", "Paths of Glory", "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Clockwork Orange", "The Shining", etc. Pretty much all of his films are an examintation of the negative aspects of humanity. Anyone that can't grasp that should go wartch dumb fluff.
I love that Barry marries for money, and that when mood boarding the scenes, Kubrick was inspired by William Hogarth's Marriage A La Mode, a series of 6 paintings from 1743 that satirise the 18th centuries' upper-class' obsession with marrying for money, not love. Such an interesting and fascinating touch Kubrick used!
this gets me to think about what directors after, say, 1985, have been inspired by pre-20th century art? Before then, a lot. But it's hard to come up with even one off the top of my head.
surprisingly, many of the outfits in barry lyndon were actually antique clothes from the era and not costumes. kubrick would go to any extreme to get his performers looking just right
I seen this film in its debut week in 1975 having waited what seemed an eternity for it to arrive . I loved this film when it came and still do . It show the genius of Stanley and his talent to surround himself with enormous talent . It is full of tension and release . The piece of feature music is by Schubert and not Haendel . I took from it what can happen if you don't choose true friendship and love .
To me this is a movie about emotion over anything else. There are these pauses that happens for sometimes a few minutes at a time and you can feel the pulse of the moment just emanating from the screen. Particularly when Barry stares at Lady Lyndon for the first time when they're gambling. Another is the early scene with Nora playing cards. Just heavy emotional moments and I think pure in their portrayal of love. The same types of moments happen for sadness, anger, fear, jealousy, and more.
I love the scenes filmed within this room at 8:38 (called the “Double Cube Room” of Wilton House, England), it really does such a good job of making the characters appear small/ insignificant by comparison. This room is SO popular in period film (it must have been featured in 20+ adaptions), for this exact reason. Although, not very fitting to use as an interior for Lady Lyndon’s estate 8:33 - a real life English stately home called “Castle Howard” - because the room was finished in 1650 a whole 50 years before the Castle had even started construction in 1699. If you know about architecture and historic interiors, these small details are rather noticeable. But overall he did a phenomenal job of authenticity, and I love Barry Lyndon.
Very good review. I've seen the movie many times. The first time was when it first came out, at a drive-in with my girl friend, and I fell asleep - it's long and slow. But I've really come to love it. As I watched your review I came to the realization that the subtext of the movie is "breeding tells." Barry comes from the lower classes and acts rashly throughout the story. He acts thoughtlessly, however courageous he is. He's also always complaining about the raw deal he's been handed. The upper class characters are above Barry in this respect, but their weakness is that they are self-assured of their own superiority; they underestimate the intelligence and determination of a man like Barry. So we are set on a collision course of mutually assured destruction. Barry can pretend to be of the aristocracy, but he will always carry on like the farmer's son he is, and Lord Bullingdon won't stand for it. Breeding tells. Music: the Handle Sarabande is used for the ultra-dramatic moments (like the dueling scenes, Bryan's funeral scene, and the titles). The Schubert piece is the one you mention in the video. The Sarabande is to my mind The Voice of Doom in this film, and is virtually a character in itself.
(Edit: autocorrect had a duel with the spelling of Bullingdon and won sorry about that) The class element struck me too, once Lord Bullingnon got rid of low class Barry the hierarchy status is restored. Barry even used his last shred of humanity to not shoot him at the duel but Bullingnon abuses the new lease on his life and demands “satisfaction” like young Barry with Captain John Quinn “I’m not sorry and I won’t apologize.” It makes me wonder about fate and destiny, is Barry fated to failure through a cosmic bite of irony and black humor. Even the narrator comes off as “the unreliable narrator.” At the end he says Barry’s final days were not recorded just like the battles he fought for in that “history thought not significant enough to record” as well. Barry lost so much in those battles but the universe was like “nah.” He even makes himself a war hero embellishing tales of heroism he tells Brian. Yet, ironically “Barry was not meant to have offspring (something like that) so not even his son could tell the tales of Barry Lyndon. But who is telling the story? How is Barry remembered as a cautionary tale to be laughed at? Somehow he lives on! Sorry for the blog post I love this movie!
I just recently saw Barry Lyndon for the first time, and I thought it was fantastic. Before seeing it, the biggest criticism I heard was that it was boring, but I can't agree with that. I was enthralled with every scene. Yes, it's a tragedy and doesn't pull any punches, but when it's done to near perfection, respect must be given, and I don't think it's hyperbole to call this film a masterpiece.
The pace is purposely slow. The scenes are so grand the pace of the movement has to be slow or you will miss what is shot. Learning About is spot on with his comments. The story is of seething desperate ambition barely beneath the surface of practiced manners. Those manners are also a part of the pace of the movie. If the characters were portraying who they really were, they would be ranting maniacs. If pretty boy Ryan ONeil never did anything else in his career, this movie alone would qualify him as a great actor. He never overplays his part. One of the seldom mentioned scenes is of him recounting to his young son a story of his life in the army. He delivers the lines with the greatest tenderness where his love for his boy is beautiful to watch. But the story is horrific, about his beheading 19 enemy soldiers. This is the true Lyndon Barry, an absolute brute who would kill you without hesitation if he could put an extra dime is his pocket. This is truly one of the great masterpieces of film. Kubrick was one of the great photographers who’s work should not be forgotten in an age of digital media.
@@nikispaniki real praise for your review. One thing I was reminded of reading it, and I think goes alongside what you've said, is that part of the masterpiece of the film is that it is a summation of a life, and from the stunning views to the beautiful soundtrack, we experience those significant moments of memories in this man's life, and as it reaches it's end, by it's length and presentation it does force us to look back on the whole journey and question whether or not it was worth it. Such a brilliant summation of the human condition. I love this film.
Barry Lyndon is Kubrick‘s masterpiece, indeed. In addition to the visuals, music, and superb performances, it is also very funny at times. And it basically end with „doesn’t matter what happened, their all dead now“
my son is 15 years old, well in body anyway, im sure he was born in 1820 lol. he wants to be a film director, and his favourate film is barry lyndon, we both agree that this picture is a masterpiece, it allows room to breathe and to think, its amazing, movies do not look like this today. but what you say about not watching if your depressed, i dissagree, its beautiful, and has cheered me up many times over. there are movies, and there are films, this is a film.
The Music! The love theme from the Women of Ireland. Even though Sarah Brightman wouldn't write lyrics (So Many Things) until twenty years later, I can still hear her voice when watching the film.
I saw this movie in the 1990s on VHS along with my best friend and our brothers and we all loved or liked it. We were teens and into our early 20s, Hispanic youth in the U.S. We were young people who appreciated art/cinema. My best friend was a Cinema fanatic, he taught us all the beauty of film. Life was different back then ...
While Handel's intense Sarabande is played throughout the film, the excerpt you played is Franz Schubert's Piano Trio opus 100. D.929, 2nd movement, which is also in the film.
On the "quiet hate" thing. What I found kind of amusing was the contrast between the social norms of this world, the forced dignity and extravagant politeness, and how these people actually feel about each other. Its to the point where even a highway robbery feels like a polite exchange. As for "animalistic," there's something about the pace and tone of the movie that makes it feel almost like a wildlife documentary about humans. Particularly with the very deadpan narrator coldly describing very painful or traumatic events.
That's not Haendl, it's the Schubert E flat trio, the only piece in the movie that was not 'period' (written in the 1820s, about 60 years after the events), but that pervasive melancholy works so well with that spectacular mottled cloud Rhineland landscape with the castle on the hill in the background. Some critic has remarked that Sir Thomas Gainsborough was the true art director of this movie.
I'd go far to say that this was Kubrick's last true masterpiece. His last remaining films seemed to be missing so key element that elevated might have elevated them to be masterpieces, but for me they just miss the mark. Barry Lyndon, on the other hand, feels like a complete experience. I was only 10 or 11 when it was released in '75 and wouldn't see it until it aired on HBO or some other movie channel probably some time in the 80's. I don't recall my initial reaction to the film but it must have left some good impression. It's probably going to be rather low on most people's list of favourite Kubrick films, but I rank it at number one, once held by A Clockwork Orange but that has dropped several notches now. It was only within the last ten years that I finally read the Thackeray novel and noted several changes, mostly with Redmond Barry himself. In the film he is a real prick who has no real feelings except for his son and there is scene that is truly heartbreaking every time I see it. Whereas Redmond in the novel is certainly a rogue and a scoundrel, but he has a certain charm that his cinematic counterpart lacks. Otherwise the film is quite a faithful adaptation, just streamlining the plot to eliminate some secondary plots and characters. His duel with Lord Bullingdon is not in the novel and the antagonism between him and his stepfather was invented by Kubrick, including the final duel. I've read many books on Kubrick but cannot recall what drew him to this particular book and why he thought it'd make a great film. He must have realised that it was not find a very wide audience, especially when people were used to period pieces as either swashbuckling adventures or sexy ribald romps. Barry Lyndon is neither and its slow pace must have driven many crazy at the time. I've never been bored by the film----Eyes Wide Shut, yes, but not Barry Lyndon. Next year will mark its 50th anniversary and I hope it will get a limited engagement like 2001 got in 2018. I'd love to see this on a big screen.
Many of Kubrick's movies are like this. The one thing that always got my attention was how many of his movies have a sense of isolation. The characters often seem to be just about the only ones in the world,or in the case of 2001: A Space Odyssey, where they're not in the world. But even in The Shining and, especially the first half of Full Metal Jacket, which isolation IS a part of the storyline. Background characters always seem like shadows. Kubrick's use of certain colors and long shots down hallways tend to add a strange feel. Alex in A Clockwork Orange,Jack in The Shining, Private "Pyle" in Full Metal Jacket and, of course Redmond are a few examples of characters in which Kubrick will show a close-up of them, often in very pale lightning, as we see their character about to have a massive, and often, negative change. Often depressing,but still watchable. Also: the "fife and drum" music playing in the scene where Barry rescued the army captain is played and sung throughout his tenure with the Prussians. It's called the Hohenfriedberger Marsch" and it was written in the 1740's by, none other than King of Prussia Frederick II(The Great),who was something of an accomplished flutist himself. I thought that was VERY fitting.
@@LearningaboutMovies Right. He's not perfect, but he maneuvered in the world, and his character is more-or-less intact in the end, even if he's down a leg.
See, I can understand people saying that about Kubrick. But his films are so masterful they uplift me, they bring me comfort and joy. Maybe I’m finding comfort in the sadness, but I feel other people need a little more grit.
I first saw Barry Lyndon as a 16-year-old in 1975, with a girl that I was then hoping would become my girlfriend. I absolutely loved Barry Lyndon, and thought that it was so very funny ("But Jonathan..."). She didn't, and so we never really got together. But I still LOVE Barry Lyndon, although my favourite Kubrick film is 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's hard to separate Paths of Glory, Clockwork Orange, and Dr Strangelove but 2001 and Barry Lyndon are definitely my top two.
The line that really gets me is "Your stay would.. infallibly plunge you into.. jail.." Like, he still had to filter an ultimatum for an intolerable situation through that prism of etiquette, even in the wake of a practical coup of the family estate.
Hi. Thank you for such a great video. "Barry Lyndon" is one of my top five favorite movies, and I make a point to watch it every year. You've given me some new insights about how sound is used in the movie, especially the Handel piece that plays throughout the final hour. Here are some fun facts about it; 1. Kubrick achieved the arresting candlelight scenes with a special camera and he had to direct people to stay frozen in place or else they would blur because of the depth of field. Some say he received the camera as payment for his work for filming the moon landing scenes for NASA, but that's a whole other matter!. 2. The actor playing the adult Lord Bullington never acted in another movie and instead found a career behind the camera. 3. In early scene during Barry's army stint he fights a large, tough guy, and he is the same actor who fights Indiana Jones when a plane is circling around them taxiing (and it slices up the guy). 4. He ordered Marisa Berenson to stay out of the sun for six months prior to filming so she would have the correct complexion.
Ι have to disagree with you. Not all the people hate each other in this movie. Barry Lyndon loves his son and his son loves him. Also Barry Lyndon loves his mother and the officer who gets killed in the battle next to him. And we see that this is also mutual
that's fair. though, I think, all of those loves could be construed as self-centered-driven affections. almost no human character in any Kubrick movie loves any other human.
@@LearningaboutMovies If the affection or love is expressed different than the "typical" one we are used, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Barry Lyndon was ready to sacrifice his life for his loved one. He doesn't scream about it, but that doesn't mean it's not strong enough.
First off, I really appreciate this video or any video that draws attention to one of Kubrick's most unknown masterpieces. To me Barry Lyndon has two major conceits. The first one is "you can take the boy out of the hood, but you can't take the hood out of the boy." The other is a little more complicated. I don't believe that the elite necessarily hate each other. Rather, I believe that they resent to no end that to be members of the elite they have to lead a life of propriety and manners where they have no choice but to bottle any notion of their baser selves. Always holding back. Like a chess game. The scene where Barry beats his son is one of the funniest in the movie. Everyone is so shocked by this violence they stand in disbelief for seconds. Then when they finally act they fall around like idiots in their fancy shoes. I won't say Redmond Barry ends up a good person by any means. But his decision not to fire at Lord Bullingdon after he chokes his turn could be considered a form of redemption. Anyway, that was always my take on it. Thanks!
I didn’t find this film to be as dark as many other Kubrick films. It’s tragic but the tragedy is interspersed with light humor and backed by inspiring visuals and amazing music
This is a great review that I think many miss out on some very sharp points the movie makes, namely that of a certain critical viewpoint of western history and the western man. What I think many miss out on and a key difference between the original novel and the movie is that Stanley I dont think really sees himself as separate from this civilization(and other more moden ones like that of the Shining) and is therefore somewhat spiteful of it, despite o love of it (as demonstrated by Stanleys clear appreciation of the art of the time. However what I do love is what appears as an olive branch offered by Stanley at the end. Barry dies in obscurity, never returning the eminence of his life as presented in the latter half of the movie. I believe this is because he took his word to his son to heart, to never to quarrel, in order to see his son in Heaven. The bit about him never succeeding at cards supports this, and I think its thematically resonant that it this is a humble act and therefore is not seen. to be honest, I haven't seen this remarked anywhere(though I'm sure i'm not the first to think it), but I do think it might even be a test of the audience in some sense.
I would always say that this movie is a semi satirical look at the world of the super rich during perhaps Western society's most hierarchical era. Social climbers, gold diggers, a condescending view by old money towards the nouveau riche, the gauche attempts by the nouveau riche to buy acceptance into the heirarchy. The hangers on that the super rich attract hoping for some crumbs from the table, those who attempt to pass themselves as part of the super rich and of course, the servants who jealously guard their minor positions of power and influence. A fascinating look at social history and social interactions which is as applicable, pertinent and relevant today as it was back then. I loved this movie from the first moment watched it. Barry starts as a likeable and spirited underdog character who you root for, but becomes a nasty and self destructive one, for me personally I still rooted for him but with some reservations. A key phrase is spoken by the narrator at the intermission - "The same energies that drive a man to a fortune are often the same ones which cause him to lose it". Interestingly, Thackeray's other more famous book Vanity Fair features a female protagonist very much like Barry - innocent underdog who becomes a social climber, breaking moral boundaries and coming to an obscure end. A great comparison with Barry Lyndon is the 1979 TV Movie called The Bastard (based on John Jakes book). Both are 3 hour long epics set in same time period, with the two protagonists being born with tenious aristocratic links of determined women with no father figures. Both characters are burdened and pushed by their mother's dreams and both are presented with simmilar choices and scenarios. Difference being that the protagonist in The Bastard makes more morally correct choices and does not succumb to the same temptations as Barry. That being said, The Bastard is somewhat plodding by comparrison and despite a fine cast of stars of the day is a lot more wooden in terms of acting etc. Thanks for the magnificent breakdown and analysis, however, I think it is a movie best watched from a detached and objective standpoint with a large pinch of salt about the society it portrays. The final message just mocks all within that circle for all their duplicity, treachery and maneuverings for in the end despite what they all try to do to outshine each other, it is all in vain, for all are dead, forgotten and equal now
truly excellent comment, thank you. I also think we must remember that any modern story about the past is about the past, yes, but it also about the present, maybe more so. that's a neat tip about the movie I haven't seen, "The Bastard." Highly recommend that anyone reading this try a Thackeray book.
This is a movie i might never see again but the one experience I had with it was just phenomenal, a bit like watching Blade Runner 2049 in the cinema, where I just feel like I memorised every scene and important story beat and visual flairs of the film in that one sitting, properly absorbed the film and its like this perfect memory now. It’s a brilliant movie, it’s gorgeous, and its so rich, how the hell a movie so long and so technically slow in pacing yet is never ‘boring’, maybe because I’m also a historian, but its riveting. It is a classic tragedy, and I’m sure you can find many classical parallels in Ancient Greek plays or whatnot, it is at its core this massive epically-scaled character study.
I watched it today, I've always put off watching it due to it's lenght and the fact it's a costume drama, but it was a lot better than I thought, and looked amazing. My favourute Kubrick though would be between 2001 and Clockwork Orange
Id say there is a lesson in Barry Lyndon’s story. His greedy obsession with status and rising in society means that he doesn’t really experience anything in life apart from how others view him and because he hangs his happiness all on material gain, his story is a very lonely one. I think the positive reading is this is how not to live your life. People who base their identity on the power they have over others will eventually lose it. “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" I’ve started to view this bible quote as being about those who hold on tight to the impermanence of life rather than being open to change and letting go of what was never there’s in the first place will find it difficult to truly embrace and love the life their living.
Hated this movie as a kid loved it as an adult.I wish the battle scenes were longer. You made a good analysis of the film. it really was like watching a living painting.Come alive! Kubricks best work 🏆
I typed in Barry Lyndon review and the thumbnail having the caption “Why this film is great” is the question I wanted answering 😂 this film is simply one of the best films I ever seen.
yes, and it keeps being relevant. It's quoted often. I just saw "The Green Knight" and an entire scene, when Barry gets robbed, is repeated in that movie.
Indeed. We have now gone beyond existentialism. Beyond positive and negative. And straight into the non-dualistic world of the Bhagavad Gita. And Kubrick is right at the center. 😉
By the way, the music you said was Handel's Sarabande was actually Schubert's Piano Trio No. 2 (second movement)"........although Handel's Sarabande is played throughout the movie......
I won’t say I was depressed when I watched this movie but I can say that I was not in a good state-it was during the week and I decided to just stay in my bed all weekend, shutting myself off from the world. I decided to watch this movie because a friend of mine, we both liked Schubert, and he mentioned this movie had a Schubert piece in it. I decided to watch it on a whim. Yes, this movie is depressing but my god if it is not the most beautiful film I have ever watched. For all the pessimistic outlooks there is a resounding pulse throughout the story that somehow maintains your faith in humanity. All I can say is that there was my life before this movie, and there was my life after this movie.
I have never been offended by something i completely agree with before.... Barry Lyndon is a masterpiece best six hours inever spent... I swear time slows down lmfao
I don’t think this movie is about hate, as it’s just as much about love. It’s about the mirror image of our actions driving our direction, influencing others, our successes and failures based on the influence of those others we initially influenced drawing the shape of our fate - against a pre-destined fate of fortune or misfortune already hard coded into the universe. One is self inflicted, the other is a mystery… and more often than not, people tend to choose the mystery over the reality of how stupid, how arrogant, how childishly petulant they actually are. Because, well, nobody likes to acknowledge that they are the problem. The mother, the lover, the soldier, the highwayman, the regime, the lover again, the regime again, the libertine, the lover yet again, the son, and Barry himself: all guilty of manipulation and influencing negative consequences while taking zero responsibility for them. In fact, the only character who is innocent, who finally acknowledges his mistakes and as a result receives satisfaction, is Lord Bullingdon, who returns to make things right; or at least as right as he can, after the damage has gone too far to fix. This movie is not about hate. It’s about knowing the difference between right and wrong and how that knowledge shapes you and everyone around you.
Barry Lyndon, My Fair Lady, Dances With Wolves = the most gorgeous motion pictures ever made. Every frame in those look like exhibitions from prestigious art museums in Europe
This a great analysis! Indeed Kubrick films are not what you turn to for inspiration or to be uplifted. The director’s themes and parallels are all here. In his prior film we were shown a modern dystopian society in the not too distant future. And with this film, we are are shown a historical 18th-Century society set in more or less the same place touching on that same question of the individual being a product of society. Another favorite Kubrick motif is the misogyny and regression found within the nuclear family. Both the ultra prim Lady Lyndon and the waif-ish Wendy in Kubrick’s The Shining are shown increasing contempt by their respective husbands with their young son caught in the middle. And like Jack Torrance, Redmond Barry comes to hate how his life has turned out, and in the end is left out in the cold by the escaping mother and child due to the fathers’ degenerative vices. And there’s probably some interesting parallels to be had with Bryan/young Bullington and Danny in regards to their respective paternal relations as well. There’s even strong parallels in this film to 2001: A Space Odyssey. In the opening chapter, anyway, of Barry Lyndon, a case can be made that Redmond is merely nothing more than an 18th-Century version of Moonwatcher. Where Moonwatcher quashes his sexual rival with a femur, Barry takes to a pistol match in “civilized” form. Redmond’s motivation for self-discovery is awoken by an unexpected object with perfect shape that he touches for the first time (Nora’s buxom). Like Moonwatcher encountering the monolith, it is this perfect shape that he instinctively jerks back from at first but once he does touch it, the experience stays with him and inspires a drive at some primal level that he cannot understand. The difference between the dawn-of-man clan gathered in the cave and the Brady clan gathered at that dinner table scene is purely relative (hell, even the castle walls in the dining area are shown to resemble the color and texture of that cave from 2001-and if that wasn’t enough of a hint, there is the line “the fact is, sir, the young monkey has fallen in love..”). These are also characters-as the uploader stated- who must try to survive against forces in their midst that are outside of their control in the given surroundings; instead of a hungry snarling leopard, we get polite highwaymen. The technology and discourse has changed, but the dynamics and will for survival has not. The apemen at least were honest and forthright. If one apeman was wronged by the other, he wouldn’t have asked to “demand satisfaction”. Whether the conflict resolution depicted in Barry Lyndon is an evolution or a devolution is an open question since the modern way is less expedient. Silent hate did not exist in the dawn of man. Remember, even HAL displayed passive-aggressive behavior and so that too calls the expediency of it into question. On the other hand, we cannot automatically assume that Moonwatcher necessarily ascended to tribal leader either. He could have been the Australopithecus version of Redmond Barry if you will; his surviving brethren could very well have possessed the reasoning ability to cast him out for his overzealousness in slaying the established alpha of a larger tribe whose incorporation by conquest would have been more beneficial to the surviving group in the long run via safety in numbers (assuming those apes were advancing along more intellectually than the gorillas, then might does not always make right). Kubrick’s films provide for more questions than answers when dealing with human behaviors within social constructs.
as an art student this movie really disturbing me in the way of conflict. the malevolence in the 18th century society is as much as its beauty in the idyllic sight and aristocratic fashion. and the sinful Human nature does not seem to have changed 200 years later.💔
One of the most purely cinematic masterworks of our time. It's always impossible for me to chose a favorite in terms Kubrick 's movies, but I can say that Eyes Wide Shut hasn't opened mine.
thx for your review, you'v inspired me to try this movie again ... i detest english period dramas in general, and after 30 minutes gave up, yet this is the only kubrick movie i haven't seen,,, kubrick is stronger than ever, as with time we've been better able to assess his whole body of work, which resonates feverishly in our troubled times, and speaks to a new generation looking for answers. the way he subverts genres and, as you mention, addresses our human duality and existentialist crises, with so many common threads throughout his movies (i've recently been fascinated w/ The Shining and its examination of violence, patriarchy, and genocide/colonialism). great work !!
Brilliant video. Barry Lyndon and 2001 A Space Odessy are both my favorite Kubrick movie. Whichever I watch becomes my favorite Kubrick's movie. Also the cinematography of Barry Lyndon is mind blowing, probably the best ever.
I watched it last night for the first time. I found it enthralling. I found myself remembering the films that came after it but a clearly influenced. Blade Runner’s reflected light felt like the candles and Lady Lyndon and Rachel had the same stylist
I was searching for some explanation about this movie, because I watched it yesterday and it seemed so gorgeous, so perfectly done that it is almost impersonal - to a point where it actually becomes funny. The robbery and the duel scenes are so ridiculously dry that they reminded me of Monty Phyton. I was very confused by the extreme realism of the production and the acting, and the many unconfortable silences. How is it possible to make such a beautifull movie, without resourcing to the usual gimmicks that give beauty to period dramas? Of course, with Kubrick everything is very calculated, but I just don't know how to feel about this movie. But thank you for this video.
Also, the film does (very sparingly) use artificial lighting for some scenes, but is still deserving of its mark as being a trailblazer in the usage of natural light for most lf the film.
I think you're right. That Barry finds himself in a world of abhorrent cruelty and indifference and is thrown about in this world like a leaf on the wind. I would say though that apart from the last act of the movie, it is very funny. Kubrick seems to be making fun of the period he's depicting and the silly rules by which a "gentleman" must live. Especially when it comes to the rules of duels also depicted in the war scenes you show, where soldiers are marching steadily towards pistolfire and their death due to the rules of society. It's all so fake and stilted. Werner Herzog's Aguirre comes to mind. Even when characters are in a fit of rage, they express themselves as if they're reciting rehearsed lines. Most funny to me at least, is how every time Barry makes his own decisions, they seem to lead him closer to his downfall. And even if Barry ends up the tragic hero, did his mother not get what she wanted? What about Barry? What did he want?
3 hours of a perfectly paced film. At first I didn’t think I liked it that much. Especially since I was reluctant to start it because of the genre. But it just weighs on me, and I keep coming back to it.
I always think fate and free will are like twin strands of a thread and they feed each other. Barry does make questionable choices but is also affected ny outside forces.
There is a scene early in the film when Barry and Nora are watching a formation of soldiers marching, and in the distance is a hill that resembles a giant female breast, replete with what looks like a nipple. By the way the scene is framed it cannot have been a coincidence and it was designed by Kubrick as a visual foreshadowing that every event in his life will be triggered by some woman. When I posted this idea on a Kubrick Facebook page someone who identifying herself as his daughter confirmed that the hill was chosen because of its distinct formation.
I don't think ranking his movies does them justice as almost all of them are masterpieces of themselves. I will say I can't watch a lot of movies without getting bored now because watching Kubrick's films set my bar to high.
An amazing movie. The cinematography, the attention to historical detail, the cast was simply great. What wasn't great ? The lead, Ryan O'Neal. I dont know how he got the part, he sleepwalked through every scene with a dazed expression, I never believed the character for a second.
Nothing Kubrick did was by chance. Barry Lyndon was best represented as a tragic, empty character, someone sleepwalking through life, always at the mercy of the circumstances around him. In that regard, the casting was perfect.
This was my only gap in Kubrick's filmography. I watched it at the beginning of the week and I can't stop thinking about it. What a masterpiece. Great video, btw! Just subscribed to the channel. Thanks!
Great job,like your insights,just a small correction the piece is a mvt from the Schubert piano trio op 100...not Handel.thanks again...th-cam.com/video/R7ixGAOwCiQ/w-d-xo.html
thank you. good correction.
I’ve always wondered why Kubrick picked the Schubert piece since it’s the only one that’s not of the time. I heard him say on another channel that he looked for another 18th century piece but nothing else worked and he was right. That trio is perfect, it has an uneasiness and cynicism that fits right in.
The Handel Sarabande Does figure strongly in the film-/ only it’s not the (Schubert) piece cited.
I’m a student of military history and I was very impressed at not only the historical accuracy of the movie but also how people thought of life during that time period. Look at Napoleon, for instance. This movie was incredible. It’s the only historical period piece that has kept me in the time period throughout the movie with no concept of when it was actually filmed. It’s like Kubrick found a window in time and let the cameras roll. It’s not for everyone, but that’s what makes it so good.
I heard some of the costumes throughout the movie were actually original 18 century clothing.
Hated this movie as a kid loved it as an adult.I wish the battle scenes were longer. You made a good analysis of the film. it really was like watching a living painting.Come alive!
Kubricks best work 🏆
It is a dark masterpiece. Many of us do live in a world without "love and hope," and this film is for us.
When you have Christ Jesus, you have hope.
What makes this film great. Everything, but Ryan O'Neal.
@@williamwright9681🤡
What? Hate him much I get it
I was so intrigued by all the snippets I had seen and read about this film that I decided to watch it. I was totally blown away. Can't believe I missed it when it first came out and nearly 50 years on, it hasn't aged a bit. Amazing!
Watching the newly restored version of Barry Lyndon on a large tv is an amazing experience. The cinematography is breathtakingly beautiful
I believe it!
Try Heaven’s Gate movie by Michae Cimino released on 1980, THAT is breathtaking cinematography
Being that HG was pretty terrible, I’d call that a polished turd.
Hated this movie as a kid loved it as an adult.I wish the battle scenes were longer. You made a good analysis of the film. it really was like watching a living painting.Come alive!
Kubricks best work 🏆
Ryan O'Neal was great in this. He captured the character so well I didn't think of him as Ryan O'Neal but of Barry Lyndon. Now that's great acting.
Barry Lyndon by far his best
The piece of music you describe as Händel is actually Schubert. Absolutely wonderful movie.
@ramonek9109 yes, but the comment addresses the piece of music at 8:33 that is mistakenly credited as Handel's Sarabande, when it is actually Franz Schubert's Piano Trio in E-Flat.
Fredrick Handel's sarabande ( the glorious kind of music)and Schubert's trio op 100 ( this starts playing when Barry sees miss lyndon for the first time) were used in this picture
I thought it was a incredibly lonley movie. The scene were he rides with his newly wed wife and he blows the smoke in her face and the narration says something along the lines of: "his wife had dropped into his background like the paintings and expensive furniture", i think really summarizes his loneliness. Also those constant shots of the castle, sitting alone in nature, as well as many other beautiful shots that always feel empty, even with people in it, really shows how kubrick almost created an entire world that is completely empty.
Did you ever notice that when Marissa Berinson asks him not to smoke, it’s the only line she has in the entire movie.
I just gave the second half of the movie a quick skim. Not entirely true, she has two additional scenes with lines. However, the one that you mentioned is the only time she speaks when they are alone. So, which I would have never noticed if you never pointed it out! Incredible!
I love the scene where Barry is sent to spy on a compatriot, but can't help but side with him. Everyone who lives away from home can sympathize.
💯
Thanks for this perceptive review. As you say Barry Lyndon is an absolute feast for me the music, the visuals, and the bone dry narration of Michael Hordern ‘They are all equal now’ stand out. I would claim also that it is very rare in that it is a historical movie which goes a long way towards capturing the atmosphere of a time. Most, even very good ones like Zulu or Lawrence of Arabia, bear the stamp of the period in which they were made. Kubrick managed to convey a period in which emotions and enthusiasms were hidden or inhibited, a pre romantic era of pragmatism and calculation. The language used can still be heard in the Crown Court of England and Wales where judges and barristers still wear wigs and gowns and address each other in tremendously precise, ponderous, formal and antique ways ‘My Lord’ ‘Your Honour’ ‘My Learned Friend’ ‘if that is your Honour’s view’. As an ex lawyer I had plenty of chances to observe this.
excellent comment. thank you.
I love how expertly directed the scene where Barry, Lady Lyndon and Samuel communicate and foreshadow the events and feelings all through eye contact.
Barry looks at her she looks away looks back at him then she lingers a little too long and Samuel instantly catches on. That look in his eye when looking at Barry conveys so much he doesn’t break eye contact while having absolute contempt for Barry. He sees all the warning signs but alas…
This shot also reminded me of Bergman’s ‘Autumn Sonata’ where Liv Ulmann’s character wants to impress her mother Ingrid Bergman a concert pianist by playing a Chopin Prelude and her mother can’t stand it then shows her how to play it her way and not the “mawkish” version her daughter just played. While Ingrid Bergman plays Ullmann’s character has tears in her eyes utterly destroyed like always we presume (backstory through a Chopin piece and eye contact; amazing) and it takes her the length of the Chopin piece to look at her mother just wanting acceptance she could care less about the music. I miss film. ❤
That was Trio Op 100 by Schubert not Sarabande by Handel and yes the movie does bare resemblance to the piece because it is a duet between a piano and a cello where they switch roles halfway through, playing what the other had played in the first half, which is similar to Barry’s life in that he goes from being swindled and screwed over to becoming the swindler and the one who screws over.
thank you. helpful.
Both pieces were used in the film. Schubert's trio is a masterpiece. I recommend the Beaux Arts trio recording, which is played with a lighter touch. In the film, it is played much heavier and slower. The Sarabande was used in the boy's funeral, played like a powerful dirge.
One of my top 5 movies of all time.
mine too
I recently rewatched this and couldnt believe how funny it is.
it comes out of the darker humor touch Kubrick had been developing since Lolita, I think.
I would go so far and say that all of Kubrick's movies after Spartacus are, at least at parts, dark comedies.
There is a lot of humor in Kubrick's movies that comes specifically from the faces the characters often make in certain scenes.
The irony in the narrator’s voice is continual.
Funnier with every viewing in my experience.
One of my favorite films. A great window into a world and culture so unlike our own.
In my opinion, the last full scene shows a brief glimmer of Humanity still existing in Barry Lyndon’s soul.
Agreed. A completely amoral person wouldn't have Barry's self-loathing.
He was also very fair and forgiving towards Lord Bullington during the duel.
MASTERPIECE.
This came out on You Tube. I was enraptured with the very first scene. I absolutely loved it. I love period piece dramas and this was one of the best I've seen . You're right, it's not for everyone but it was a masterpiece. I'm a huge movie buff and can't believe I overlooked this for so long.
I’ve never seen this movie. I thought I’ve seen all the good ones. I love period dramas. I love art films. I love Stanley Kubrick movies. I’m clearly mistaken and have missed a lot of good movies. I look forward to seeing Barry Lyndon. I have a TH-cam subscription so I hope this movie is still available. Thanks for the comment and please respond with other good movie suggestions that movie buffs like me may have missed.
The film also has mostly natural lighting, which was how things were in the 18th century.
yes it does, thank you.
The Prussian Army having a fife and drum band playing the Hohenfriedberger March (written by Frederick the Great himself) in the midst of battle is extremely authentic, as the earlier battle scene with British Grenadiers.
excellent, thank you.
You can fill a museum with shots taken from this movie.
I saw this in the theater when it came out in the summer of 1975. The night we went to see it was August 9th, maybe the 8th, but I remember going into a drugstore, and Richard Nixon was on the radio announcing that he would resign the next morning, then I went outside and saw the newspaper in the rack outside the door the headline read: Nixon Resigns. I was about to turn 15.
I'm sure it was August 8th
I watched Barry Lyndon about 20 years ago, and I think it's about time for a re-watch. I love this series of videos you're making. Please keep it up and thank you.
thank you. I really appreciate that.
Kubrick was never afraid of showing the dark side of humanity which is why he is one of my favorite directors. "The Killing", "Paths of Glory", "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Clockwork Orange", "The Shining", etc. Pretty much all of his films are an examintation of the negative aspects of humanity. Anyone that can't grasp that should go wartch dumb fluff.
One of my absolute favorites
I love that Barry marries for money, and that when mood boarding the scenes, Kubrick was inspired by William Hogarth's Marriage A La Mode, a series of 6 paintings from 1743 that satirise the 18th centuries' upper-class' obsession with marrying for money, not love. Such an interesting and fascinating touch Kubrick used!
this gets me to think about what directors after, say, 1985, have been inspired by pre-20th century art? Before then, a lot. But it's hard to come up with even one off the top of my head.
surprisingly, many of the outfits in barry lyndon were actually antique clothes from the era and not costumes. kubrick would go to any extreme to get his performers looking just right
I seen this film in its debut week in 1975 having waited what seemed an eternity for it to arrive .
I loved this film when it came and still do . It show the genius of Stanley and his talent to surround himself with enormous talent .
It is full of tension and release . The piece of feature music is by Schubert and not Haendel .
I took from it what can happen if you don't choose true friendship and love .
To me this is a movie about emotion over anything else. There are these pauses that happens for sometimes a few minutes at a time and you can feel the pulse of the moment just emanating from the screen. Particularly when Barry stares at Lady Lyndon for the first time when they're gambling. Another is the early scene with Nora playing cards. Just heavy emotional moments and I think pure in their portrayal of love. The same types of moments happen for sadness, anger, fear, jealousy, and more.
The silences in this movie speak louder than words. The slow pace is hypnotic and profound
I love the scenes filmed within this room at 8:38 (called the “Double Cube Room” of Wilton House, England), it really does such a good job of making the characters appear small/ insignificant by comparison. This room is SO popular in period film (it must have been featured in 20+ adaptions), for this exact reason. Although, not very fitting to use as an interior for Lady Lyndon’s estate 8:33 - a real life English stately home called “Castle Howard” - because the room was finished in 1650 a whole 50 years before the Castle had even started construction in 1699. If you know about architecture and historic interiors, these small details are rather noticeable. But overall he did a phenomenal job of authenticity, and I love Barry Lyndon.
Absolutely love it. A man rises and then falls all because of the same attributes, a true Greek tragedy.
Very good review. I've seen the movie many times. The first time was when it first came out, at a drive-in with my girl friend, and I fell asleep - it's long and slow. But I've really come to love it.
As I watched your review I came to the realization that the subtext of the movie is "breeding tells." Barry comes from the lower classes and acts rashly throughout the story. He acts thoughtlessly, however courageous he is. He's also always complaining about the raw deal he's been handed. The upper class characters are above Barry in this respect, but their weakness is that they are self-assured of their own superiority; they underestimate the intelligence and determination of a man like Barry. So we are set on a collision course of mutually assured destruction. Barry can pretend to be of the aristocracy, but he will always carry on like the farmer's son he is, and Lord Bullingdon won't stand for it. Breeding tells.
Music: the Handle Sarabande is used for the ultra-dramatic moments (like the dueling scenes, Bryan's funeral scene, and the titles). The Schubert piece is the one you mention in the video. The Sarabande is to my mind The Voice of Doom in this film, and is virtually a character in itself.
(Edit: autocorrect had a duel with the spelling of Bullingdon and won sorry about that)
The class element struck me too, once Lord Bullingnon got rid of low class Barry the hierarchy status is restored. Barry even used his last shred of humanity to not shoot him at the duel but Bullingnon abuses the new lease on his life and demands “satisfaction” like young Barry with Captain John Quinn “I’m not sorry and I won’t apologize.”
It makes me wonder about fate and destiny, is Barry fated to failure through a cosmic bite of irony and black humor. Even the narrator comes off as “the unreliable narrator.” At the end he says Barry’s final days were not recorded just like the battles he fought for in that “history thought not significant enough to record” as well. Barry lost so much in those battles but the universe was like “nah.” He even makes himself a war hero embellishing tales of heroism he tells Brian. Yet, ironically “Barry was not meant to have offspring (something like that) so not even his son could tell the tales of Barry Lyndon. But who is telling the story? How is Barry remembered as a cautionary tale to be laughed at? Somehow he lives on! Sorry for the blog post I love this movie!
Sarabande is the main theme that begins and ends the movie.
I just recently saw Barry Lyndon for the first time, and I thought it was fantastic. Before seeing it, the biggest criticism I heard was that it was boring, but I can't agree with that. I was enthralled with every scene. Yes, it's a tragedy and doesn't pull any punches, but when it's done to near perfection, respect must be given, and I don't think it's hyperbole to call this film a masterpiece.
excellent. it holds up on multiple viewings. Definitely not boring !
The trick is going to find a way to clear out enough time to watch it again.
The pace is purposely slow. The scenes are so grand the pace of the movement has to be slow or you will miss what is shot. Learning About is spot on with his comments. The story is of seething desperate ambition barely beneath the surface of practiced manners. Those manners are also a part of the pace of the movie. If the characters were portraying who they really were, they would be ranting maniacs. If pretty boy Ryan ONeil never did anything else in his career, this movie alone would qualify him as a great actor. He never overplays his part. One of the seldom mentioned scenes is of him recounting to his young son a story of his life in the army. He delivers the lines with the greatest tenderness where his love for his boy is beautiful to watch. But the story is horrific, about his beheading 19 enemy soldiers. This is the true Lyndon Barry, an absolute brute who would kill you without hesitation if he could put an extra dime is his pocket. This is truly one of the great masterpieces of film. Kubrick was one of the great photographers who’s work should not be forgotten in an age of digital media.
@@nikispaniki real praise for your review. One thing I was reminded of reading it, and I think goes alongside what you've said, is that part of the masterpiece of the film is that it is a summation of a life, and from the stunning views to the beautiful soundtrack, we experience those significant moments of memories in this man's life, and as it reaches it's end, by it's length and presentation it does force us to look back on the whole journey and question whether or not it was worth it. Such a brilliant summation of the human condition. I love this film.
Barry Lyndon is Kubrick‘s masterpiece, indeed. In addition to the visuals, music, and superb performances, it is also very funny at times. And it basically end with „doesn’t matter what happened, their all dead now“
Soundtrack and cinematography
my son is 15 years old, well in body anyway, im sure he was born in 1820 lol. he wants to be a film director, and his favourate film is barry lyndon, we both agree that this picture is a masterpiece, it allows room to breathe and to think, its amazing, movies do not look like this today. but what you say about not watching if your depressed, i dissagree, its beautiful, and has cheered me up many times over. there are movies, and there are films, this is a film.
The Music! The love theme from the Women of Ireland. Even though Sarah Brightman wouldn't write lyrics (So Many Things) until twenty years later, I can still hear her voice when watching the film.
The piece highlighted is actually Schubert Trio in E-flat Opus 100.
yes, thank you for that correction. I get this comment about once a month, and I hope everyone else sees it, for the correction it is.
I saw this movie in the 1990s on VHS along with my best friend and our brothers and we all loved or liked it. We were teens and into our early 20s, Hispanic youth in the U.S. We were young people who appreciated art/cinema. My best friend was a Cinema fanatic, he taught us all the beauty of film. Life was different back then ...
While Handel's intense Sarabande is played throughout the film, the excerpt you played is Franz Schubert's Piano Trio opus 100. D.929, 2nd movement, which is also in the film.
On the "quiet hate" thing. What I found kind of amusing was the contrast between the social norms of this world, the forced dignity and extravagant politeness, and how these people actually feel about each other. Its to the point where even a highway robbery feels like a polite exchange. As for "animalistic," there's something about the pace and tone of the movie that makes it feel almost like a wildlife documentary about humans. Particularly with the very deadpan narrator coldly describing very painful or traumatic events.
Brilliant comment.
That's not Haendl, it's the Schubert E flat trio, the only piece in the movie that was not 'period' (written in the 1820s, about 60 years after the events), but that pervasive melancholy works so well with that spectacular mottled cloud Rhineland landscape with the castle on the hill in the background.
Some critic has remarked that Sir Thomas Gainsborough was the true art director of this movie.
thank you.
Really excellent. Happy to be "like" number 1,000. Thoughtful and accessible analysis of a great piece of modern art.
Choices is an illusion afterwards. We cannot plan, not really.
I'd go far to say that this was Kubrick's last true masterpiece. His last remaining films seemed to be missing so key element that elevated might have elevated them to be masterpieces, but for me they just miss the mark. Barry Lyndon, on the other hand, feels like a complete experience. I was only 10 or 11 when it was released in '75 and wouldn't see it until it aired on HBO or some other movie channel probably some time in the 80's. I don't recall my initial reaction to the film but it must have left some good impression. It's probably going to be rather low on most people's list of favourite Kubrick films, but I rank it at number one, once held by A Clockwork Orange but that has dropped several notches now. It was only within the last ten years that I finally read the Thackeray novel and noted several changes, mostly with Redmond Barry himself. In the film he is a real prick who has no real feelings except for his son and there is scene that is truly heartbreaking every time I see it. Whereas Redmond in the novel is certainly a rogue and a scoundrel, but he has a certain charm that his cinematic counterpart lacks. Otherwise the film is quite a faithful adaptation, just streamlining the plot to eliminate some secondary plots and characters. His duel with Lord Bullingdon is not in the novel and the antagonism between him and his stepfather was invented by Kubrick, including the final duel. I've read many books on Kubrick but cannot recall what drew him to this particular book and why he thought it'd make a great film. He must have realised that it was not find a very wide audience, especially when people were used to period pieces as either swashbuckling adventures or sexy ribald romps. Barry Lyndon is neither and its slow pace must have driven many crazy at the time. I've never been bored by the film----Eyes Wide Shut, yes, but not Barry Lyndon. Next year will mark its 50th anniversary and I hope it will get a limited engagement like 2001 got in 2018. I'd love to see this on a big screen.
Many of Kubrick's movies are like this. The one thing that always got my attention was how many of his movies have a sense of isolation. The characters often seem to be just about the only ones in the world,or in the case of 2001: A Space Odyssey, where they're not in the world. But even in The Shining and, especially the first half of Full Metal Jacket, which isolation IS a part of the storyline. Background characters always seem like shadows. Kubrick's use of certain colors and long shots down hallways tend to add a strange feel. Alex in A Clockwork Orange,Jack in The Shining, Private "Pyle" in Full Metal Jacket and, of course Redmond are a few examples of characters in which Kubrick will show a close-up of them, often in very pale lightning, as we see their character about to have a massive, and often, negative change. Often depressing,but still watchable.
Also: the "fife and drum" music playing in the scene where Barry rescued the army captain is played and sung throughout his tenure with the Prussians. It's called the Hohenfriedberger Marsch" and it was written in the 1740's by, none other than King of Prussia Frederick II(The Great),who was something of an accomplished flutist himself. I thought that was VERY fitting.
Movie is a meditation of character assassination and maneuvering in rigged systems. One of the final scenes of him and his mom, she looks proud.
or did Barry and his mother game the system? I mean he's not aristocracy at the beginning but becomes it later. good comment.
@@LearningaboutMovies Right. He's not perfect, but he maneuvered in the world, and his character is more-or-less intact in the end, even if he's down a leg.
See, I can understand people saying that about Kubrick. But his films are so masterful they uplift me, they bring me comfort and joy. Maybe I’m finding comfort in the sadness, but I feel other people need a little more grit.
I first saw Barry Lyndon as a 16-year-old in 1975, with a girl that I was then hoping would become my girlfriend. I absolutely loved Barry Lyndon, and thought that it was so very funny ("But Jonathan..."). She didn't, and so we never really got together. But I still LOVE Barry Lyndon, although my favourite Kubrick film is 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's hard to separate Paths of Glory, Clockwork Orange, and Dr Strangelove but 2001 and Barry Lyndon are definitely my top two.
The line that really gets me is
"Your stay would.. infallibly plunge you into.. jail.."
Like, he still had to filter an ultimatum for an intolerable situation through that prism of etiquette, even in the wake of a practical coup of the family estate.
This is his best movie one of the best ever made
Watched it today, anything that Kubrick makes is good, loved it
Hi. Thank you for such a great video. "Barry Lyndon" is one of my top five favorite movies, and I make a point to watch it every year. You've given me some new insights about how sound is used in the movie, especially the Handel piece that plays throughout the final hour. Here are some fun facts about it; 1. Kubrick achieved the arresting candlelight scenes with a special camera and he had to direct people to stay frozen in place or else they would blur because of the depth of field. Some say he received the camera as payment for his work for filming the moon landing scenes for NASA, but that's a whole other matter!. 2. The actor playing the adult Lord Bullington never acted in another movie and instead found a career behind the camera. 3. In early scene during Barry's army stint he fights a large, tough guy, and he is the same actor who fights Indiana Jones when a plane is circling around them taxiing (and it slices up the guy). 4. He ordered Marisa Berenson to stay out of the sun for six months prior to filming so she would have the correct complexion.
It’s a masterpiece.
Ι have to disagree with you. Not all the people hate each other in this movie. Barry Lyndon loves his son and his son loves him. Also Barry Lyndon loves his mother and the officer who gets killed in the battle next to him. And we see that this is also mutual
that's fair. though, I think, all of those loves could be construed as self-centered-driven affections. almost no human character in any Kubrick movie loves any other human.
@@LearningaboutMovies If the affection or love is expressed different than the "typical" one we are used, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Barry Lyndon was ready to sacrifice his life for his loved one. He doesn't scream about it, but that doesn't mean it's not strong enough.
First off, I really appreciate this video or any video that draws attention to one of Kubrick's most unknown masterpieces. To me Barry Lyndon has two major conceits. The first one is "you can take the boy out of the hood, but you can't take the hood out of the boy." The other is a little more complicated. I don't believe that the elite necessarily hate each other. Rather, I believe that they resent to no end that to be members of the elite they have to lead a life of propriety and manners where they have no choice but to bottle any notion of their baser selves. Always holding back. Like a chess game. The scene where Barry beats his son is one of the funniest in the movie. Everyone is so shocked by this violence they stand in disbelief for seconds. Then when they finally act they fall around like idiots in their fancy shoes. I won't say Redmond Barry ends up a good person by any means. But his decision not to fire at Lord Bullingdon after he chokes his turn could be considered a form of redemption. Anyway, that was always my take on it. Thanks!
I didn’t find this film to be as dark as many other Kubrick films. It’s tragic but the tragedy is interspersed with light humor and backed by inspiring visuals and amazing music
thank you
This is a great review that I think many miss out on some very sharp points the movie makes, namely that of a certain critical viewpoint of western history and the western man. What I think many miss out on and a key difference between the original novel and the movie is that Stanley I dont think really sees himself as separate from this civilization(and other more moden ones like that of the Shining) and is therefore somewhat spiteful of it, despite o love of it (as demonstrated by Stanleys clear appreciation of the art of the time.
However what I do love is what appears as an olive branch offered by Stanley at the end. Barry dies in obscurity, never returning the eminence of his life as presented in the latter half of the movie. I believe this is because he took his word to his son to heart, to never to quarrel, in order to see his son in Heaven. The bit about him never succeeding at cards supports this, and I think its thematically resonant that it this is a humble act and therefore is not seen. to be honest, I haven't seen this remarked anywhere(though I'm sure i'm not the first to think it), but I do think it might even be a test of the audience in some sense.
2001 is his best for the fact that it has been so influentual, and the special effects not using blue screen or CGI.
I would always say that this movie is a semi satirical look at the world of the super rich during perhaps Western society's most hierarchical era. Social climbers, gold diggers, a condescending view by old money towards the nouveau riche, the gauche attempts by the nouveau riche to buy acceptance into the heirarchy. The hangers on that the super rich attract hoping for some crumbs from the table, those who attempt to pass themselves as part of the super rich and of course, the servants who jealously guard their minor positions of power and influence. A fascinating look at social history and social interactions which is as applicable, pertinent and relevant today as it was back then.
I loved this movie from the first moment watched it. Barry starts as a likeable and spirited underdog character who you root for, but becomes a nasty and self destructive one, for me personally I still rooted for him but with some reservations. A key phrase is spoken by the narrator at the intermission - "The same energies that drive a man to a fortune are often the same ones which cause him to lose it".
Interestingly, Thackeray's other more famous book Vanity Fair features a female protagonist very much like Barry - innocent underdog who becomes a social climber, breaking moral boundaries and coming to an obscure end.
A great comparison with Barry Lyndon is the 1979 TV Movie called The Bastard (based on John Jakes book). Both are 3 hour long epics set in same time period, with the two protagonists being born with tenious aristocratic links of determined women with no father figures. Both characters are burdened and pushed by their mother's dreams and both are presented with simmilar choices and scenarios. Difference being that the protagonist in The Bastard makes more morally correct choices and does not succumb to the same temptations as Barry. That being said, The Bastard is somewhat plodding by comparrison and despite a fine cast of stars of the day is a lot more wooden in terms of acting etc.
Thanks for the magnificent breakdown and analysis, however, I think it is a movie best watched from a detached and objective standpoint with a large pinch of salt about the society it portrays. The final message just mocks all within that circle for all their duplicity, treachery and maneuverings for in the end despite what they all try to do to outshine each other, it is all in vain, for all are dead, forgotten and equal now
truly excellent comment, thank you. I also think we must remember that any modern story about the past is about the past, yes, but it also about the present, maybe more so. that's a neat tip about the movie I haven't seen, "The Bastard." Highly recommend that anyone reading this try a Thackeray book.
This is a movie i might never see again but the one experience I had with it was just phenomenal, a bit like watching Blade Runner 2049 in the cinema, where I just feel like I memorised every scene and important story beat and visual flairs of the film in that one sitting, properly absorbed the film and its like this perfect memory now. It’s a brilliant movie, it’s gorgeous, and its so rich, how the hell a movie so long and so technically slow in pacing yet is never ‘boring’, maybe because I’m also a historian, but its riveting. It is a classic tragedy, and I’m sure you can find many classical parallels in Ancient Greek plays or whatnot, it is at its core this massive epically-scaled character study.
I watched it today, I've always put off watching it due to it's lenght and the fact it's a costume drama, but it was a lot better than I thought, and looked amazing. My favourute Kubrick though would be between 2001 and Clockwork Orange
Barry Lyndon is Kubricks's magnum opus imo.
Id say there is a lesson in Barry Lyndon’s story. His greedy obsession with status and rising in society means that he doesn’t really experience anything in life apart from how others view him and because he hangs his happiness all on material gain, his story is a very lonely one. I think the positive reading is this is how not to live your life. People who base their identity on the power they have over others will eventually lose it. “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" I’ve started to view this bible quote as being about those who hold on tight to the impermanence of life rather than being open to change and letting go of what was never there’s in the first place will find it difficult to truly embrace and love the life their living.
Hated this movie as a kid loved it as an adult.I wish the battle scenes were longer. You made a good analysis of the film. it really was like watching a living painting.Come alive!
Kubricks best work 🏆
thank you
Fantastic video, stumbled upon it after watching Barry Lyndon and looking for some answers and meaning in it. Now I’m a new Subscriber!
excellent, and welcome.
8:34 I think it was Schubert. But it was great indeed.
It might not be my favorite of his or my favorite of all time, but it sure as hell is the most beautiful movie I've ever seen.
yes!
@@TheChannelofaDisappointedMan Nope, it looks good though; thanks for the recommendation!
I typed in Barry Lyndon review and the thumbnail having the caption “Why this film is great” is the question I wanted answering 😂 this film is simply one of the best films I ever seen.
yes, and it keeps being relevant. It's quoted often. I just saw "The Green Knight" and an entire scene, when Barry gets robbed, is repeated in that movie.
The central message of every single Kubrick film is this: FOLLY is always our undoing.
and everyone is full of folly, so undoing is what life is.
Indeed. We have now gone beyond existentialism. Beyond positive and negative. And straight into the non-dualistic world of the Bhagavad Gita. And Kubrick is right at the center. 😉
By the way, the music you said was Handel's Sarabande was actually Schubert's Piano Trio No. 2 (second movement)"........although Handel's Sarabande is played throughout the movie......
Thanks for the advice. Depressed right now so I'll save watching it for happier times.
movies have powerful hypnotic effects, sometimes unnoticeable. for general movieviewers, probably best to stick to lighthearted fare in general.
I won’t say I was depressed when I watched this movie but I can say that I was not in a good state-it was during the week and I decided to just stay in my bed all weekend, shutting myself off from the world. I decided to watch this movie because a friend of mine, we both liked Schubert, and he mentioned this movie had a Schubert piece in it. I decided to watch it on a whim.
Yes, this movie is depressing but my god if it is not the most beautiful film I have ever watched. For all the pessimistic outlooks there is a resounding pulse throughout the story that somehow maintains your faith in humanity. All I can say is that there was my life before this movie, and there was my life after this movie.
I have never been offended by something i completely agree with before.... Barry Lyndon is a masterpiece best six hours inever spent... I swear time slows down lmfao
I don’t think this movie is about hate, as it’s just as much about love. It’s about the mirror image of our actions driving our direction, influencing others, our successes and failures based on the influence of those others we initially influenced drawing the shape of our fate - against a pre-destined fate of fortune or misfortune already hard coded into the universe. One is self inflicted, the other is a mystery… and more often than not, people tend to choose the mystery over the reality of how stupid, how arrogant, how childishly petulant they actually are. Because, well, nobody likes to acknowledge that they are the problem. The mother, the lover, the soldier, the highwayman, the regime, the lover again, the regime again, the libertine, the lover yet again, the son, and Barry himself: all guilty of manipulation and influencing negative consequences while taking zero responsibility for them. In fact, the only character who is innocent, who finally acknowledges his mistakes and as a result receives satisfaction, is Lord Bullingdon, who returns to make things right; or at least as right as he can, after the damage has gone too far to fix. This movie is not about hate. It’s about knowing the difference between right and wrong and how that knowledge shapes you and everyone around you.
I watched this last night for the 1st time. Mesmerizing…
Your suggestions always payout👊
I am glad to help you out. thank you.
Barry Lyndon, My Fair Lady, Dances With Wolves = the most gorgeous motion pictures ever made. Every frame in those look like exhibitions from prestigious art museums in Europe
This a great analysis!
Indeed Kubrick films are not what you turn to for inspiration or to be uplifted. The director’s themes and parallels are all here. In his prior film we were shown a modern dystopian society in the not too distant future. And with this film, we are are shown a historical 18th-Century society set in more or less the same place touching on that same question of the individual being a product of society.
Another favorite Kubrick motif is the misogyny and regression found within the nuclear family. Both the ultra prim Lady Lyndon and the waif-ish Wendy in Kubrick’s The Shining are shown increasing contempt by their respective husbands with their young son caught in the middle. And like Jack Torrance, Redmond Barry comes to hate how his life has turned out, and in the end is left out in the cold by the escaping mother and child due to the fathers’ degenerative vices. And there’s probably some interesting parallels to be had with Bryan/young Bullington and Danny in regards to their respective paternal relations as well.
There’s even strong parallels in this film to 2001: A Space Odyssey. In the opening chapter, anyway, of Barry Lyndon, a case can be made that Redmond is merely nothing more than an 18th-Century version of Moonwatcher. Where Moonwatcher quashes his sexual rival with a femur, Barry takes to a pistol match in “civilized” form. Redmond’s motivation for self-discovery is awoken by an unexpected object with perfect shape that he touches for the first time (Nora’s buxom). Like Moonwatcher encountering the monolith, it is this perfect shape that he instinctively jerks back from at first but once he does touch it, the experience stays with him and inspires a drive at some primal level that he cannot understand. The difference between the dawn-of-man clan gathered in the cave and the Brady clan gathered at that dinner table scene is purely relative (hell, even the castle walls in the dining area are shown to resemble the color and texture of that cave from 2001-and if that wasn’t enough of a hint, there is the line “the fact is, sir, the young monkey has fallen in love..”). These are also characters-as the uploader stated- who must try to survive against forces in their midst that are outside of their control in the given surroundings; instead of a hungry snarling leopard, we get polite highwaymen. The technology and discourse has changed, but the dynamics and will for survival has not.
The apemen at least were honest and forthright. If one apeman was wronged by the other, he wouldn’t have asked to “demand satisfaction”. Whether the conflict resolution depicted in Barry Lyndon is an evolution or a devolution is an open question since the modern way is less expedient. Silent hate did not exist in the dawn of man. Remember, even HAL displayed passive-aggressive behavior and so that too calls the expediency of it into question.
On the other hand, we cannot automatically assume that Moonwatcher necessarily ascended to tribal leader either. He could have been the Australopithecus version of Redmond Barry if you will; his surviving brethren could very well have possessed the reasoning ability to cast him out for his overzealousness in slaying the established alpha of a larger tribe whose incorporation by conquest would have been more beneficial to the surviving group in the long run via safety in numbers (assuming those apes were advancing along more intellectually than the gorillas, then might does not always make right).
Kubrick’s films provide for more questions than answers when dealing with human behaviors within social constructs.
excellent comments. much appreciated!
After seeing most of his filmography I’m not sure why but the killing really stands out to me as one of his best
as an art student this movie really disturbing me in the way of conflict. the malevolence in the 18th century society is as much as its beauty in the idyllic sight and aristocratic fashion. and the sinful Human nature does not seem to have changed 200 years later.💔
Your work is amazing , thank you for these amazing analysis videos
thank you, Art Lab, and thanks for watching and commenting.
One of the most purely cinematic masterworks of our time. It's always impossible for me to chose a favorite in terms Kubrick 's movies, but I can say that Eyes Wide Shut hasn't opened mine.
thx for your review, you'v inspired me to try this movie again ... i detest english period dramas in general, and after 30 minutes gave up, yet this is the only kubrick movie i haven't seen,,, kubrick is stronger than ever, as with time we've been better able to assess his whole body of work, which resonates feverishly in our troubled times, and speaks to a new generation looking for answers. the way he subverts genres and, as you mention, addresses our human duality and existentialist crises, with so many common threads throughout his movies (i've recently been fascinated w/ The Shining and its examination of violence, patriarchy, and genocide/colonialism). great work !!
Brilliant video. Barry Lyndon and 2001 A Space Odessy are both my favorite Kubrick movie. Whichever I watch becomes my favorite Kubrick's movie.
Also the cinematography of Barry Lyndon is mind blowing, probably the best ever.
thank you.
I watched it last night for the first time. I found it enthralling.
I found myself remembering the films that came after it but a clearly influenced.
Blade Runner’s reflected light felt like the candles and Lady Lyndon and Rachel had the same stylist
I was searching for some explanation about this movie, because I watched it yesterday and it seemed so gorgeous, so perfectly done that it is almost impersonal - to a point where it actually becomes funny. The robbery and the duel scenes are so ridiculously dry that they reminded me of Monty Phyton. I was very confused by the extreme realism of the production and the acting, and the many unconfortable silences. How is it possible to make such a beautifull movie, without resourcing to the usual gimmicks that give beauty to period dramas? Of course, with Kubrick everything is very calculated, but I just don't know how to feel about this movie. But thank you for this video.
thank you.
Also, the film does (very sparingly) use artificial lighting for some scenes, but is still deserving of its mark as being a trailblazer in the usage of natural light for most lf the film.
thank you.
I think you're right. That Barry finds himself in a world of abhorrent cruelty and indifference and is thrown about in this world like a leaf on the wind. I would say though that apart from the last act of the movie, it is very funny. Kubrick seems to be making fun of the period he's depicting and the silly rules by which a "gentleman" must live. Especially when it comes to the rules of duels also depicted in the war scenes you show, where soldiers are marching steadily towards pistolfire and their death due to the rules of society. It's all so fake and stilted. Werner Herzog's Aguirre comes to mind. Even when characters are in a fit of rage, they express themselves as if they're reciting rehearsed lines. Most funny to me at least, is how every time Barry makes his own decisions, they seem to lead him closer to his downfall. And even if Barry ends up the tragic hero, did his mother not get what she wanted? What about Barry? What did he want?
excellent comment, thank you.
All emotions drawn upon in this brilliant movie.
Your point remains the same but that was Shubert's trio in E flat.
3 hours of a perfectly paced film. At first I didn’t think I liked it that much. Especially since I was reluctant to start it because of the genre. But it just weighs on me, and I keep coming back to it.
excellent, thank you.
I always think fate and free will are like twin strands of a thread and they feed each other. Barry does make questionable choices but is also affected ny outside forces.
I love this movie so much.
There is a scene early in the film when Barry and Nora are watching a formation of soldiers marching, and in the distance is a hill that resembles a giant female breast, replete with what looks like a nipple. By the way the scene is framed it cannot have been a coincidence and it was designed by Kubrick as a visual foreshadowing that every event in his life will be triggered by some woman. When I posted this idea on a Kubrick Facebook page someone who identifying herself as his daughter confirmed that the hill was chosen because of its distinct formation.
I don't think ranking his movies does them justice as almost all of them are masterpieces of themselves. I will say I can't watch a lot of movies without getting bored now because watching Kubrick's films set my bar to high.
An amazing movie. The cinematography, the attention to historical detail, the cast was simply great. What wasn't great ? The lead, Ryan O'Neal. I dont know how he got the part, he sleepwalked through every scene with a dazed expression, I never believed the character for a second.
Nothing Kubrick did was by chance. Barry Lyndon was best represented as a tragic, empty character, someone sleepwalking through life, always at the mercy of the circumstances around him. In that regard, the casting was perfect.
A movie about an Irish man's adventure in war torn Europe.
This was my only gap in Kubrick's filmography. I watched it at the beginning of the week and I can't stop thinking about it. What a masterpiece. Great video, btw! Just subscribed to the channel. Thanks!
thank you, and welcome to the channel!
It is a matter of fact, this displays a human condition of the time, set in the 18th century.