Barry Lyndon

directed by Stanley Kubrick
Category: "Drama"
Year of Release:1975
Date Added:08/25/2024
Date Watched:08/25/2024
Description:Taken from the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray. Redmond Barry (Ryan O'Neal), an Irish lad, gets upset when his girlfriend decides to marry an English officer for his money. He challenges the officer to a duel and believes he killed him, then flees before the authorities catch him. (He finds out later the duel was a fake, the officer did not die but married the girlfriend.) On his way to Dublin, Barry is robbed of everything. Penniless, he joins the army and is sent to Germany to fight the French. He hates the army, so he deserts but he is caught and forced to join the army of England's ally, Prussia. When the war is over, he is given a job of spying on an Irish diplomat. Instead, he partners with the man in a gambling career. He meets Lady Honoria Lyndon (Marisa Berenson) and beings an affair with her. When her husband dies, Barry marries her and becomes Barry Lyndon. Lady Lyndon's son, Lord Lyndon, hates Barry, especially after he and his mother have another son, Bryan. Lord Lyndon instigates a public quarrel with Barry and then leaves the house. Barry is a womanizer and spendthrift, but he loves his son. When Bryan is eight, he is killed by a fall from a horse. Barry's mother takes over management of the house and attempts to fire the tutor who has been with the family long before Barry arrived. The tutor goes to Lord Lyndon and tells him what has happened. Lord Lyndon returns and challenges Barry to a duel, which results in the loss of Barry's leg. As the heir, Lord Lyndon kicks Barry and his mother out of the house. Barry never sees his wife again. He travels to Europe and resumes gambling, but unsuccessfully.
My Rating:4

Reviews for Barry Lyndon

Review - Barry Lyndon

Impressive scenery, costumes, etc. But the main characters show no emotion — remaining stone-faced even during scenes in which they are supposed to be happy, angry, etc. Kubrick drags out every scene (supposedly to let the audience understand what is going on), but it makes for a very slow movie. The worst part, however, is that Barry isn't interesting enough to make a movie about.

Reviewed by Roger on 2024-08-25 14:07:44

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