BARRY LYNDON 4K Review: Every Frame a Painting

Directed by Stanley Kubrick, one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Barry Lyndon is out this week in a deluxe 4K/Blu-ray combo pack from the Criterion Collection this week.

What can one say about a film that’s been written about extensively for the last five decades? I’m not even going to delve into that, it seems to be a rabbit hole from which one can never return. Barry Lyndon flopped on its initial release, but has been reevaluated and many critics name check it as the most beautiful film ever put to celluloid. The historical drama cost $11mm in 1975 dollars, or pounds, really. It’s also three hours and five minutes long, and the film knows it; hence, the fun, retro (and honestly helpful) “Intermission” card at the midpoint.

Based on a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, the story seems to be just as cold as Kubrick’s other works, but decidedly less violent. That’s not to say that there isn’t any violence in the film, it just pales in comparison with the auteur’s other films, such as A Clockwork Orange. We do see corporeal violence done by men to other men and boys; thankfully the violence against the women onscreen is relegated to neglect and emotional abuse. Yay?

Anyway, the titular character is played by Ryan O’Neal (Love Story, Peyton Place) as he ventures from his Irish home farm throughout the U.K. and Europe, making his way in the world. A con artist, he lies, cheats, and steals his way from being a helpful prisoner-spy of sorts (having deserted the military) into the aristocracy.

Basically, he fails up for most of the film, and I really didn’t like the character. As directed by the famously-controlling Kubrick, O’Neal is stoic, and is stripped of most of his star charisma. The character lucks his way into the one percent after cavorting with Mrs. Lyndon (Marisa Berenson, Cabaret), a gorgeous slip of a woman married to a much older man who puts up resistance to Barry with his outrage before promptly dropping dead. I wonder if in the novel, Barry poisons the man or otherwise speeds up his end. It just seems too convenient. Then again, a lot of the plot points do.

He’s tolerated until his stepson Lord Bullingdon (a fantastic Leon Vitali) returns home from exile to settle scores in a tense duel scene that serves as the climax of the film. It’s all because he couldn’t just enjoy himself, the mass of riches he conned his way into, or his beautiful wife. In the end, he almost gets what he deserves. He loses half a leg and is himself exiled from the rich, albeit with a hefty annuity to stay the hell away from them. I’d say justice was served if he lost everything, but that’s just me.

Nonetheless, the incredible work on display made me keep watching. Every frame a painting indeed. My art school background was activated by the painstaking recreations of British and Dutch masters; compositions throughout the film could be printed out and framed. The costumes are unbelievable. On occasion, some of them were loaned from actual museums, so thorough was Kubrick’s notorious demand for authenticity. A few of crew in the supplements spoke at length about the director’s punishing ways. One of them needed therapy. I believe it.

The cinematography by John Alcott, who won both an Academy Award and a BAFTA for his work, is undeniably gorgeous. There are two articles reprinted from American Cinematographer that go into the more technical aspects of the visuals, including how special lenses were created for the film. The extras delve more into the efforts it took to film most of the story in either natural sunlight or candlelight.

As for picture in this new 4K release, I only noticed one outdoor segment with a small amount of flicker. Everything else looked pristine. Likewise, the 5.1 surround soundtrack is terrific.

I mentioned a few extras, but here’s the complete list below.

I enjoyed all of the supplements and learning about the making of the film, even more than watching it. I met Leon Vitali a decade ago at the Stanley Film Festival before it moved and was renamed the Overlook Film Festival. He was there promoting the documentary he was the focus of, Filmworker, which chronicles his life going from actor to Kubrick’s devoted assistant. I found him to be friendly, quintessentially British, and humble. I was sad when I learned of his passing at the end of 2022, but am comforted by his great work as the main antagonist to O’Neal’s Lyndon.

While not my favorite genre or Kubrick film, Barry Lyndon is undeniably worth your time.

Need to complete your Kubrick home library? Head over to Criterion Collection’s page for Barry Lyndon here.