Barry Lyndon (1975)

John Chard April 26, 2020

★ 8/10

A lady who sets her heart upon a lad in uniform must prepare to change lovers pretty quickly, or her life will be but a sad one. First thing that is patently obvious is that as a visual piece of work the film has few peers, from stunning shots of rolling hills to the lavish period detail, it quite literally is breath taking. The attention to detail by director Stanley Kubrick and cinematographer John Alcott is admirable, whilst the costumes are of the highest order. I have never read the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray so have no frame of reference as regards the portrayals we witness unfolding. I have read that many find the film lacking in the humorous wit that is rife in Thackeray's page turner, yet Kubrick's take is full of satire surrounding the social standing that is the core beat of the story - well it certainly had me smiling anyways. The film is pretty downbeat, th…

CinemaSerf August 2, 2025

★ 7/10

Loved-up “Redmond Barry” (Ryan O’Neal) has a crush on his cousin “Nora” (Gay Hamilton) but her family are in need of the £1,500 a year from “Capt. Quin” (Leonard Rossiter) so they engineer a situation that sees this young man heading off for the bright lights of Dublin.  Along the way, he encounters a highwayman and that necessitates him joining the army. That has it’s advantages, though, as it takes him on a few adventures on the continent where he espies the fabulously wealthy “Lady Lyndon” (Marisa Berenson). She is married to a decrepit British parliamentarian, already has a young son, and isn’t exactly fulfilled. With an opportunity beckoning, the unscrupulous “Barry” steps up his game and is soon living the life of luxury with a wife, their own son “Brian” upon whom he dotes and a stepson who increasingly manages to see through his venal and profligat…