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Thread: redmund barry

  1. #1
    soixante Guest

    redmund barry

    Barry Lyndon is my favorite Kubrick film. It was the first Kubrick film I ever saw, so it definitely blew my mind (I was only 14, and I saw it on its first run on a big screen). After multiple viewings, it still blows me away every time. The DVD is great, because you can really study Kubrick's marvelous compositions. Some people think this film is too slow, but I enjoy the methodical pacing. The music is wonderful, probably the best score for a movie I've ever heard -- so much better than most bombastic scores written for movies. The cinematography for this film was ground-breaking, and you can see its influence on countless films made afterwards (especially period pieces). I also like the dispassionate, God's-eye view of all the events. Few films have the density of a good novel, but Barry Lyndon does.

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Well, that is music to my ears.
    I was wondering where to begin with "Barry Lyndon" on these threads, because it is my favorite film as well. What can I say about this hugely overlooked landmark?
    First, the music. (Seeing as how it's the first thing you experience)
    Handel. Powerful opening strains. You expect anything less from the man who married the moon and Zarathrusta? It commands you to listen as those gorgeous opening titles appear.

    Prepare for a picture that is all about PACE. And kids, this one ain't fast. Oh no, this one INSISTS on being slow. Very slow. Agonizingly slow. Or in my case: euphorically slow. Divinely slow.
    If your attention span is the size of a matchhead, then you will be
    yawning & writhing in your seat like the 2-year old brat you are.

    For those who allow themselves to be transported to a time when Napoleon walked the earth (no, he's not in the film), then you will be a priviledged individual. For in my humble opinion, there is no cinema experience greater than Barry Lyndon.

    Do yourself a favour: Light some candles, drink some wine, listen to a little classical beforehand ( I like Beethoven's Eroica & Wellington's Victory respectively) and settle in for Kubrick's TRUE masterpiece.
    Last edited by Johann; 04-16-2003 at 07:20 PM.
    "Set the controls for the heart of the Sun" - Pink Floyd

  3. #3
    gerryf Guest

    Barry Lyndon

    I must dissent from the opinions posted by the earlier reviewers. I wanted to like "Barry Lyndon", and I almost succeeded, but Ryan O'Neal's performance was so bad I could not.

    I consider Dr. Strangelove one of the great movies of all time, but Kubrick's choice of O'Neal for Barry Lyndon and London as a place to make "Eyes Wide Shut" show his ability, along with many other makers of great movies, to make some big mistakes.

  4. #4
    soixante Guest
    Perhaps I'm alone on this, but I didn't like Dr. Strangelove that much. I know it's considered a masterpiece, but I just didn't get into it. I didn't find it amusing at all, even though I generally like the work of Terry Southern and Peter Sellers. I like the cinematography. For dark military comedies, I'll take Altman's MASH.

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