Master filmmaker (and cinema perfectionist), the late Stanley Kubrick didn’t make that many films. But when he did, he really made them. There was a very meticulous sense of detail to each and every one of them. His sardonic 1975 period piece Barry Lyndon is no exception.
Buy Barry Lyndon (Criterion Collection) 4K UHDThe late Ryan O’Neal (who was slightly miscast but oddly appealing) headlines this cynical film as Barry Lyndon, an Irish country boy who falls in love with a local girl but is later tricked by her family into leaving town. Heartbroken and hypnotized by love, he eventually finds himself in the Seven Years War, earning a living as an expert gambler, and ascending to the higher ranks of society. During this time, he meets and marries the beautiful Lady Lyndon (a mesmerizing Marisa Berenson), which increases his luck but leads to his undoing as he does it all for social status rather than for real love.
The brilliant cynicism of the film suggests that incredibly flawed people like Barry are simply opportunists and emotional abusers that manipulate people who are gullible enough to fall for it. In some cases, they manage to redeem themselves either by sacrifice or tragedy; in other cases, they never do. In this case, Barry is both the antihero and the villain. Time and time again, with each viewing, the film reveals more and more complexity that makes it perhaps more devastating than many other Kubrick films. This is the reason why this is one of his more accessible works. That and the truly astonishing (often candle-lit) cinematography by John Alcott and production design by Ken Adam, not to mention the superb costumes by Milena Canonero.
This deserving winner of four Oscars (Best Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, and Original Song Score) was originally released by Criterion in 2017, but is now joining its 4K UHD family, where I’m sure that every aspect of the film will be a marvel to see its new 4K restoration. The supplements (which are aren’t new) are still highly informative and stacked. They include Making Barry Lyndon, featurette examining the film’s production history; Achieving Perfection, featurette with focus puller Douglas Milsome and gaffer Lou Bogue discuss working with Kubrick; Timing and Tension, interview with editor Tony Lawson; Drama in Detail, featurette with historian and author Christopher Frayling; Balancing Every Sound, featurette with actor Leon Vitali, who was also Kubrick’s personal assistant; trailers, and much, much more! There’s also the same great essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien and two pieces about the look of the film from the March 1976 issue of American Cinematographer.
If you happen to be a huge fan of this film and/or Kubrick in general, but do not own any versions of this near masterpiece film, then this release is definitely worthy of your collection!
Other releases:
Sinners 4K UHD and Blu-ray (Warner): Ryan Coogler’s latest triumph starring Michael B. Jordan as twins wanting to leave their questionable past behind, but when they return to their hometown to begin again, they find an even greater evil waiting for them.
Clueless 4K UHD and Blu-ray (Paramount): Amy Heckerling’s 1995 cult classic starring Alicia Silverstone (in an iconic role) as Cher, a highly privileged and popular high school girl who spends her days (and money) playing matchmaker, helping her friends with fashion, and finding love of her own.
Grave of the Fireflies Blu-ray/DVD (Shout Factory): Devastating 1988 animated classic about an orphaned brother and sister trying to survive the final days of WWII who move into a deserted bomb shelter. With no living relatives and sparse funds and rations, they have to struggle to make it out alive as their country is on the losing end of the war.
The Rule of Jenny Pen Blu-ray (Shudder): Nightmarish tale starring Geoffrey Rush as a stroke-riddled former judge, confined to a rest home, who has to stop an elderly psychopath (John Lithgow) who uses a child’s puppet to terrorize the home’s residents.
