After he finished his Science Fiction masterpiece, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY in 1967 (the film would be released in 1968), auteur Director Stanley Kubrick turned his attention to a detailed Bio-Pic of Napoléon Bonaparte, spending years researching the period of Napoleon’s life and all of it’s myriad of details. Unfortunately, he spent so much time researching Europe of that time that another film - WATERLOO - was filmed and rushed to the movie theaters in 1970. This movie, with Rod Steiger in the lead role of Napoleon, bombed at the box office.
Consequently, no studio would touch a Napoleon Bonaparte film - not even one that was Directed by Stanley Kubrick.
So, Kubrick turned his attention to A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and when that film came out in 1971, Kubrick went back to his deep research of 18th Century Europe and sought a story to that he would fit with that background. He discovered an 1844 novel by Makepeace Thackery entitled THE LUCK OF BARRY LYNDON and Kubrick had his next film.
He should have kept looking for a better story.
Breathtakingly shot - Kubrick’s eye for detail is in full flower with this beautifully shot film - every scene is set up and shot like a Masterpiece painting and this film is STUNNING to look at, so much so that Cinematographer John Alcott, Art Director/Set Director (Ken Adam, Roy Walker, Vernon Dixon) and Costumers (Ulla-Britt Soderlund & Milena Canonero) all won richly deserved Oscars - as did Leonard Rosenman for his haunting score.
Kubrick was also nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay, but (deservedly) did not win these for the Direction and Screenplay are amongst the weakest links in this film for Barry Lyndon (as played by Ryan O’Neal) floats through a series of events that seem to skim the surface (at least until the end) and did not pack much of an emotional punch (again, until the end).
While Kubrick wanted Richard Harris in the lead role (and what a different - and probably more interesting - film this would have been if that had happened), Warner Bros. Studios would not bankroll the film unless Kubrick cast one of the top 10 Box Office stars of the day in the lead. That list included Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and Barbra Streisand(!). None of those would suffice. Kubrick had to choose between Robert Redford and Ryan O’Neal. O’Neal was keen to play the role - and since he was the #1 Box Office star at the time (Redford would pass him the next year), it was a “no-brainer”for Kubrick to cast O’Neal.
And that’s the biggest issue with this film, O’Neal just isn’t a fine - or subtle - enough actor to pull off the role of a vagabond, social climbing rogue in such a way as to have the audience care what happens to the lead character of this film until much, much too late in this 3 hour film.
Kubrick spends the first 2 hours of BARRY LYNDON bouncing from vignette to vignette and while there are some interesting moments - and characters - by such worthy performers as Hardy Kruger, Patrick Magee and Leonard Rossiter - it is all too fleeting and O’Neal just cannot be the glue that keeps things together. It is only in the 3rd hour of this film when the action - and Barry - settle down when he marries the Lady Lyndon (Marisa Berenson - who is interesting to watch, but isn’t given nearly enough to do) that this film begins to engage the audience emotionally.
But by that time, the audience is marveling at the gorgeous pictures on the screen and not caring much at all about what happens to Barry Lyndon.
Oh, what might have been.
Letter Grade: B-
6 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to theBank (ofMarquis)
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