Barry Lyndon (1975)

In mid 18th century Ireland, a headstrong if naive young man (Ryan O'Neal) gets himself into trouble by dueling with the Englishman (Leonard Rossiter) in love with his cousin (Gay Hamilton). He flees to Dublin to avoid the hand of the law but this is only the beginning of his adventures and his rise to the British aristocracy and his great fall. This gorgeous masterpiece from Stanley Kubrick is possibly the most divisive of his films (outside of the core Kubrick fanboys). Usually, slow and boring is the accusation most flung at it by its detractors but while Kubrick's pacing is decidedly languid, I was never bored for a minute. Visually, it's one of the most beautiful films in cinematic history and John Alcott's lensing of it has reached near legendary proportions. Each composition, each frame, the incredible lighting is almost a work of Art in itself. One would think that the role of Barry Lyndon would be a juicy role for any actor but Ryan O'Neal seems reined in and I'm sure this is exactly the way Kubrick wanted it. I suppose one could say O'Neal is merely a blank slate for Kubrick to work his "magic" but that would be unfair. O'Neal is very good in the part and one wishes Kubrick had relaxed his hold a bit but it is a very controlled movie. With Marisa Berenson, who has precious little to do, Patrick Magee, Hardy Kruger, Marie Kean, Andre Morell, Murray Melvin and the narration is by Michael Hordern.