Barry Lyndon

Fully appreciated after a second viewing (and in the restored version in the cinema). I still feel that I would have to watch it at least twice more to clarify my uncritical enthusiasm and to come up with better superlatives than "Kubrick was just different", but I can say that you probably won't find a more beautifully filmed biography in any film archive. Kubrick not only paints the screen better than Bertolucci, but above all, with a clever helping of amusingly ironic commentary, he narrates with complete mastery, elevating a three-hour personal portrait to the highest cinematic art with every thoughtful cut or musical accompaniment, like a bubble in a spirit level maintaining the demanding rhythm of the narration. While the first two thirds are unmatched for their quicker changes of location and major twists, the final family section is not lacking in stunning formal precision, and its thoughtful denouement surpasses even the similarly paced conclusion of Gone with the Wind. And once again, I have to marvel at how fantastic the film looks and how superbly it orchestrates everything on the mise-en-scène, so that the camera mostly just needs slow zooms or horizontal runs – for example, in the card scene, it's fascinating that only one character ever looks up from the table while the others have their eyes downcast. And the icing on the cake is the excellent performance of Ryan O'Neal. Yeah, Kubrick was just different. (10/05/2018)

Even though one might think this would be incredibly dull, something Kubrick couldn't even accidentally direct, the Master once again proves that even this is a film that captivates. Even though it's not action-packed, you'll still be tense, whether because it's entertaining, dark, intimate, or sometimes just sexy, in its own way. Those three hours gonna fly by fast. (02/03/2015)

A slowly unfolding, utterly unpredictable, and almost intimate story of one man who greatly influenced the fates of many people. Stanley Kubrick presents his most magnificent work cautiously, perhaps somewhat unevenly, but every scene, even the smallest, has its justification in the final outcome. What's more, he chose the perfect actor, Ryan O'Neal, for the main role, who showcases his acting skills the most in gradually escalating scenes of a card game or an interrupted concert. The narrator, however, remains a flaw, for while he fills in the gaps nicely, his guiding speeches hinder the tension of the events that unfold. (20/04/2006)

An epic tale that follows the life of Redmond Barry, who became Barry Lyndon, I loved it in every way, but I'd highlight the engaging cinematography, the great period music, and the impeccable costumes and hairstyles. But the actors didn't slack off either. Ryan O'Neal's performance in particular is stunning. It's incredible how a long and, above all, stable and sensible story can be told in a three-hour running time. And master Stanley Kubrick managed to do it with panache. In short, a film with everything, offering the audience a whole range of genres. (19/03/2011)

The third time’s the charm. While it's a nice chapter in the history of film on the subject of lighting, and I'd love to read William Makepeace Thackeray's novel someday, if the scene of finding the bow in the cleavage doesn't work, there's something wrong with the film. That something is called Kubrick. Hooray! And we clap and we high-five. While we do not enjoy the realities of the 18th century, for which of course we have no understanding, we do enjoy the compositions and the anti-hero, and like monkeys, we adopt the lessons of the divine auteur who is so familiar to us. (21/03/2013)