Barry Lyndon (1975)

An Irish rogue wins the heart of a rich widow and assumes her dead husband's position in 18th Century aristocracy.

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writers:

Stanley Kubrick (written for the screen by), William Makepeace Thackeray (novel)

Stars:

Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee

Top 250 #207 | Won 4 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ryan O'Neal	...	Barry Lyndon
Marisa Berenson	...	Lady Honoria Lyndon
Patrick Magee	...	Chevalier de Balibari
Hardy Krüger	...	Captain Potzdorf (as Hardy Kruger)
Steven Berkoff	...	Lord Ludd
Gay Hamilton	...	Nora Brady
Marie Kean	...	Barry's Mother
Diana Körner	...	Lischen (as Diana Koerner)
Murray Melvin	...	Reverend Samuel Runt
Frank Middlemass	...	Sir Charles Lyndon
André Morell	...	Lord Gustavus Adolphus Wendover (as Andre Morell)
Arthur O'Sullivan	...	Captain Feeny, the Highwayman
Godfrey Quigley	...	Captain Grogan
Leonard Rossiter	...	Captain John Quin
Philip Stone	...	Graham

Storyline

In the Eighteenth Century, in a small village in Ireland, Redmond Barry is a young farm boy in love of his cousin Nora Brady. When Nora engages to the British Captain John Quin, Barry challenges him for a duel of pistols. He wins and escapes to Dublin, but is robbed on the road. Without any other alternative, Barry joins the British Army to fight in the Seven Years War. He deserts and is forced to join the Prussian Army, saving the life of his captain and becoming his protégé and spy of the Irish gambler Chevalier de Balibari. He helps Chevalier and becomes his associate until he decides to marry the wealthy Lady Lyndon. They move to England and Barry, in his obsession of nobility, dilapidates her fortune and makes a dangerous and revengeful enemy.

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Plot Keywords:

british army | irish | spy | england | 18th century | 

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Taglines:

At long last Redmond Barry became a gentleman -- and that was his tragedy.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English German French

Release Date:

18 December 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beri Lindon

Filming Locations:

Royal Victoria Park, Bath, Somerset, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

SEK 2,016,185 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Peregrine, Hawk Films, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

184 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

With a running time of 184 minutes, this is Stanley Kubrick's longest film

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Goofs

The flags shown in the scenes of Barry's service in the Prussian army are from three different regiments. The flag with a white background and grey/silver-grey vertical stripes is that of the Royal Guard regiment, the yellow with white corner darts is that of Fusilier Regiment Nr 39, and the dark flag looks like it could be the flag of Infantry Regiments Nr 2, 8, 13, 28 or 54, all of which had black flags with varying colored details. The regiment's uniform distinctions of white lapels, cuffs and collar make it look like Regiment Nr 13, which was known as a hard-fighting, hard-drinking unit.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[two figures visible on the horizon prepare to duel. Three witnesses stand between them]
Second: Gentlemen, cock your pistols! Gentlemen...
Narrator: Barry's father...
Second: ...aim your pistols!
Narrator: ...had been bred, like many other young sons of a genteel family, to the profession of the law.
Second: One!
Narrator: And there is no doubt he would've...
Second: Two!
Narrator: ...made an eminent figure in his profession...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

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Soundtracks

"THE SEA MAIDEN"
Traditional
Performed by The Chieftains

User Reviews

Different kind of a Stanley Kubrick movie

In some way almost all of Stanley Kubrick's movies are very gloomy, dreary and wicked. The idea of "Lolita" is definitely perverted, "The Shining" is maybe the most terrifying film ever made, "Full Metal Jacket" is still one of the most pressuring war movies, from time to time "Eyes Wide Shut" looks almost like a horror film and even "2001: A Space odyssey" has some pretty frightening visions.

"Barry Lyndon" was Kubrick's next film after his darkest masterpiece "A Clockwork Orange" and certainly a totally different kind of a work. Even though "Barry Lyndon's" second half is slightly darker and the movie certainly isn't a comedy of any kind it's still quite a nice, warm and genial picaresque story. It's hard to say is it a bit overlong because it's easier to watch in two parts but nevertheless it's a brilliant film from the very start. "Barry Lyndon" is full of unforgettable sequences. My favorite is probably the duel between Barry Lyndon and his stepson Lord Bullington.

One of the things I love most about this movie is the splendid epilogue. Closing words of "Barry Lyndon" brings hilariously together every event seen in the film. Ryan O'Neal makes a fabulous performance as Barry. He isn't all that well-known actor in the movie business but he does a great job in the difficult leading role. I'll give 9 out of 10 to "Barry Lyndon" and point out that although it's not Kubrick's finest flick it's still a very excellent movie and an extremely important part of his works and it should not be underestimate. If you have seen lots of Kubrick classics but not this one, take this chance to jump into 18th century and watch the entertaining adventures of Redmond Barry.