Barry Lyndon (1975)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writers:

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

Release Date:

18 December 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

British Army | 18th Century | Irish | England | Seven Years War

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Ryan O'Neal	...	Barry Lyndon / Redmond Barry
Marisa Berenson	...	Lady Lyndon
Patrick Magee	...	The Chevalier
Hardy Krüger	...	Captain Potzdorf (as Hardy Kruger)
Steven Berkoff	...	Lord Ludd
Gay Hamilton	...	Nora Brady
Marie Kean	...	Barry's Mother
Diana Körner	...	German Girl (as Diana Koerner)
Murray Melvin	...	Reverend Runt
Frank Middlemass	...	Sir Charles Lyndon
André Morell	...	Lord Wendover (as Andre Morell)
Arthur O'Sullivan	...	Captain Feeny, the Highwayman
Godfrey Quigley	...	Captain Grogan
Leonard Rossiter	...	Captain Quin
Philip Stone	...	Graham
Leon Vitali	...	Lord Bullingdon
John Bindon	...	Recruiting soldier
Roger Booth	...	King George III
Billy Boyle	...	Seamus Feeny
Jonathan Cecil	...	Lt. Jonathan Fakenham
Peter Cellier	...	Sir Richard
Geoffrey Chater	...	Dr. Broughton
Anthony Dawes	...	British Soldier
Patrick Dawson
Bernard Hepton
Anthony Herrick
Barry Jackson	...	British Soldier
Wolf Kahler	...	Prince of Tübingen
Pat Laffan		(as Patrick Laffan)
Hans Meyer
Ferdy Mayne	...	Colonel Bulow
David Morley	...	Bryan Patrick Lyndon
Liam Redmond
Pat Roach	...	Toole, soldier in fistfight
Dominic Savage	...	Young Bullingdon
Frederick Schiller
George Sewell	...	Barry's second
Anthony Sharp	...	Lord Hallam
John Sharp	...	Doolan
Roy Spencer
John Sullivan
Harry Towb	...	(credit only)
Michael Hordern	...	Narrator (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Norman Gay	...	Tailor (uncredited)
Vivian Kubrick	...	Guest (uncredited)
Gary Taylor	...	Barry's fight second (uncredited)

Directed by
Stanley Kubrick

Writing credits
Stanley Kubrick		(written for the screen by)
William Makepeace Thackeray		(novel "The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq.")

Produced by
Jan Harlan	....	executive producer
Stanley Kubrick	....	producer
Bernard Williams	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
John Alcott		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Tony Lawson

Casting by
James Liggat

Production Design by
Ken Adam

Art Direction by
Roy Walker

Costume Design by
Milena Canonero
Ulla-Britt Söderlund		(as Ulla-Britt Søderlund)

Makeup Department
Alan Boyle	....	makeup artist
Ann Brodie	....	makeup artist
Jill Carpenter	....	makeup artist
Yvonne Coppard	....	makeup artist
Barbara Daly	....	makeup artist
Susie Hill	....	hair stylist
Joyce James	....	hair stylist
Leonard	....	hair stylist
Leonard	....	wig maker
Maude Onslow	....	hair stylist (as Maud Onslow)
Daphne Vollmer	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Malcolm J. Christopher	....	unit manager (as Malcolm Christopher)
Terence A. Clegg	....	production manager (as Terence Clegg)
Don Geraghty	....	unit manager
Rudolf Hertzog	....	production manager: Germany
Douglas Twiddy	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Brian W. Cook	....	assistant director (as Brian Cook)
Michael Stevenson	....	assistant director
David Tomblin	....	assistant director
Andy Armstrong	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Bill Beecham	....	painter
Bill Brodie	....	assistant art director
Richard Dicker	....	drapesman
Vernon Dixon	....	set dresser
Ken Dolbear	....	property buyer
Mike Fowlie	....	property master
Joe Lee	....	construction manager
Cleo Nethersole	....	drapesman
Jan Schlubach	....	art director: Germany
Chris Seddon	....	drapesman
Terry Wells	....	property man
Barry Wilkinson	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
George Akers	....	assistant sound editor
Robin Gregory	....	sound recordist
Rodney Holland	....	sound editor
Bill Rowe	....	dubbing mixer
Michael Hickey	....	sound (uncredited)

Stunts
Roy Scammell	....	stunt arranger

Camera and Electrical Department
Lou Bogue	....	gaffer
Paddy Carey	....	camera operator: second unit
Tony Cridlin	....	camera grip
Ed Di Giulio	....	special cinematographer
Laurie Frost	....	assistant camera
Dodo Humphreys	....	assistant camera
Douglas Milsome	....	focus puller
Mike Molloy	....	camera operator
Luke Quigley	....	camera grip
Larry Smith	....	chief electrician
Ronnie Taylor	....	camera operator
Keith Hamshere	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Micky Wilson	....	electrician (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Gloria Barnes	....	wardrobe assistant
Ron Beck	....	wardrobe supervisor
Gary Dahms	....	costume maker
Yvonne Dahms	....	costume maker
Norman Dickens	....	wardrobe assistant
Jack Edwards	....	costume maker
Judy Lloyd-Rogers	....	costume maker
Willy Rothery	....	costume maker
Colin Wilson	....	wardrobe assistant
Francis Wilson	....	hats

Editorial Department
Dave Dowler	....	color grader
Peter Krook	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Leonard Rosenman	....	conductor
Leonard Rosenman	....	music adaptor

Other crew
Margaret Adams	....	secretary to producer
Bob Anderson	....	fencing coach
Bill Aylmore	....	armorer
Ron Bareham	....	assistant accountant
David Berglas	....	advisor: gambling
Andros Epaminondas	....	assistant to producer
Carolyn Hall	....	assistant accountant
John Mollo	....	historical advisor
Arthur Morgan	....	location liaison
George Mossman	....	horse master
Peter Munt	....	wrangler
William O'Kelly	....	location liaison (as Col. William O'Kelly)
Loretta Ordewer	....	production secretary
Pat Pennelegion	....	production secretary
June Randall	....	continuity
Geraldine Stephenson	....	choreographer
John Trehy	....	production accountant

Production Companies

• Peregrine
• Hawk Films

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1976) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. (????) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Argentina Video Home (2001) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2001) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• Warner Bros. (2001) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)

Other Companies

• Corsham Court  special acknowledgment
• Somerset Rural Life Museum  special acknowledgment (as Glastonbury Rural Life Museum)
• National Trust Stourhead Gardens  special acknowledgment (as Stourhead House and the National Trust)
• Castle Howard  special acknowledgment
• Dolby Laboratories  special sound assistance
• Elstree Studios  sound re-recording (as EMI Elstree Studios)

Runtime:

184 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German | French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Spain:18 | Finland:K-16 (1976) | Sweden:15 | France:Unrated | Brazil:12 | Canada:14A (video rating) | Argentina:Atp | New Zealand:PG | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:PG | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | West Germany:12 | USA:PG | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Company:

Peregrine

Trivia:

Stanley Kubrick initially wanted to film William Makepeace Thackeray's most famous novel "Vanity Fair", but then decided that he couldn't do justice to its expansive plot within the limits of a three-hour film. He then decided to film "The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq." instead. The announcement of a TV miniseries production contributed to his decision.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Barry breaks up the meeting between his cousin Nora and Captain John Quin, the light shifts from right to left and back again several times.

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...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Inside Salon Kitty (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

THE BARBER OF SEVILLE (cavatina)

A tale of love, war and power

While this is, in my opinion, not the best of Kubrick's films, it is in no way a bad film of his... some have claimed it is overlong and dull, but I don't think so. From what I've heard, it does the novel justice, and I believe that is what Kubrick went after, more than anything else. That is admirable, for a man who throughout his career was known for making unfaithful film adaptations of famous and popular novels, much to the dismay of the authors. The film perfectly presents everything from the time period in which it takes place... something that few, if any, other films have accomplished. It deals with the life of Redmond Barry, his ups and downs. The first half has us feeling sympathy with him, and shows his rise to a high position and gain the name Barry Lyndon, and everything that entitles. The second seems to turn us a little more against him, as he goes through the expected downfall that must always follow an unexpected rise to high life. Through the film he gets desensitized and careless. We follow him through most of his life, and an uneventful one it is not. As all other Kubrick films, the visual side is probably the most prominent one of the film, as he grants us several long looks at the beautiful sets and locales, and there are more than a few of his trademark shots slowly zooming out from the focus point to display the surroundings. The plot is great, and almost constantly developing. It is narrated with a good sense of irony and clever social satire on the time period. There's plenty of humor in the film to make the three hour run-time seem less long. The pacing is good and thorough without the film being slow(though I do admit that it isn't a film for those who are not used to long, visual films). The characters are well-written and credible. The acting is excellent all the way. Not even the child-actors seemed less than perfectly convincing. The costumes and sets are great. From what I understand, there is no detail in the film that is even slightly historically inaccurate. That is quite impressive for a film that takes place about a century and a half before it was made. I have heard of great deals of work done to keep many films accurate, but I don't believe one exists that manages to do so with such perfection as this. Even the very language that they speak is accurate. The special effects in the film also deserve mention here... for a film that is almost thirty years old, it's impeccable how believable and convincing the effects are... I couldn't tell how most of them were done. Kubrick was indeed one of the most brilliant directors ever... he was not only a master at his craft, he was also one of the most innovative and inspiring film-makers to have ever lived. I recommend this great piece of cinema to anyone who has an interest in the time period the film is set and any fan of Stanley Kubrick. Don't miss this one. Not his greatest, but a truly great one nonetheless. 10/10