Julie Holland

Image Source: Unsplash

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When the trippy, kaleidoscopic film "A Clockwork Orange" was released in the early '70s, its satiric view of a futuristic society replete with thought-guessing devices, psychiatric medication and recreational violence sent audiences into a frenzy. But when director Stanley Kubrick followed up with the lesser-known "Barry Lyndon" two years later, it flopped. It's not surprising that viewers were turned off by another dystopian world where privileged aristocrats are preening hedonists living uncivilized lives; apparently viewers wanted their villains to be more cartoonish. Set in 18th century Ireland, "Barry Lyndon" follows the tragic downfall of an opportunistic opportunist named Barry who worms his way into marrying an heiress, Lady Lyndon. Betrayal, resentment and greed ensue — all set to Mozartean music...

Who is Barry Lyndon?

Barry Lyndon is an Irish rogue who marries into nobility using nothing but charm and a good line of bullshit. He's a hard-drinking philanderer who has no problem trading his wife's affections for social standing or stealing from his own family to get richer. He gets what's coming to him in the end — a perfect example of the old adage "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Barry is a member of the landed gentry, the lower rungs of 18th century society. His family is not wealthy enough to be part of the aristocracy, but they're not poor enough to be lumped in with the peasants. He has enough land to be considered a member of the clergy, but he doesn't go to church enough to keep his title. Barry is a black sheep who does whatever he wants because he doesn't have to answer to anyone.

Why is "Barry Lyndon" underrated?

Likely because the last thing audiences were expecting from the man behind "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "A Clockwork Orange" was a period piece about the upper crust of mid-18th century England. While "2001" drew from the world created by writers like Arthur C. Clarke, and "A Clockwork Orange" was inspired by the works of Anthony Burgess, "Barry Lyndon" seems purely the product of Kubrick's imagination. While the film has many elements of fantasy, the fantasy is of the 18th century. The world has been transformed into a magical land where the fog looks like it's made of cotton balls and the sun is always setting — it's as if the film were shot in black and white and color simultaneously.

Kubrick's use of music and color in "Barry Lyndon"

Kubrick famously used music as his "third sound track," so it makes sense that he would choose an existing piece of music to score Barry's story. Mozart's music was perfect for the film, spanning the full breadth of emotions required: It could be dark and foreboding when Barry's plotting his next move, but it could also be light and playful when he's wooing his future wife. It could be heroic when Barry is fighting in a war and then be somber when he's mourning his dead comrades. Barry's story is also one of color: The green of nature, the gold of wealth and the red of passion. Kubrick uses color to evoke Barry's emotions and show how he is progressing from one stage to the next. When Barry first meets the love of his life, he's infatuated and so green represents nature and the environment surrounding him. When Barry marries his wife, their gold-colored attire shows how wealthy they are. Finally, the red of passion comes through when Barry and his wife consummate their relationship.

The art of the slow-motion fight scene

Kubrick's use of slow motion in Barry's brawl with an Englishman named Beauford has become the stuff of film legend. But if you look closely, you'll see that it's not really slow motion. Rather, Kubrick used high-speed cameras that allowed him to capture images at 8 times the normal speed but then play them back at regular speed. While it would be impossible to see a human move that slowly in real life, the method allows viewers to see every nuance of each movement. We see the way Barry's fingers curl around the handle of his sword as he prepares to strike, the way Beauford's hand moves in anticipation of being hit and the way the sword slices through the air as it cuts Beauford's arm. It's a stunning example of Kubrick's artistic vision, but also a nod to the limitations of technology: Shooting the scene at normal speed would have been too slow for viewers to see what was happening.

The benefits of a widescreen format

"Barry Lyndon" was shot in an ultra-wide-screen format called anamorphic widescreen, which had been used by Hollywood since the 1950s. By shooting in this format, Kubrick and cinematographer John Alcott could place the camera closer to their actors than if they had shot in a more traditional aspect ratio, capturing their performances in a way that approximates the viewer being inside their heads. Additionally, the wider format allowed for more creative compositions; Kubrick could have his camera pan across a scene, or he could use a technique he called "sweeping" in which the camera moves "like a brush across the landscape." Kubrick's artistic choices were made not only to enhance the story and the performances, but also to show his disdain for the then-newly introduced wide-screen format: "I think they look like pansies," he said. "I think they look like a bunch of flowers."

Conclusion

"Barry Lyndon" is perhaps more aptly described as a tone poem than a film, with Kubrick "painting" his picture with music, cinematography, and his actors' performances. This is not a film for someone who wants constant action or surprise twists, but for those who want to see a story unfold in the most beautiful way possible — a feat that Kubrick, with his mastery of all aspects of the filmmaking process, accomplishes flawlessly.