Search - Barry Lyndon [Widescreen] on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Brief Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children Movie Release: 1975 DVD Release: 06/29/1999 Format: DVD - Soft-Matted WSE for 16x9 TV Edition: Dual Layered,Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 3 hrs 5 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Members Wishing: 6 Genres: Drama, Period Film See Also: Barry Lyndon, Barry Lyndon [Remastered]

With ornate imagery reminiscent of paintings from the story's 18th century period, Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's novel depicts the rise and fall of a sensitive rogue in the British aristocracy. Young Irishman Redmond Barry (Ryan O'Neal) leaves home to seek his fortune after apparently killing an English officer in a duel. Through a series of mishaps and accidents, Barry winds up fighting with the Prussian army in the Seven Years' War under the command of Capt. Potzdorf (Hardy Kruger); at war's end, Potzdorf enlists Barry to spy on a shady Chevalier (Patrick Magee). Instead, Barry joins up with the Irish Chevalier to flee Prussia and live as gamblers among Europe's elite. Wishing to climb even higher, Barry soon meets the beautiful Lady Lyndon (Marisa Berenson), marrying her for her fortune after her older titled husband dies. Her son Lord Bullingdon (Leon Vitali), however, despises the upstart Barry, and, regardless of how his mother may feel, sees to it that the re-named Barry Lyndon will never be able to stake his claim to the entrenched aristocracy. Coming after Kubrick's esteemed hits 2001 (1968) and A Clockwork Orange (1971), Barry Lyndon opened with high expectations and met with decidedly mixed responses to its restrained tone. Even with Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Director (and wins for Cinematography, Art Direction, Costumes, and Adapted Score), Barry Lyndon was a box office failure, as mid-'70s audiences increasingly turned away from such narrative challenges as its epic length and muffled emotions. Since then, Barry Lyndon has gained in stature, taking its place among the formidable artistic achievements of Kubrick's career. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Ryan O'Neal - Redmond Barry (Barry Lyndon)
Marisa Berenson - Lady Lyndon
Patrick Magee - The Chevalier
Hardy Kruger - Capt. Potzdorf
Gay Hamilton - Nora Brady

With Barry Lyndon, Stanley Kubrick proved that he could master just about any genre of film. Sadly, this DVD doesn't live up to the lush beauty of the movie, as the picture quality is quite poor. Backgrounds flicker and shift, compression artifacts blur actors' faces, and the overall blurry nature of the digital transfer is a shameful distraction. It would seem that the resolution is too low throughout the 185-minute running length. Of course, the DVD is still watchable, and some viewers might not mind or even notice the flaws. Still, this adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's novel deserves much better. As with many Kubrick movies and DVDs, the sound is Mono. The Dolby Digital Mono representation is quite good, showing no signs of the trouble encountered with the picture quality. Dialogue, sound effects, and Leonard Rosenman's score are all crystal clear. The theatrical trailer, a full-frame affair, is a subtly humorous play on blurb-heavy trailers. The "Awards" section lists the movie's many awards and nominations over four screens. "Jump to a Scene" allows instant access to all of the DVD's 47 chapters, described by chapter titles. This is certainly not the definitive digital edition of Barry Lyndon, as there are simply too many flaws in picture quality, but the movie's charms and artistry do raise the DVD to worthy status. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Movie Guide