Why I Saw This Movie
As a dutiful student of pop
culture, I’ve seen most of Stanley Kubrick’s movies (Paths of Glory, Spartacus, Dr. Strangelove, 2001 A Space Odyssey,
Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket), but never got around
to Barry Lyndon.
The Review
I’m not a film expert, so I’ll
leave it to others to gush over Kubrick’s art and genius. All I will say is that I found this film
enjoyable. It moves really slow, so you’ve
got to be in the right mood for it. But
if you’re in the mood for a period piece costume drama, and if you’ve got a
suitable amount of patience, you can get suitably absorbed in this film. (It might also help to take a break during
the intermission.)
Other Things I Would
Talk About If I Wasn’t Limiting Myself to 100 Words
* Talking about some of the really well done scenes in this
film—the pistol duel scene in particular impressed me as a scene where the
tension was so perfectly maintained.
Rating :
7 out of 10 stars. (This is based purely on the watchability
factor, and not on Kubrick’s art.)Link of the Day
Noam Chomsky: Illegal but Legitimate: a Dubious Doctrine for the Times
5 comments:
This is one of my favourite ever films. In fact, if I ever get one of those awkward "What's your favourite movie?" questions then usually this is my default answer, although I have never really worked out if that is true. I think that almost every scene in the film could be an oil painting although, as you say, you have to watch it under the right conditions; you have to choose your viewing companions very carefully, and you have to be sure of not being disturbed for the 3 hours plus; no popcorn, but maybe a glass of red wine.
However, the first time I saw part of this film was when I was a teenager flipping through the channels, and I came across the brawling scene which seemed so incongruous given that everyone is dressed in powdered wigs and silly clothes. I think at that point I decided that the film was obviously too good to not watch from the beginning - I didn't want to ruin it for myself by watching the end - so I waited a few years until I got another opportunity to see it. I'm glad I waited.
Having said that, while I love the film I can also understand why some people can't stand it. It's not really an uplifting film, the characters are hardly edifying, and Stanley Kubrick hits his audience at the end with that bleak afterword which suggests that none of really matters anyway. But to me it is a masterpiece.
Have you seen Room 237?
Yeah that afterward was brilliantly devastating. After having been so absorbed in all the quarrels the characters have with each other, it was such a brutal reminder of how futile all of these small struggles are. Arguably that epilogue should accompany every work of fiction.
I've never seen room 237. I've never even heard of it until now, but I looked it up on wikipedia, and it sounds interesting.
It's a film for Kubrick fans, Shining fans in particular. I think that unless you are both, you are very unlikely to enjoy watching Room 237. You also need a very high tolerance for a lot of pretty daft interpretations of The Shining, but I enjoyed it. It also has an interesting soundtrack.
>>>> You also need a very high tolerance for a lot of pretty daft interpretations of The Shining
...Hmmm. That might count me out, actually. But I'll keep my eyes open for the film nonetheless. If I see it in the DVD shops here, I'll grab it.
Actually, I watched the film on You Tube. Someone had posted the whole thing with French subtitles. It seems to have gone now though.
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