And so I wondered why director Stanley Kubrick (Full Metal Jacket, The Shining, 2001: A Space Odyssey) would cast California born American actor Ryan O'Neal in the lead role of Irish opportunist Barry Lyndon.
I had finally taken time to see the film with the advent of its release on Criterion.
Barry Lyndon (1975), based on the novel The Luck Of Barry Lyndon (1844), is, without question, a sumptuous, meticulous, carefully constructed period drama. Visually I enjoyed the film immensely, but sometimes, like O'Neal's performance, the experience felt detached, cool and understated. I felt often like a remote observer. There is a cool detachment about the emotion in the picture, but the refinement and reservation of the day may have indeed called for such an approach. All told it makes sense. It is painterly in execution and as such Kubrick brings the paintings of that period, the Seven Year's War (1756-1763), very much to life both interior and exterior. As a viewer we approach the film much like an admirer of paintings and absorb the moving pictures as such.
Still, I could not help but wonder what a film like this could have been with a different, more gifted, physical actor as the titular character. O'Neal isn't a disaster, but he does often feel the weak link to a rather epic picture filled with a glorious procession of juicy supporting characters. In retrospect, he seemed a rather unexpected choice for the film. Perhaps Kubrick initially saw a satirical element to his casting, yet somehow it never quite works as it should.
Despite the casting, Barry Lyndon is a technically flawless, visual triumph. Though an imperfect picture as a whole, it is not without its fans and there is a good deal on display here in understanding why it remains a cinematic wonder to many.
Barry Lyndon. Writer/ Director: Stanley Kubrick.
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