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(out of 5)
Slow but fascinating adaptation of W.M. Thackeray’s novel is a must-see for fans of Stanley Kubrick. It stars an awkward but bearable Ryan O’Neal in the lead role, an 18th century Irishman who goes from poverty to wealth and obscurity to infamy in the course of his lifetime and meets many interesting adventures along the way. He experiences life as a soldier, a spy, a gambler and, eventually, a feckless, rich husband before misfortune (and his lack of attention to others) comes his way and the tables turn on him. The period recreation is stunning, but the key protagonist in this particular film is Kubrick himself, who can’t help but put his signature on just about every gorgeous frame. For realism, most of it was shot with completely natural lighting, necessitating the creation of special lenses that could etch deeply shadowy images out of the candlelight. The result is a fascinating style of cinematography that looks like a painting from the period come to life. Marisa Berenson appears in a mostly non-verbal supporting role.
Peregrine, Hawk Films, Warner Bros.
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Screenplay by Stanley Kubrick, based on the novel The Memoirs Of Barry Lyndon, esq. by William Makepeace Thackeray
Cinematography by John Alcott
Produced by Stanley Kubrick
Music by Leonard Rosenman
Production Design by Ken Adam
Costume Design by Milena Canonero, Ulla-Britt Soderlund
Film Editing by Tony Lawson
The Criterion Collection
Cast Tags: André Morell, Anthony Dawes, Anthony Herrick, Anthony Sharp, Arthur O’Sullivan, Barry Jackson, Bernard Hepton, Billy Boyle, David Morley, Diana Körner, Dominic Savage, Ferdy Mayne, Frank Middlemass, Frederick Schiller, Gay Hamilton, Geoffrey Chater, George Sewell, Godfrey Quigley, Hans Meyer, Hardy Krüger, Harry Towb,John Bindon, John Sharp, John Sullivan, Jonathan Cecil, Leon Vitali, Leonard Rossiter, Liam Redmond, Marie Kean, Marisa Berenson, Michael Hordern, Murray Melvin, Pat Laffan, Pat Roach, Patrick Dawson, Patrick Magee, Peter Cellier, Philip Stone, Roger Booth, Roy Spencer, Ryan O’Neal, Steven Berkoff, Wolf Kahler
Academy Awards
Best Art Direction (art direction: Ken Adam, Roy Walker; set decoration: Vernon Dixon)
Best Cinematography (John Alcott)
Best Costume Design (Ulla-Britt Soderlund, Milena Canonero)
Best Music (Scoring: Original Song Score and Adaptation-or-Scoring: Adaptation) (Adaptation score by Leonard Rosenman)
Nominations
Best Directing (Stanley Kubrick)
Best Picture (Stanley Kubrick, producer)
Best Writing (Screenplay Adapted From Other Material) (Stanley Kubrick)
Golden Globe Award Nominations
Best Motion Picture-Drama
Best Director (Stanley Kubrick)
New York Film Critics Award Nominations
Best Film
Best Director (Stanley Kubrick)
Los Angeles Film Critics Award
Best Cinematography (John Alcott)
National Society of Film Critics Award
Best Cinematography (John Alcott)
National Board Of Review Awards
Best Film (tie)
Best Director (Stanley Kubrick) (tie)
Writers Guild Award Nomination
Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium
Directors Guild Award Nomination
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures (Stanley Kubrick)
British Academy Awards
Best Direction (Stanley Kubrick)
Best Cinematography
Nominations
Best Film
Best Art Direction
Best Costume Design
Cesar Award Nomination
Best Foreign Film
