Barry Lyndon (Amazon Exclusive) [Blu-ray]
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How does an Irish lad without prospects become part of 18th-century English nobility? For Barry Lyndon (Ryan O’Neal) the answer is: any way he can! His climb to wealth and privilege is the enthralling focus of this sumptuous Stanley Kubrick version of William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel. For this ravishing, slyly satiric winner? of 4 Academy Awards, Kubrick found inspiration in the works of the era’s painters. Costumes and sets were crafted in the era’s designs and pioneering lenses we
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List Price: $ 19.98
Price: $ 16.93
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
This release is NOT 16×9 enhanced!,
I just received this exact DVD from Amazon. Although the package art now carries a 2007 date, the disc inside is the same as the 2001 release. It is NOT anamorphically enhanced. In fact, the files on the DVD are dated 2001, so it literally is the exact DVD release in 2001 – the menu is the same as well. The only difference is this comes in a keep case rather than a snapper case. Such a shame that WB won’t do better by this overlooked masterpiece.
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|Wait For The High-Def 16×9 Release,
In 1975, a European reviewer wrote: “One collapses in one’s seat and is propelled in a state of drunken euphoria.” That’s just how I felt about it, going back to experience “Barry Lyndon” over and over again at LA’s Cinerama Dome in ’75-76. So I give the movie 5 stars. But for this disc, only 3 — because it’s not 16×9 and it’s not High-Definition.
Having recently watched the 16×9 Hi-Def Blu-Ray discs of “Eyes Wide Shut” and “A Clockwork Orange” (and having watched the old DVDs a number of times), I can say that Hi-Def makes an important difference with Kubrick’s movies — not just because they are gorgeously photographed, but because the richness of the images conveys so much essential, visceral meaning that a degraded image (i.e., standard DVD) actually impairs the work’s emotional fullness, clarity and expressiveness.
Short of a new 35mm print, a 16×9 Blu-Ray displayed on a big 1080 set in the dark, uninterrupted, is the way to watch all of Kubrick, and perhaps especially “Barry Lyndon.” Tragically, Warners Brothers Home Video seems uninterested in a Blu-Ray release of this masterpiece. It has been more than 2 years since they remastered and released their other Kubrick films in High-Definition, and still no “Barry Lyndon,” and no announced plans (as of January 2010). I have written to Criterion Collection suggesting they take this neglected classic under their wing. Their email address is on their website (“Contact us”).
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|Underrated Kubrick Masterpiece,
I am an unabashed Kubrick fan. I was initiated into his work with “A Clockwork Orange” when I was 16 and went from there. Why is it that “Barry Lyndon” has in my mind surpassed other more revered works. You can cite the magnificent technical attributes of the film(cinematography,art direction, costume design,music), however, a technically proficient movie is not necessarily a moving experience. I would have to say that what elevates this movie is the screenplay and the acting. Kubrick does a great job moving the story from Redmond Barry’s youth to his downfall among the English aristocracy. Kubrick has also gathered a great cast of actors here in supporting roles(Parick Magee, Leonard Rossiter, Marie Kean, Godfrey Quigley, Steven Berkof, etc.). What cannot be overlooked is the performance of Ryan O’Neal. If some find him wooden or off-putting should consider that he is essentially playing an unsympathetic rogue. It is a daring performance and O’Neal is utterly convincing whether playing a headstrong teenager or a cold manipulator. One gripe about the DVDs in the Kubrick Collection: with the exception of “The Shining”, the only extras on these discs are trailers.
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