Barry Lyndon (1975)

Upstart. Soldier. Hero. Deserter. Scoundrel.

An Irish rogue uses his cunning and wit to work his way up the social classes of 18th century England, transforming himself from the humble Redmond Barry into the noble Barry Lyndon.

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick

Written by: Stanley Kubrick, William Makepeace Thackeray

Music by: Leonard Rosenman

Starring: Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Hardy Krüger, Steven Berkoff, Gay Hamilton, Marie Kean, Diana Körner, Murray Melvin, Frank Middlemass

Genre: Drama, History

Released: 1975-12-16

Runtime: 188 minutes

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Barry Lyndon (1975): trivia & fun facts

Fun facts

• Kubrick was initially rumored to be developing an adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's 1926 novella Dream Story, which would serve as the source material for his later film Eyes Wide Shut (1999).
• Kubrick based his adapted screenplay on William Makepeace Thackeray's The Luck of Barry Lyndon (republished as the novel Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq.), a picaresque tale written and published in serial form in 1844.
• Kubrick initially wished to film the entire production near his home in Borehamwood, but Ken Adam convinced him to relocate the shoot to Ireland.
• Kubrick and cinematographer Alcott drew inspiration from "the landscapes of Watteau and Gainsborough", and also relied on the art direction of Ken Adam and Roy Walker.
• The film grossed a worldwide total of $20.3 million against a production budget of $11–12 million.
• The website's critical consensus reads, "Visually astonishing and placid as a pond in the English countryside, Stanley Kubrick's maddening and masterful Barry Lyndon renders a hollow life with painterly poise."
• The Village Voice ranked the film at number 46 in its Top 250 "Best Films of the Century" list in 1999, based on a poll of critics.
• In the 2012 Sight & Sound Greatest Films of All Time poll, Barry Lyndon placed 19th in the directors' poll and 59th in the critics' poll.
• Filming began in December 1973 and lasted roughly eight months, taking place in England, Ireland, and Germany.
• Leon Vitali, who played the older Lord Bullingdon, later became Kubrick's personal assistant, working as the casting director on his following films and supervising film-to-video transfers.
• The film's cinematographer, John Alcott, appears at the men's club in the non-speaking role of the man asleep in a chair near the title character when Lord Bullingdon challenges Barry to a duel.

Source: Wikipedia

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