Welcome to The Best Movies I’ve Never Seen! This is the part of the blog where I work my way through 100 films I’ve never seen that are generally considered to be great. You’re invited to watch along with me if you can find a copy or find it streaming. So grab some popcorn and let’s get started!
Barry Lyndon
1975
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Quick synopsis… Based on William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel, this gorgeously painted tale yields a slow-moving portrait of a young Irishman (Ryan O’Neal) who moves up the social ladder through soldiering, spying and a marriage to a wealthy countess (Marisa Berenson). Although this Stanley Kubrick-directed film was a box office flop, it was eventually recognized as a masterpiece, winning four Academy Awards (including Best Cinematography).
Three hours. That’s how long Barry Lyndon is. And there’s nary an Infinity Stone in sight.
I’m pretty sure this makes only the third Kubrick film I’ve watched, after The Shining and A Clockwork Orange.
I am ashamed to say that this film has put me to sleep. It’s no wonder this didn’t do well at the box office. If movie-goers of 1975 were anything like me, it’d have been super easy to pass out in a darkened room while this drones on.
I know… it’s become a classic in its own right and now is considered a masterpiece. So is Citizen Kane and I never cared much for that either.
I’ll give the movie this, it is beautifully shot. The cinematography Oscar is well-deserved. So many scenes look as if they’re recreating paintings of the 18th century. Other than that, there has not been a lot in this film to grab me and keep me interested.
Having now seen Barry Lyndon, it ranks at 988 out of 2,259 movies on my personal Flickchart list.
Have you seen Barry Lyndon? What did you think of it? Am I out of line by falling asleep? Let me know what you think down in the comments!
The Confusing Middle 
This might have been your shortest review Aaron! Lol I am actually shocked! I have not seen it, but I did see a clock work orange and hated it so I have not sought out anything else by the same director lol
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Yeah… I’ve only seen The Shining and A Clockwork Orange from Kubrick. The Shining was good… A Clockwork Orange is a complete mind**** (insert word I’m not comfortable using on my blog, but funny enough have no problem with when I’m road raging). I didn’t care for that one. Most of his other movies that I’ve seen trailers for haven’t interested me at all. And, like I said, this one put me to sleep halfway through.
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Hahahaha Oh I see
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You know what? I lied. I’ve also seen Spartacus (liked it), Dr. Strangelove (meh…), 2001: A Space Odyssey (liked it but still think it’s overrated), and Full Metal Jacket (not bad, but not one I’ll ever watch again). I just forgot about those.
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😱😱😱 you lied to me?!?
So I lied too – I have seen Spartacus and Dr. Strangelove as well haha
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One of Kubrick’s best films. The lighting is so soft and subtle in this movie. While it does stray a bit from the plot in the novel, it is still worth seeing in its own right. It’s probably the best bit of acting Ryan O’Neal ever did. Marisa Berenson looks unbelievably beautiful as well.
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I think half of this movie’s 3-hour run time is just Ryan O’Neal standing still and staring in the duel scene. This movie is dreadfully boring. All that lovely cinematography was wasted on this movie.
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