• Latest
African Queen (1951)

Barry Lyndon (1975)

March 16, 2021

RAD Denounces Threats to Organizing for Safe and Inclusive Schools

January 24, 2023
African Queen (1951)

The Heiress

January 24, 2023

Meet Your Chamber

January 24, 2023
Just Some Thoughts

The Purpose of Pendulums

January 24, 2023
Capital City Concerts offers a Free Family Concert on Saturday, January 28 in Montpelier

Capital City Concerts offers a Free Family Concert on Saturday, January 28 in Montpelier

January 17, 2023

VSAC’s College & Career Pathways Events Offer Workshops on Campuses Across Vermont

January 17, 2023

National Endowment for the Arts Announces Grants to Support the Arts in Vermont

January 17, 2023
African Queen (1951)

Scarlet Street (1945)

January 17, 2023
Washington County Sheriff Sam Hill to Retire After 38 1/2 Years of Law Enforcement

Washington County Sheriff Sam Hill to Retire After 38 1/2 Years of Law Enforcement

January 17, 2023

Settlement with Google Over Location Tracking Practices

January 11, 2023
Vermont Historical Society Receives $210,000 From Sanders In Omnibus Spending Package for the Vermont History Center

Vermont Historical Society Receives $210,000 From Sanders In Omnibus Spending Package for the Vermont History Center

January 11, 2023
Just Some Thoughts

She Smiled at Me

January 11, 2023
  • Home
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
Monday, January 30, 2023
The World Online
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The World Online
No Result
View All Result

Barry Lyndon (1975)

4 Stars

vt-world by vt-world
March 16, 2021
in Max's View
0
African Queen (1951)

More than any other period piece, “Barry Lyndon” shows us what life looked and felt like in the past.

The film is set in Western Europe in the late 18th Century: just before the Industrial Revolution changed everything.

Writer/director Stanley Kubrick does not glorify or romanticize the era. This was a time of violence, pain, and non-stop war.

But it was also a time of extraordinary beauty and Kubrick never skimps on the beauty. He shows us a Europe that is uniformly green. Not green with forests, but with endless rolling hills, blanketed with farms and fields as far as the eye can see.

An unintended consequence of the internal combustion engine has been the huge increase in forested land. Cars replaced horses, which no longer needed millions of acres of fields on which to graze. Tractors and other farm machinery increased crop yields and allowed for larger farms, making it so less land was needed for family farms. Forests (like Hubbard Park) replaced fields in towns and villages across the civilized world.

In this bucolic pre-industrial world, Redmond Barry (Ryan O’Neal) lived out his adventurous existence.

Barry was born in a farming village in British Ireland. What he lacked in money and status, he more than made up for in bravery and audaciousness.

I was afraid that this three-hour costume drama was going to be slow and hard to follow. But I was wrong to be concerned; I love “Barry Lyndon.”

Barry has so many adventures. He fights in the Seven Years War. He travels around Europe cheating at cards. And he finally fulfills his lifelong ambition by marrying a widowed aristocrat – Lady Lyndon.

The tragedy of “Barry Lyndon” is that Barry gets everything he wants but can’t handle it.

Kubrick explores the problem that people who were born with nothing don’t know how to handle money responsibly. Barry learns that obtaining riches is a much different skill than maintaining wealth.

Barry is also vexed with the challenge of dealing with his angry stepson: Lord Bullington. Barry never figures out how to get along with his wife’s jealous son.

And that brings me to the most impressive aspect of “Barry Lyndon:” its unforgettable exploration of dueling culture. In entertainment – even in a great play like “Hamilton” – dueling is presented as an honorable pastime for gentleman that led to a quick, dignified death.

Stanley Kubrick shows us the insanity of 18th Century dueling culture. He makes us feel the terror of the combatants. And he shows us that men often got viciously maimed in duels.

“Barry Lyndon” is an extraordinary achievement by cinema’s greatest director. You’ll never feel closer to the 18th Century than this. It was a time of fantastic beauty and unimaginable inhumanity.

Previous Post

Thank You Kinney Drug Co. and Barre Police

Next Post

And the Green Goes On

Next Post
And the Green Goes On

And the Green Goes On

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This Week’s Ads

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
The World
403 US Route 302
Barre, VT 05641
Phone: (802) 479-2582

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

No Result
View All Result
  • Art Exhibits
  • Audit and Reader Surveys
  • Births
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Daily Horoscope
  • Fall Guide
  • Food & Recipe
  • Home
  • Obituaries
  • Ongoing Events
  • Pay Your Bill Here
  • Senior Living Edition
  • Showtimes
  • Submit Birth Announcement
  • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
  • Submit Engagement Announcement
  • Submit Listing to our Local Directory
  • Submit Sports News/Photo
  • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Testimonials
  • The World Coupons
  • Weather Forecast
  • World Deadlines
  • World Distribution Map
  • World Rate Card
  • World Rates and Ad Sizes
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • About Us
  • Vermont Lottery
  • Advertising Information
  • The World Staff
  • Advertising Inquiry
  • Submit Letter To The Editor
  • Local Directory
  • Poll Results
  • Local Deals
  • Classifieds
  • Submit An Article To The World
  • Events
  • The World – This Week’s Online Digital Edition
  • The World Auto & Sports

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In