Barry Lyndon

1975

Ireland, 18th century. The young Redmond Barry (Ryan O'Neal), in love with his cousin Nora (Gay Hamilton), fights a duel with her suitor. Thinking he has killed him, Barry flees the country and enlists in the English army. He soon deserts and is constrained to join the ranks of the Prussian army. Assigned to spy on the Chevalier de Balibari (Patrick Magee), he confesses his mission to him and becomes his protégé. Barry is then introduced into high society and quickly acquires the customs and good manners. He weds a young widow, Countess Lyndon (Marisa Berenson), whose son, Lord Bullingdon (Leon Vitali), shows him the keenest animosity. Following the death of his own son, Barry becomes estranged from his wife who attempts to commit suicide. Wounded by Bullingdon in the course of a duel, he must renounce his fortune and leave England.

Barry Lyndon is adapted from a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, The Luck of Barry Lyndon. To portray the main character, Kubrick envisaged no one but Ryan O'Neal, known at the time for his role in Love Story (Arthur Hiller, 1970). As he asserted, O'Neal "is got qualities as an actor that had never been used" (1).

The shooting, lasting 250 days, was done in three countries: Germany, Great Britain and Ireland. The initial budget of 2.5 million dollars soared to 11 million. Beginning with this film, Jan Harlan became executive producer for Kubrick's feature films.

Barry Lyndon was released in the United States on 18 December 1975 and in France on 8 September 1976. The reviews were mostly laudatory, except in America, where some journalists criticised the film for being slow, detached and anti-humanist.