Barry Lyndon

Fully appreciated after a second viewing (and in the restored version in the cinema). I still feel that I would have to watch it at least twice more to clarify my uncritical enthusiasm and to come up with better superlatives than "Kubrick was just different", but I can say that you probably won't find a more beautifully filmed biography in any film archive. Kubrick not only paints the screen better than Bertolucci, but above all, with a clever helping of amusingly ironic commentary, he narrates with complete mastery, elevating a three-hour personal portrait to the highest cinematic art with every thoughtful cut or musical accompaniment, like a bubble in a spirit level maintaining the demanding rhythm of the narration. While the first two thirds are unmatched for their quicker changes of location and major twists, the final family section is not lacking in stunning formal precision, and its thoughtful denouement surpasses even the similarly paced conclusion of Gone with the Wind. And once again, I have to marvel at how fantastic the film looks and how superbly it orchestrates everything on the mise-en-scène, so that the camera mostly just needs slow zooms or horizontal runs – for example, in the card scene, it's fascinating that only one character ever looks up from the table while the others have their eyes downcast. And the icing on the cake is the excellent performance of Ryan O'Neal. Yeah, Kubrick was just different. (10/05/2018)

A slowly unfolding, utterly unpredictable, and almost intimate story of one man who greatly influenced the fates of many people. Kubrick presents his most magnificent work cautiously, perhaps somewhat unevenly, but every, even the smallest scene, has its justification in the final outcome. Furthermore, he chose the perfect actor, Ryan O'Neal, for the main role, who showcased his acting skills the most in gradually escalating scenes of a card game or interrupted concert. The narrator, however, remains a flaw, as while filling in the gaps nicely, their guiding speeches harm the tension of the unfolding events. (20/04/2006)

Even though one might think that this will be an unbelievable boredom, that even Kubrick couldn't accidentally direct, the Master once again proves that this is a film that captivates. Even though it's not action-packed, you will still be on the edge of your seat, whether it's because it's entertaining, dark, intimate, and sometimes simply sexy, albeit in its own way. Those three hours will go by quite quickly. (02/03/2015)

It will be all praise, but what else can be said about a film that, despite its three-hour runtime, I devoured like a raspberry? The composition of the images, the thoughtful use of colour and contrast, the perfect choice of interiors and exteriors, the magnificent cinematography, the well-chosen period music; even the costume designers did their best. All this for the pleasure of the eye, which grazes heartily for three hours. And on top of that, a slightly sarcastic story that draws the viewer in and doesn't let go until the closing credits. There’s no risk of boredom... After Dr Strangelove, my second favourite Kubrick film. (05/10/2004)

The third time’s the charm. While it's a nice chapter in the history of film on the subject of lighting, and I'd love to read William Makepeace Thackeray's novel someday, if the scene of finding the bow in the cleavage doesn't work, there's something wrong with the film. That something is called Kubrick. Hooray! And we clap and we high-five. While we do not enjoy the realities of the 18th century, for which of course we have no understanding, we do enjoy the compositions and the anti-hero, and like monkeys, we adopt the lessons of the divine auteur who is so familiar to us. (21/03/2013)