Barry Lyndon Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Barry Lyndon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 15, 2017

Stanley Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; new program featuring actor Leon Vitali; new program featuring focus puller Douglas Milsome and gaffer Lou Bogue; new featurette with historian and author Christopher Frayling; and a lot more. The release also arrives with a 40-page illustrated booklet featuring critic Geoffrey O'Brien's essay "Time Regained"; two archival pieces about the look of the film from the March 1976 issue of American Cinematographer; and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Go on, find the ribbon.

The time period is irrelevant because the dilemma is always the same: should you be a man of principle and risk living a life full of bitter disappointments, or should you steer away from all principles and vigorously pursue your dreams no matter what the moral consequences may be. Think about it. Even today it is always one or the other -- always, there isn’t a third option. The choice that you make will then define the person you become, as well as the life that you are going to end up living.

The exact same dilemma quickly emerges as the central piece in Stanley Kubrick’s film. Initially, Barry Lyndon (Ryan O’Neal) follows his heart but gets cheated and punished, and later on, after he suffers a string of personal failures, he slowly begins to realize that being a man of principle may not be all it’s cracked up to be. So he trades his principles for a future that he believes will transform him into a winner.

The entire first half of the film is about Barry’s gradual transformation from a vulnerable idealist into a suave player who can always correctly guess his opponents’ next steps. During the Seven Years’ War, he comes face to face with death, but instead of reminding him of his righteousness and redirecting his life, the experience only further solidifies his decision to use every opportunity he gets to widen the gap between his past and the future he desires. Then, as time passes, Barry routinely adopts new identities -- he becomes a shameless seducer, a political informer, even the right-hand man of a notorious cheater with a seemingly endless list of powerful enemies.

A lot of what makes this film special has to do with Kubrick’s ability to sell it as a beautiful and very elegant period piece, which, in a way, it actually is. But it is also one of the most cynical dissections of human nature that you are likely ever to see disguised as a period film. Barry’s rise to the very top of the social ladder is like a clinical study of the many human flaws and vices that make it possible for opportunists like him to thrive and hurt those who become trapped in their lies and secrets. Quite like an experienced physician, Kubrick provides multiple examples in which he carefully highlights the pain and damage that they inevitably bring with them.

As odd as it may sound, however, Barry also emerges as someone who deserves some admiration because he dares to play the system. He isn’t a rebel, just a survivor whose best chance to continue to stay alive is to move to the other side, where the winners are. Kubrick understands it and does not mind that once there, he decides to take advantage of those who are naive enough to trust him. The rules are different here, and so should be Barry’s priorities. It does sound cynical, but it is awfully difficult not to agree with Kubrick’s logic.

O’Neal was an unusual pick to play the ambitious Irishman, as he does not look like an authentic William Makepeace Thackeray character. However, there is something about his obvious stiffness in a number of different sequences that actually helps his transformation in the period environment that Kubrick created.

The film’s visual beauty is astonishing, though this is hardly surprising. Kubrick, cinematographer John Alcott, and production designer Ken Adam are quite simply an unbeatable team.

Barry Lyndon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"Barry Lyndon is presented in the film's photographed aspect ratio of 1.66:1, as specified in a December 8, 1975, letter from director Stanley Kubrick to projectionists. This new digital transfer was created in 16-bit 4K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. The high-definition transfer created in 2000 and supervised by Leon Vitali, Kubrick's personal assistant, served as a color reference for this new master. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, small dirt, grain, and noise management. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm magnetic DME (dialogue, music, and effects) track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX. The alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack was created in 2000 from original soundtrack stems by Vitali and audio engineer Chris Jenkins.

Transfer supervisor: Lee Kline.
Colorist: Janet Wilson/Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging, Burbank, CA."

I think that the strength of the new master is especially obvious during the more subdued and darker sequences, where light is captured in unique ways. There are beautiful nuances that create very interesting contrasts and ultimately depth that retains a strong organic quality (see examples in screencaptures 1, 2, 13, and 18). On the other hand, there is outdoor footage with plenty of natural light that has a different dynamic range but looks equally impressive (see screencaptures #3 and 8). So, the improved density and fluidity actually help the more delicate nuances and ultimately the overall image balance. To me, this became very obvious because on a large screen, these types of nuances become very significant. Grain is finer and better resolved, but I should say that there are specific stylistic choices that introduce minor but noticeable fluctuations. There are absolutely no traces of digital tinkering. Image stability is excellent. There are no distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, or other standard age-related imperfections to report. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Barry Lyndon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the original Mono track. Clarity, depth, and especially dynamic balance are outstanding. The war footage has some notable dynamic movement, but it is all incorporated nicely in the film's sound design -- it is not meant to make a specific impression. More importantly, there are absolutely no signs of age-related anomalies.

Barry Lyndon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers - two original trailers for Barry Lyndon. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Trailer One. (5 min, 1080p).
  2. Trailer Two. (3 min, 1080p).

• Making Barry Lyndon - this brand new featurette examines the production history of Barry Lyndon and Stanley Kubrick's reputation of being a perfectionist. Included in it are clips from an archival interview with the late director, and new interviews with executive producer Jan Harlan, location scout Katharina Kubrick, first assistant director Brian Cook, and actors Dominic Savage and Leon Vitali, amongst others. The featurette was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (38 min, 1080p).

• Achieving Perfection - in this brand new featurette, focus puller Douglas Milsome and gaffer Lou Bogue recall what it was like to work with Stanley Kubrick and discuss the visual style of Barry Lyndon. Also included are excerpts from an archival interview with cinematographer John Alcott in which he discusses the type of lenses that were used to shoot the film. The featurette was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 1080p).

• Timing and Tension - in this brand new interview, editor Tony Lawson discusses Stanley Kubrick's working methods and fascination with technology as well as the editing of Barry Lyndon. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080p).

• Drama in Detail - in this new featurette, historian and author Christopher Frayling (Ken Adam: The Art of Production Design) discusses the impressive legacy of Oscar-winning production designer Ken Adam and his professional relationship with Stanley Kubrick. The featurette was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080p).

• Balancing Every Sound - in this new featurette, actor Leon Vitali, who was Stanley Kubrick's personal assistant, discusses the important role sound has in the director's work and the original sound design of Barry Lyndon. There are also some interesting comments about the 5.1 remix that was created in 2000. The featurette was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

• On the Costumes - presented here is an archival segment from the September 19, 1976, broadcast of Les rendez-vous du dimanche in which Ulla-Britt Soderlund the fabrics and costumes that were used in Barry Lyndon and her work with designer Milena Canonero. In French, with optional English subtitles. (5 min, 1080i).

• Passion and Reason - in this brand new interview, critic Michel Ciment (Kubrick: The Definitive Edition) discusses the evolution of Stanley Kubrick's style, the narrative structure of Barry Lyndon, and the theme of 'passion vs. reason' that reappears in different forms in the director's films. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080p).

• A Cinematic Canvas - in this new featurette, Metropolitan Museum of Art assistant curator Adam Eaker discusses the compositional devices of 18th century painting that inspired Stanley Kubrick and ultimately influenced the visual style of Barry Lyndon. Also included are direct comparisons between original paintings and carefully composed scenes from the film. The featurette was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - 40-page illustrated booklet featuring critic Geoffrey O'Brien's essay "Time Regained"; two archival pieces about the look of Barry Lyndon from the March 1976 issue of American Cinematographer; and technical credits.

Barry Lyndon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There is a degree of cynicism in Barry Lyndon that I find quite unsettling but also very refreshing because it exposes human beings as they are -- intelligent but strikingly naive and vulnerable creatures that routinely misjudge each other and then suffer the consequences of their flawed choices. Of course, it is hidden behind some absolutely astonishing visuals, but it is there and distinctively Kubrick-esque. Fans of Barry Lyndon will be delighted with Criterion's upcoming release because it is sourced from a fabulous 4K restoration and offers a great selection of exclusive new bonus features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.