Imdb Ranking 8.1
The great Stanley Kubrick directed this beautiful movie, It is the story of Redmond Barry, from a small Irish village, Bradyville, in the 1700's. The movie open with his father being killed in a duel involving horses. Redmond was in love with his cousin Nora Brady. Brady Town raised troops to go off and fight with the British against the French.
Nora becomes engaged to the British Captain John Quin, an engagement which will advance herself and her family. At a party announcing the engagement Richmond throws a glass in to the Captain's face. Barry challenges Captain John Quin to a duel. Barry shoots the Captain in the duel, and flees, thinking he has killed him. Barry heads off to Dublin. On the way Barry is robbed so he joins the British army to fight in the Seven Years War.
The regiment goes to Prussia to fight the French. As the troops march in, the Captain, an old family friend, falls and Barry carries him off to safety. The Captain dies and Barry resolves to leave the army. He takes a lieutenant's uniform and takes his place delivering some papers to the Prussians. He is determined to leave the military and become a gentleman once again.
When Barry gets to the Prussian lines he meets a Prussian Captain Potzdorf and they travel together. The Captain Potzdorf questioned Barry about England and Barry made up stories fast and furious. The captain has Barry place under arrest as a deserter, but gives Barry the option of joining the Prussian army, which was mostly made up of foreign conscripts. In one scene, where Barry is shooting from inside a house, it looks like he is actually shooting and killing the Prussians right in front of him.
When cannon fire brings down the house, the opportunistic Barry saves Captain Potzdorf (much like Spartacus did for the Roman commander in the battle at sea). Barry was promoted to Corporal and rewarded for his bravery. Captain Potzdorf becomes a mentor to Barry and when the war is over, gives him an assignment to find out if fellow Irishman Chevalier de Balibari is a spy. When Barry meets de Balibari he confesses to him that he is a fellow Irishman who was abducted in to the Prussian army. He tells him that he was being placed in to his service to spy on him.
Barry brings reports back to Captain Potzdorf aand the Prussian police, but now he is really with Chevalier. Barry also helped the gambler Chevalier at the gambling tables as he helped his mentor cheat by signaling what his opponents cards were.
Barry and Chevalier both left Prussia and they then gambled and cheated their way across Europe. If any one refused to pay their debts Barry would meet them in a duel. Barry decided to marry a woman of "fortune and condition". In to his life walked the wealthy and beautiful Countess of Lyndon. She was married to an older man, Sir Charles Lyndon, a minister of George III.
The Lady Lyndon very quickly fell for Redmond Barry. Sir Charles soon died and Redmond Barry married the Countess and became Barry Lyndon. Barry and the Countess had a baby but Barry was soon living a separate life from his wife. It was the Countess' duty to raise their child, and the child she had had with Sir Lyndon. Barry meanwhile became quite the rake.
Barry apologizes to the Countess and things seem to get better, but the Countess's son Lord Bullingdon will not even pretend to like Barry. He has seen the abuse he has put his mother through. As he got older he hated Barry even more. But Barry really seems to get along well with his own son, Bryan, who he reads stories to before he goes to bed.
Barry brings his mother to live with him. She gets him thinking about what would happen if the Countess died. Everything would go to Lord Bullingdon, and there would be nothing for Barry or Bryan. She told Barry that he must obtain a title. Barry spent a great deal of money in his pursuit of the peerage.
Lord Bullingdon insults Berry in public and Barry has to be pulled off of him. Bullingdon then leaves home. After the ugly public display, the Lyndons are not looked upon as proper society.
Barry had spent so much that they are now in debt. Barry spent a great amount of time with Bryan. Barry buys a horse for Bryan's birthday. Against his father and mother's orders Bryan took the horse out for a ride and was thrown and died soon after.
Lord Bullingdon returns and confronts the drunken and depressed Barry. He demands satisfaction for the way he was treated. The pistols are loaded and Lord Bullingdon gets to fire first. His gun misfires as he goes to raise it. As Barry Lyndon gets ready to fire Lord Bullingdon runs off to the side and throws up, but he does return. Barry Lyndon then fires in to the ground. Lord Bullingdon refuses to end the duel, and the guns are re-loaded. Lord Bullingdon shoots and hits Barry Lyndon.
Barry Lyndon was hit in the leg and the leg needs to be amputated. Lord Bullingdon offers Barry an annuity, but tells him he must leave England. if he does not, he will be arrested for non-payment of debts.
Barry returned to Ireland with his mother. Later it is said he resumed gambling on the continent.
Barry Lyndon is probably the most beautiful movie ever made. While watching it you can hit the pause button at any time and have a beautiful picture on the screen in front of you. It also has a narrator who greatly adds to the movie with the humor and irony he interjects in to the proceedings. The narrator seems at times to not believe what is going on.
While not the most Irish of movies on this list, it is without a doubt the best movie. Clocking in at just over three hours there is not one dull minute in it. A wonderful movie on all levels.
