Barry Lyndon

This awesome work might be retitled 1789: a Georgian Odyssey, for Stanley Kubrick gives to the past what he gave to the future in 2001: a Space Odyssey, providing this film with an authentic 18th-century look and a unique atmosphere that totally convinces. This is a period film like no other, a slow but utterly hypnotic tale of an Irish youth whose adventures and misfortunes take in the Seven Years' War, the gambling clubs of Europe and marriage into the English aristocracy. In Kubrick's scheme of things, character means less than context, so Ryan O'Neal may appear bloodless and Marisa Berenson wholly vacant, but this turns out to be a strength, not a weakness. Anyway, there are fine turns by Leonard Rossiter, Hardy Kruger and, best of all, Leon Vitali as O'Neal's stepson. There is a definitive climactic duel scene, a confiding narration by Michael Hordern and ravishingly beautiful photography on locations ranging from Castle Howard, Wilton House and Blenheim Palace to the Irish wilderness. Give it time, adjust to the pace and enjoy Kubrick's grandest gamble.