Overview
A sweeping tale of ambition and downfall set against the backdrop of 18th-century Europe.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- austere
- melancholic
- witty
- slow cinema night
- historical film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a visually astonishing and formally ambitious historical drama, though its deliberate pace and emotional coolness divide audiences.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Barry moves from impoverished Irish farm boy to soldier, gambler, courtier, and husband of Lady Lyndon in pursuit of nobility.
Kubrick's measured narration, stately compositions, and emotionally restrained performances observe Barry's ascent and decline without sentimental emphasis.
The film uses lavish eighteenth-century interiors, rolling Irish landscapes, candlelit rooms, and meticulously arranged compositions.
Barry's marriage into wealth and his life among the upper classes reveal status, property, debt, and social control as hollow structures.
Films like Barry Lyndon, and why
The Leopard
lavish historical drama, social hierarchy, cool observational distance, and morally compromised ambition
The Duellists
eighteenth-century period setting, class mobility, restrained visual grandeur, and tragic social critique
The Age of Innocence
historical epic scale, sumptuous period detail, antiheroic ambition, and institutional violence
There Will Be Blood
formal visual control, detached storytelling, and an opportunist navigating rigid power structures
Movie Details
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick
- Release Date
- 1975-12-16
- Runtime
- 188 min
- Rating
- 8.0 / 10 (3298)
Cast
- Ryan O'Neal
- Marisa Berenson
- Patrick Magee
- Hardy Krüger
- Steven Berkoff
- Gay Hamilton
- Marie Kean
- Diana Körner
- Murray Melvin
- Frank Middlemass
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Barry Lyndon about?
- An Irish opportunist claws his way into Georgian high society, only to discover that aristocratic privilege is as precarious as the life he left behind.
- What is Barry Lyndon like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Barry Lyndon as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Barry Lyndon violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Barry Lyndon as mild.
- What did critics think of Barry Lyndon?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a visually astonishing and formally ambitious historical drama, though its deliberate pace and emotional coolness divide audiences.
- Which films are like Barry Lyndon?
- Films with a similar feel include The Leopard, The Duellists, The Age of Innocence, and There Will Be Blood.
- How long is Barry Lyndon?
- Barry Lyndon runs 188 minutes.
- Where can I watch Barry Lyndon?
- In United States, Barry Lyndon is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
