---
title: "Barry Lyndon"
year: 1975
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/barry-lyndon"
fi1m_id: "barry-lyndon"
imdb_id: "tt0072684"
tmdb_id: 3175
wikidata_id: "Q471716"
fi1m_score: 85
critics_score: 75
critics_reviews: 19
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-10-06T12:12:34.167442+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Barry Lyndon (1975)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick · 3h 08m · MPA PG · Drama, History

## Identity

Barry Lyndon

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/barry-lyndon
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** barry-lyndon
- **IMDb ID:** tt0072684
- **TMDB ID:** 3175
- **Wikidata ID:** Q471716
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072684/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/3175, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q471716

**Fi1m score: 85** · Critics 75 from 19 reviews

*In a sentence:* Three hours in excellent rooms with a man we would not trust with the furniture

> Stanley Kubrick’s study of a shallow opportunist is worth the long evening it demands. Ryan O’Neal’s restraint and John Alcott’s candlelit images hold us, although the measured pace can become tiresome.

## Synopsis

Barry Lyndon (Ryan O’Neal) is an opportunist making his way through eighteenth-century society. Stanley Kubrick adapts a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, placing Barry among people whose titles establish their rank and whose manners govern their dealings. Marisa Berenson plays Lady Lyndon, Patrick Magee the Chevalier and Hardy Krüger Captain Potzdorf. Gay Hamilton plays Nora, with Marie Kean as Barry’s mother and Murray Melvin as Reverend Runt. Frank Middlemass appears as Sir Charles Lyndon and Leon Vitali as Lord Bullingdon, in a drama concerned with status and the uses people make of one another.

## Review

*Barry Lyndon* rewards patience, though we would not pretend it makes patience easy. Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray runs for 188 minutes and studies an opportunist without doing much to make him welcome company. The interest lies in watching Ryan O’Neal’s Barry occupy a world whose manners are more polished than his motives. Kubrick gives us time to look at that world closely, and the film is funny, disquieting and occasionally wearing because he is so unwilling to hurry.

John Alcott’s natural-light and candlelit photography is central to the experience. We felt unexpectedly uneasy in the candlelit interiors, where the formal arrangements of people suggest that even sitting still could be done incorrectly. The images have the stillness of paintings, but the faces keep them from becoming merely decorative. Alcott makes us look carefully at people whom the story gives us little reason to like, which is a considerable service to a film this long.

Ken Adam’s production design gives that scrutiny something solid to work on: rooms arranged with a precision that can feel faintly oppressive. They make a persuasive setting for people concerned with rank and appearances. Ulla-Britt Söderlund and Milena Canonero’s costumes contribute to the same sense of public presentation, with little invitation to imagine anyone comfortable. There is pleasure in looking at all this, but the period detail also makes the characters’ formality easier to understand.

O’Neal is well suited to Barry’s shallow opportunism. He does not keep asking us to discover a better man underneath it, and that restraint prevents the film from turning into an excuse for its central character. Yet there are stretches when we want more from him: some sign of thought that goes beyond the next advantage. Kubrick’s screenplay holds him at a distance so consistently that our curiosity sometimes slackens, even while the actor remains convincing.

Tony Lawson’s editing gives the composed images time to register, and then often leaves them there a little longer. That extra duration is useful when it lets us examine a face or the arrangement of a room; elsewhere, the deliberation becomes something we have to endure. Leonard Rosenman’s music reinforces the formality effectively, although its gravity can add to the sense that nothing here will be allowed to pass lightly. Some passages would benefit from being shorter.

The consensus of the scored reviews is against us, chiefly over the pace and length. We think they underestimate how much there is to observe while Kubrick appears to be doing so little: an opportunist’s manner, an actor’s face, the way a room reinforces its occupants’ importance. Costume dramas can encourage us to enjoy the fine clothes and overlook the conduct of the people wearing them. Kubrick makes that difficult, even when the image is inviting.

We recommend giving it an uninterrupted evening. At home, resist the temptation to leave the pictures running behind a conversation; the small differences in behaviour need as much attention as the rooms. Anyone who needs a sympathetic central character may find the distance exhausting. The candlelight is no promise of a cosy evening.

*Fi1m score 85, published 15 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics admire it, and the admiration has grown: several reviews note that a film met with bafflement in 1975 is now spoken of as one of Kubrick’s finest. The praise sits almost entirely with the look of it. The candlelit, natural-light photography and the compositions modelled on Hogarth and Gainsborough are singled out in nearly every review, along with the dry narration and Ryan O’Neal’s casting as a shallow, unreadable opportunist.

The reservations sit just as tightly, on pace and coldness. Even warm reviews, Empire and RogerEbert.com among them, concede the film holds the viewer at a distance and can leave them unmoved. The dissenters go further: The New Yorker in 1975 finds it bloodless and short of drama, The Guardian of the same year finds it slow to the point of drowsiness, and Paste, writing on the recent restoration, calls the three hours a slog. The spread is wide, with nothing in the middle, and the coldness complaint has outlasted the rest of the early scepticism.

## Straight answers

**Is Barry Lyndon worth watching?**

*Barry Lyndon* is worth watching for anyone prepared to give an unhurried 188 minutes to a shallow opportunist in beautifully lit rooms, and we scored it 85. John Alcott's candlelit photography and Ryan O'Neal's restraint hold the attention, but the measured pace can become tiresome, and viewers who need a sympathetic central character may find the distance exhausting.

**How long is Barry Lyndon, and what is it rated?**

*Barry Lyndon* runs 3h 08m and is rated PG by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and history film.

**Where can I watch Barry Lyndon in the US?**

*Barry Lyndon* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How does Barry Lyndon compare to The Age of Innocence?**

*Barry Lyndon* is the colder and longer of the two, a study of an opportunist held at arm's length, while [*The Age of Innocence*](https://film.one/film/the-age-of-innocence) is a romance whose social rules do painful, intimate damage. Scorsese's film gives its finery human weight; Kubrick's makes us watch conduct rather than enjoy the clothes. Choose the earlier film for scrutiny, the later for feeling.

**Is Barry Lyndon based on a true story or a book?**

*Barry Lyndon* is based on a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, not on a true story. Stanley Kubrick adapts it as a study of an eighteenth-century opportunist making his way through society, and knowing the book is not necessary; the film is concerned with rank and manners rather than with faithfulness to a historical record.

**What should I watch after Barry Lyndon?**

After *Barry Lyndon*, try [*The Leopard*](https://film.one/film/the-leopard) (1963, Fi1m 88): Another patient account of rank, compromise and people dressed for decline. Then [*The Earrings of Madame de…*](https://film.one/film/the-earrings-of-madame-de) (1953, Fi1m 87): Social polish conceals the damage in another carefully observed world of privilege; and [*The Age of Innocence*](https://film.one/film/the-age-of-innocence) (1993, Fi1m 86): Watch closely for the injuries inflicted without anyone needing to raise their voice.

### Reviews we read (19)

- **Radio Times**, Adrian Turner (5/5): The critic praises this as an awesome, hypnotic period film with authentic 18th-century atmosphere and ravishing photography. They single out the beautiful visuals and the grand gamble of its slow pace as strengths. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-utvuji/barry-lyndon/)
- **Time Out**, Tom Huddleston (5/5): The re-release is extraordinary for its dry wit, visual splendour and exploration of identity, even if it is Kubrick's least satisfying film. The candlelit photography is singled out as uniquely gorgeous. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/barry-lyndon)
- **Little White Lies**, David Hayles (90/100, inferred): Forty years on, this majestic tragi-comedy stands as a testament to Kubrick's craft and may be his greatest film. The casting of Ryan O'Neal as the inscrutable opportunist and the black comedy duelling scenes are singled out for praise. [Read](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/barry-lyndon-greatest-stanley-kubrick-film)
- **Slant Magazine**, Eric Henderson (90/100, inferred): The review celebrates the film's status as a visually unparalleled masterpiece with an unforgivingly precise, labored quality that captures Barry's rise and fall through stunning compositions and period authenticity. It highlights how the artifice serves the story of social climbing and natural order, enhanced by the new 4K restoration. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/barry-lyndon-4k-uhd-blu-ray-review-stanley-kubrick/)
- **The Independent**, Xan Brooks (90/100, inferred): The critic hails the film as a brilliant masterpiece that has grown in stature over time after a poor initial reception. He singles out its deliberate, remorseless pace and stunning natural-light visuals for particular praise. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/barry-lyndon-stanley-kubrick-b2773810.html)
- **The Telegraph** (90/100, inferred): The critic calls Barry Lyndon Kubrick’s slow-burn masterpiece and greatest film, highlighting its stunning visuals and unforgettable characters in a re-release context. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2025/07/19/stanley-kubrick-why-barry-lyndon-greatest-film/)
- **Variety**, Variety Staff (90/100, inferred): The review deems the adaptation elegant and handsome, praising Ryan O'Neal's performance capturing the character's shallow opportunism and the superb casting, concept, and execution overall. [Read](https://variety.com/1974/film/reviews/barry-lyndon-1200423507/)
- **Financial Times**, Robert Smith (80/100, inferred): The piece positions Barry Lyndon as a now-celebrated masterwork on its 50th anniversary re-release, contrasting its initial bafflement with its technical achievements and growing influence. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/f1a897cc-f593-4ad1-9351-b0628a46929e)
- **Sight and Sound**, Phil Hoad (80/100, inferred): Kubrick's picaresque film captures a continent torn between noble ideals and dissolute reality, with visual references to Hogarth and Gainsborough adding tension. Schubert's music is singled out for providing sympathy for the antihero. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/barry-lyndon-euro-cynic)
- **The AV Club**, Jacob Oller (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's baroque candlelit visuals and meticulous detail in a new 4K restoration, noting how it reveals ironic human rot and suppressed emotions beneath 18th-century opulence. The godlike narrator and cinematography underscore timeless themes of ambition and folly in a restrained yet critical view of humanity. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/cult-of-criterion-barry-lyndon)
- **Empire**, Ian Nathan (70/100, inferred): The critic calls it a superb, meticulous adaptation that is philosophically stimulating. He praises Kubrick's obsessive visual detail and stately tableau but notes it can leave audiences unmoved emotionally. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/barry-lyndon-review/)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (70/100, inferred): Ebert finds the film technically awesome and emotionally distant in classic Kubrick style, praising its audacious directorial vision that dictates the viewer's detached perspective on the story. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/barry-lyndon-1975)
- **The New York Times**, Vincent Canby (70/100, inferred): Canby calls the film handsome and assured, praising its brilliant images and cool examination of an 18th-century world as strange as Kubrick's futuristic ones, while noting its long and leisurely pace. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/19/archives/screen-kubricks-barry-lyndon-is-brilliant-in-its-images.html)
- **The Times**, Kevin Maher (★★★★☆): The chief film critic praises the film’s painterly, candlelit visuals inspired by Hogarth and notes its evolved appreciation as a modern depiction of alienation, despite initial dismissal as emotionally cold. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-stanley-kubrick-film-that-inspired-all-future-shadowy-interiors-pcrdnnrcp)
- **The Guardian**, Derek Malcolm (40/100, inferred): Derek Malcolm found the film slow and overly deliberate in its pacing, suggesting it risked lulling viewers into drowsiness despite its visual ambitions. He acknowledged Kubrick's technical control but questioned whether the measured approach served the story effectively. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/from-the-archive-blog/2015/dec/10/barry-lyndon-stanley-kubrick-derek-malcolm-review-1975)
- **The New Yorker**, Pauline Kael (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a deliberate but ultimately vain and bloodless exercise in visual perfectionism, criticizing its lack of drama, energy, and emotional engagement despite its exquisite compositions. They single out the static, painterly images and Kubrick's dehumanizing approach as the main issues. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1975/12/29/kubricks-guilded-age)
- **The Skinny** (85/100, inferred): The piece highlights Barry Lyndon's rehabilitation in critical esteem since its 1975 release and presents it as one of Stanley Kubrick's greatest achievements. It singles out the film's fastidiously composed tableaux, fine-grained cinematography, and Michael Hordern's ironic narration for particular praise while noting its humor and the value of seeing it on the big screen during its BFI re-release. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/opinion/what-to-watch-this-week-25-31-jul)
- **Eye for Film**, Donald Munro (40/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's stunning visuals achieved with natural and candlelight, its Hogarth-like sets, and faultless acting, but finds the three-hour length and unsatisfying ending contribute to its mixed reception. Kubrick's stately period piece misses the cultural mark for 1975 audiences and feels better suited to the 1980s. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/barry-lyndon-1975-film-review-by-donald-munro)
- **Paste**, Garret Martin (30/100, inferred): The film is a visual wonder and aesthetic experiment of unmatched painterly beauty, but its calculated distance and emotional coldness make it a slog that is easier to admire than to like or enjoy over its long runtime. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/physical-specimens/new-4k-reviews-blu-ray-releases-barry-lyndon-stanley-kubrick-shane-western-alexander-oliver-stone)

## Details

- **Director:** Stanley Kubrick
- **Director:** Stanley Kubrick
- **Screenplay:** Stanley Kubrick
- **Novel:** William Makepeace Thackeray
- **Cinematography:** John Alcott
- **Editor:** Tony Lawson
- **Music:** Leonard Rosenman
- **Production design:** Ken Adam
- **Costume design:** Ulla-Britt Söderlund, Milena Canonero
- **Producer:** Stanley Kubrick
- **Cast:** Ryan O'Neal as Barry Lyndon; Marisa Berenson as Lady Lyndon; Patrick Magee as The Chevalier; Hardy Krüger as Captain Potzdorf; Steven Berkoff as Lord Ludd; Gay Hamilton as Nora; Marie Kean as Barry's Mother; Diana Körner as German Girl
- **Runtime:** 3h 08m
- **Certificate (MPA):** PG
- **Release (the US):** 18 December 1975
- **Genres:** Drama, History
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 1975); [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Nominee, 1975); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Nominee, 1975)
- **Budget:** $11 million
- **Box office:** $32 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH8j_1dUlUU

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $9.99, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-15.*

Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IN, IT, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 1976: Best Director (nominated); Best Picture (nominated); Best Cinematography (won); Best Costume Design (won); Best Original Song Score (won); Best Production Design (won)

## If you liked this

- *The Leopard* (1963), Fi1m 88: Another patient account of rank, compromise and people dressed for decline. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-leopard.md)
- *The Duellists* (1977): Formal manners and wounded pride make an exhausting business of being gentlemen.
- *The Earrings of Madame de…* (1953), Fi1m 87: Social polish conceals the damage in another carefully observed world of privilege. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-earrings-of-madame-de.md)
- *The Age of Innocence* (1993), Fi1m 86: Watch closely for the injuries inflicted without anyone needing to raise their voice. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-age-of-innocence.md)
- *The Favourite* (2018), Fi1m 87: For a harsher laugh at the humiliations involved in getting close to power. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-favourite.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/barry-lyndon