Barry Lyndon
They weren’t wrong when they said every frame of Barry Lyndon is like a painting wow. The film lays bare the vanity of the era it portrays, while also exposing the sheer absurdity of aristocratic traditions and social norms.
Whether it’s duelling over the most minor inconvenience just to save face, or marrying purely to climb the social ladder—hoping to be absorbed into a rigid, performative, almost parasitic aristocratic lifestyle—only to be dumped right back where you started by the end of it all. And don’t get me started on that scene where the soldiers march calmly toward their deaths in what feels like a sacrificial parade, all in the name of the “tradition” of noble warfare. Strange times indeed.
That being said, the cinematography and scoring are exceptional. This is one of those films where I just sat through the end credits with the realisation of the masterpiece I had just had the pleasure of watching, all while that fire Handel tune had me levitating.
Nearly forgot to mention that final line—“they are all equal now”. No truer words have ever been spoken. After all the posturing, the climbing, the desperation to belong to something so hollow. Well I hope it was all worth it mate.
Also redmond Barry is a massive pussy with a crippling inferiority complex.