Barry Lyndon (4K UHD Review)
Director
Stanley KubrickRelease Date(s)
1975 (July 8, 2025)Studio(s)
Hawk Films/Peregrine Productions/Warner Bros. (Criterion – Spine #897)- Film/Program Grade: A
- Video Grade: A+
- Audio Grade: B
- Extras Grade: A
Review
Based on William Makepeace Thackeray’s 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon, first published in serialized form in Fraser’s Magazine, Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon is a somewhat unlikely film. It’s unlikely, because most such epics use a much wider canvas and more vivid cinematography—think Spartacus, which was also directed by Kubrick. But Spartacus was not typical of Kubrick’s style. Barry Lyndon is, thus making it an unusual production by Hollywood standards.
In essence, Barry Lyndon is the story of a man’s life, at least the most important parts of it—the rise and fall of an 18th century Irish scoundrel named Redmond Barry. Barry (played by Ryan O’Neal) starts the film as a mere boy, who is in love with his cousin. When she attracts the affections of a British gentleman and soldier however, Barry is hot with jealousy. He challenges his cousin’s suitor to a pistol duel, and finds no reward in winning it. Murder is murder, and so Barry is forced to flee his home to escape the law. Before long, he finds himself enlisting in the British army and fighting against the French in the Seven Years’ War. But as with many things in his life, Barry finds this situation not to his liking, so he takes the first opportunity to desert his post in search of better things. Over time, in fact, he takes advantage of a number of unlikely twists of fate—not to mention his uncanny ability to lie, cheat, and steal his way out of difficult situations—eventually climbing into the highest levels of society. But as Barry ultimately learns, what fate gives, it can also take away.
Barry Lyndon is a fascinating film from start to finish. Kubrick and O’Neal have crafted a central character that is very hard to like, and yet you can’t quite dislike the young man either. Redmond Barry is brooding and crafty. Much of what he does is downright despicable, taking advantage of even those who would love him to make himself more comfortable in life. But he shows genuine feelings for others too, especially his own son later in the story. You can’t quite help but think that, had Barry had better role models in his life (he grew up fatherless) and perhaps a few more friends (his only real friend dies early in the story), he might have turned out differently. Still, this is a rare film that dares you to embrace a deeply-flawed character and is a more rewarding experience for doing so.
Its look is unusual too. Barry Lyndon was photographed on 35mm film (specifically Eastman 100T 5254 stock) by cinematographer John Alcott (2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange) using Arriflex 35 BL, Arriflex 35-IIC, and Mitchell BNC cameras with Cooke Speed Panchro, Zeiss, and Angenieux spherical lenses. Shot entirely on location, Kubrick and Alcott developed a special process for photographing the film in low and natural lighting conditions, including a number of interiors shot entirely by candlelight using fast Zeiss 50mm lenses originally developed for NASA deep space photography. The result is a subdued but organic look, with the candlelit scenes having a luminous glow authentic to the period, all of which lends a rich atmosphere to the narrative. Very little depth of field is apparent—the image is flattened by design. It’s as if you’re looking at an elaborate, live-action Victorian painting. From the overcast skies of battlefields to the ornate but emotionally-barren chambers and corridors of high society, there’s little warmth to be found here. Camera movement is kept to a minimum. Instead, slow zooms are employed to train the viewer’s focus on a specific detail before pulling out to reveal its context in a kind of tableau. The cumulative effect is to visually reinforce an aspect of Barry’s character that we begin to realize as the story unfolds—but for brief moments in his life, Barry is never truly happy, no matter where he is, what he has, or what he does. His is a restless soul, with no place to call home.
Criterion’s long-awaited Ultra HD release takes advantage of a new digital remastering of the 2017 4K scan and restoration of the film’s original camera negative. And this time, it’s been graded for high dynamic range (compatible with both Dolby Vision and HDR10), though the grade is appropriately restrained. Like Criterion’s 2017 Blu-ray, the film is presented here in its original 1.66:1 aspect ratio, which results in slight black bars on either side of the frame. This was a reversal of a decision made by the Kubrick estate for Warner’s 2011 Blu-ray edition (reviewed here), which featured the film in a 1.78:1 ratio that the estate’s Jan Harlan and Leon Vitali then believed Kubrick would have preferred—a decision that proved controversial with film enthusiasts at the time. In any case, you can be sure here that you’re seeing every bit of the frame that Kubrick intended. And what a gorgeous frame it is! Barry Lyndon is remarkable for its luminous imagery, which has an optically soft quality that’s meant to recall the look of 18th century paintings. Yet every bit of fine detail and texture is readily apparent. The colors are not quite lush, but they are more naturally saturated—highly refined and with greater nuance compared to 2017 Blu-ray (and especially compared to 2011 HD master). And they’re always accurate. There’s organic, light-medium grain in evidence at all times, yet not a hint of artificial scrubbing or other digital enhancement. (Note that the film has been encoded for release on a 100GB disc, with data rates averaging around 50 Mbps.) Barry Lyndon, quite simply, looks better here than it ever has before on disc. For this particular film, the 4K image is essentially reference quality and is very pleasing to the eye.
Audio is included in the same lossless English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix found on the 2011 Blu-ray, which was carefully remixed and remastered in 2000 to preserve the soundtrack’s original mono tonal quality, while also adding more a bit more clarity, ambience, and immersion, particularly with regard to the music and certain sound effects (the rapport of gunfire, for example). The 5.1 soundstage is obviously wider up front, while dialogue takes on a smoother, more natural flavor. But never fear—completists will appreciate the fact that the original lossless mono mix is also included in LPCM format, along with optional English subtitles. Whichever track you choose, the film sounds great, with clean and natural dialogue.
Criterion’s Ultra HD release is a 3-disc set that includes the film in 4K on UHD as well as 1080p HD on Blu-ray (the same disc they released in 2017, which was also mastered from this 4K scan). There are no special features on either of the movie discs, but a Blu-ray bonus disc carries the following extras:
- Making “Barry Lyndon” (HD – 37:52)
- Achieving Perfection (HD – 15:32)
- Timing and Tension (HD – 13:50)
- Drama in Detail (HD – 13:34)
- Balancing Every Sound (HD – 10:13)
- On the Costumes (HD – 5:00)
- Passion and Reason (HD – 17:35)
- A Cinematic Canvas (HD – 15:04)
- Trailers (HD – 2 trailers – 6:16 in all)
- Trailer 1 (HD – 4:07)
- Trailer 2 (HD – 2:09)
Created by Criterion in 2017, this is the proper Blu-ray special edition that Barry Lyndon has always deserved. The content is a feast for Kubrick fans, including new interviews with many of the director’s longtime collaborators, unseen vintage material, and even rare audio clips of Kubrick himself talking about his work. In addition to retrospective comments on the film and the production, there’s an examination of the technical cinematic achievement of this film, its masterful production design resulting from Kubrick’s collaboration with the great Ken Adams, and an insightful analysis of Kubrick’s cinematic voice and approach, as represented in Barry Lyndon, by the French critic and author Michel Ciment. There’s even a look at the original 18th century painters whose work proved an inspiration for the film. The result is a wonderful immersion in Kubrick’s craft and method. A fine booklet of liner notes also includes an essay by film critic Geoffrey O’Brian and two pieces on the film from the March 1976 issue of American Cinematographer.
Barry Lyndon is a masterpiece, unique in the canon of modern cinema, and it’s a film that grows in one’s appreciation with each new viewing. Best of all, the arrival of Barry Lyndon in 4K leaves just two Kubrick films unreleased on this format—Lolita (1962) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999). So I’m very pleased to reveal here exclusively that both have recently been licensed to Criterion by Warner Bros., which means that fans should be able to enjoy the complete Stanley Kubrick filmography in 4K Ultra HD soon enough. In the meantime, the addition of 4K to Criterion’s already excellent Blu-ray special edition makes this magnificent release highly recommended indeed!
- Bill Hunt
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