Barry Lyndon 4K Ultra HD Review

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Barry Lyndon: A Kubrickian Masterpiece of Visual Poetry

Stanley Kubrick’s 1975 historical epic, Barry Lyndon, stands as a unique and profoundly influential entry in the director’s formidable filmography. Based on William Makepeace Thackeray‘s 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon, the film chronicles the ambitious rise and precipitous fall of an 18th-century Irish adventurer, Redmond Barry (Ryan O’Neal), who navigates war, gambling dens, and high society in his relentless pursuit of wealth and status, culminating in marriage to the wealthy widow Lady Lyndon (Marisa Berenson).

Visual Mastery

The most immediately striking aspect of Barry Lyndon is its breathtaking visual composition. Kubrick and cinematographer John Alcott achieved something revolutionary: they crafted a film that looks like a series of meticulously composed 18th-century paintings brought to life. Drawing direct inspiration from artists like William Hogarth, Thomas Gainsborough, and Jean-Antoine Watteau, every frame is a tableau of light, shadow, and color. This painterly quality is most famously realized in the groundbreaking use of natural and candlelight. Using specially adapted, ultra-fast Zeiss lenses originally designed for NASA, Kubrick filmed entire interior scenes illuminated solely by candles. The result is an unprecedented luminosity and intimacy, casting characters in a soft, flickering glow that perfectly evokes the pre-electric era and immerses the viewer completely in the period. The film’s numerous stately compositions, often ending with a slow, elegant zoom-out, further contribute to its contemplative and visually sumptuous atmosphere.

Narrative Approach

Avoiding the first-person comic narration of Thackeray’s novel, Kubrick employs an objective, omniscient narrator (voiced with detached irony by Michael Hordern). This choice creates a sense of fatalistic distance. The narration often hints at events beforehand, emphasizing themes of destiny and the relentless march of time. The story unfolds deliberately, even slowly at times, mirroring the measured pace of 18th-century life and societal rituals. Kubrick avoids overt melodrama, instead focusing on the accumulation of detail, social observation, and the often-cruel mechanics of class and ambition. This restrained approach, combined with the visual style, fosters a tone of elegant melancholy and philosophical reflection on human folly and the transient nature of fortune.

Performances

Ryan O’Neal delivers a performance perfectly calibrated to Kubrick’s vision. His Barry is often impassive, a figure observed rather than deeply probed psychologically, reflecting the film’s thematic focus on surface and societal roles. His charm, ambition, and eventual downfall are conveyed with subtlety rather than grand gestures. Marisa Berenson is hauntingly beautiful and tragic as Lady Lyndon, embodying the stifled grace and quiet despair of her gilded cage. The film boasts a remarkable ensemble cast, filled with distinctive character actors like Patrick Magee as the cunning Chevalier de Balibari, Hardy Krüger as the pragmatic Captain Potzdorf, and Leon Vitali as the resentful Lord Bullingdon. Their often brief but vivid appearances populate Kubrick’s meticulously recreated world with authenticity.

Technical Innovations

Beyond the revolutionary cinematography, Barry Lyndon is a triumph of period recreation. The art direction (Ken Adam, Roy Walker) and costume design (Ulla-Britt Söderlund, Milena Canonero) are extraordinarily detailed and historically accurate, winning well-deserved Academy Awards. The production faced significant logistical hurdles, filming extensively on location across England, Ireland, and Germany. Political instability during the Troubles in Ireland even forced a relocation mid-shoot. The music, curated by Kubrick rather than featuring a traditional composed score, is another masterstroke. Pieces by Handel (the iconic Sarabande), Mozart, Schubert, Vivaldi, and Bach, alongside traditional Irish music performed by The Chieftains (notably “Women of Ireland”), create a powerful emotional and historical soundscape that perfectly complements the visuals.

Enduring Significance

Upon its initial release, Barry Lyndon divided critics. Some found its deliberate pace challenging and its emotional reserve cold. However, like many of Kubrick’s works, its reputation has grown exponentially over time. Its four Academy Awards (Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, and Adapted Score) only hint at its profound influence. It is now widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, placing highly in prestigious polls like Sight & Sound (12th in the directors’ poll, 45th in the critics’ poll in 2022). Barry Lyndon is less a conventional narrative and more a profound visual and aural experience – a meditation on history, beauty, social climbing, and the inexorable workings of fate, rendered with an artistic ambition and technical mastery that remains awe-inspiring nearly half a century later.

The Video

Barry Lyndon is a new 4K restoration taken from the 35mm original camera negative. The high definition transfer created in 2000 and supervised by Leon Vitali, Kubrick’s personal assistant, was used as a color reference for this new master. It is presented in a 1.66:1 aspect ratio per the instructions specified by Stanley Kubrick in a December 8, 1975, letter sent to projectionists. It is encoded in HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) Dolby Vision. As with all the Kubrick films from 2001 on, this looks magnificent and incredibly filmic on 4K Ultra HD. The grain structure is rich and natural, detail is very crisp, but not unnaturally so. There is a natural amount of fall off in detail in far away shots, but nothing ever looks soft. The colors are warm as are the highlights, with lamp and candlelight glowing delicately like amber, with just enough extra pop.

The Audio

The original monaural soundtrack for Barry Lyndon was remastered from the 35mm magnetic DME (dialogue, music, and effects) track. The 5.1 soundtrack was remixed from the original soundtrack stems in 2000 by Vitali and audio engineer Chris Jenkins, closely following the mono mix. The 5.1 mix is very restrained, adding a little bit of stereo spread and slightly more low end to the sound with a small amount of atmospherics in the surrounds.

The Supplements

The on-disc bonus features are all included on a third disc and they were previously released on the 2017 Criterion release of Barry Lyndon. The booklet is also the same material. These featurettes, interviews, and essays remain excellent inclusions for anyone who has not previously seen them. A newly restored Blu-ray with the feature is also included.

Bonus Features (Special Features Blu-ray Only):

• Making “Barry Lyndon” (1080p; 00:37:52) – Produced in 2017 by the Criterion Collection, this account of the making of Barry Lyndon features executive producer Jan Harlan, assistant directors Brian Cook and Michael Stevenson, actors Dominic Savage and Leon Vitali, excerpts from a 1976 audio interview with Stanley Kubrick, and more.
• Achieving Perfection (1080p; 00:15:32) – This 2017 piece by the Criterion Collection, featuring Barry Lyndon focus puller Douglas Milsome, gaffer Lou Bogue, and excerpts from a 1980 audio interview with cinematographer John Alcott, details the technological and artistic achievements behind the film’s cinematography.
• Timing and Tension (1080p; 00:13:50) – In this 2017 interview by the Criterion Collection, Tony Lawson discusses the editing of Barry Lyndon.
• Drama and Detail (1080p; 00:13:44) – Made by the Criterion Collection in 2017, this piece about Oscar-winning production designer Ken Adam features historian Sir Christopher Frayling (Ken Adam: The Art of Production Design).
• Balancing Every Sound (1080p; 00:10:13) – In this 2017 Criterion Collection piece, actor Leon Vitali, who was Stanley Kubrick’s personal assistant, discusses the filmmaker’s original monaural audio work on Barry Lyndon and the 5.1 surround remix of the soundtrack made in 2000.
• On the Costumes (1080i; 00:05:00) – This segment from the September 19, 1976, broadcast of Les rendez-vouz du Dimanche features Ulla-Britt Söderlund discussing her work on Barry Lyndon for the film’s lead costume designer, Milena Canonera.
• Passion and Reason (1080p; 00:17:35) – Conducted in 2017 by the Criterion Collection, this interview features critic Michel Ciment (Kubrick: The Definitive Edition) discussing Barry Lyndon.
• A Cinematic Canvas (1080p; 00:15:04) – In this 2017 piece by the Criterion Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art assistant curator Adam Eaker discusses the fine art that inspired the visuals of Barry Lyndon, particularly the film’s evocation of eighteenth-century painting.
• Trailers:
  • Trailer 1 (1080p; 00:04:07)
  • Trailer 2 (1080p; 00:02:09)
• Booklet: Lengthy booklet features a 2017 essay on the film by critic Geoffrey O’Brien and two pieces about the look of the film from the March 1976 issue of American Cinematographer, in addition to credits and information on the transfer.

The Final Assessment

Barry Lyndon is a demanding, rewarding, and ultimately unforgettable cinematic landmark that now looks better than it ever has in this new 4K restoration from Criterion. While this release does not bring any new bonus features, enthusiasts will appreciate the quality of this release nonetheless.

Barry Lyndon is out on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray July 8, 2025 from the Criterion Collection

Details

• Rating Certificate: PG
• Studios & Distributors: Peregrine | Hawk Films | Warner Bros. | The Criterion Collection
• Director: Stanley Kubrick
• Written By: Stanley Kubrick | William Makepeace Thackeray
• Run Time: 185 Mins.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Video Format: HEVC 2160p (4K UHD)
• HDR Format: Dolby Vision (HDR10 Compatible)
• Primary Audio: English LPCM 1.0
• Secondary Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH
• Street Date: 8 July 2025