Photo: © A.M.P.A.S.
Barry Lyndon, Stanley Kubrick's most sumptuous production, will be screened on Aug. 21 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Some reviewers have complained that the film is beautiful but heartless. I disagree.
In any case, it's worth checking it out again, especially considering that the Academy will be showing a brand new 35mm print. More details below.
Press Release:
Beverly Hills, CA — The 1975 Best Picture nominee Barry Lyndon will be screened from a pristine 35mm print as the next feature in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' "Great To Be Nominated" series. Based on the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, the film will be shown on Monday, August 21, at 7:30 p.m. in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Actors Ryan O'Neal and Leon Vitali, along with the film's associate producer, Bernard Williams, will participate in a panel discussion following the screening.
Barry Lyndon stars O'Neal as Lyndon, a young Irishman forced to leave home after killing (or so he thinks) a wealthy army officer. Lyndon eventually serves in both the English and Prussian armies, then marries a countess and assumes the identity of her former husband. The film earned seven Academy Award nominations and won Oscars for Art Direction (Ken Adam, Roy Walker; Set Decoration: Vernon Dixon), Cinematography (John Alcott), Costume Design (Ulla-Britt Soderland, Milena Canonero) and Music — Adaptation score (Leonard Rosenman). The film also received nominations for Best Picture (Stanley Kubrick, producer), Directing (Kubrick) and Writing — Screenplay adapted from other material (Kubrick).
The Oscar-nominated animated short Sisyphus will be screened prior to the feature.
Tickets for Barry Lyndon may be purchased at a cost of $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets may be purchased by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours or, depending on availability, on the night of the screening when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. Curtain time for the feature is 7:30 p.m., and pre-show elements will begin at 7 p.m. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600.
I may be the only person that thinks that "Barry Lyndon" is director Stanley Kubrick's best film, better than "2001" or "A Clockword Orange" or "The Shining."
Everything about this movie looks and sounds perfect. It's truly a feast for the eye and ear.