sekander

Right up there with Barry Lyndon. I wonder if Kubrick saw this movie, which predates Barry Lyndon by a good 12 years. It is sumptuous and luxurious to look at but there is enough plot and dialogue to digest, as well. Ever class conscious, Visconti here decides to show us how the other half lives, even if it takes place 150 years ago. Interesting for history buffs like myself to get an insider's view of the Italian war of independence and how the lines between Royalists and Garibaldi's men were sometimes blurred. Oh, did I mention how regal Burt Lancaster looks here. He plays the part to perfection. The young Claudia Cardinale looks great, too, opposite the magnetic Alain Delon. They only add to the sybaritic nature of the film.

Although this movie came out in 1975, I didn't get around to it until about 2003, when I acquired the Stanley Kubrick box set. That's what happens when you listen to critics. The so-called "experts" panned this movie when it came out, probably because it was not 2001 or A Clockwork Orange or Dr. Strangelove. So the story isn't groundbreaking, so what. Its a great story, set in a great period and it is lovingly told by Kubrick. What was and is groundbreaking about Barry Lyndon was the cinematography. The whole movie was shot in natural light-a monumental achievement when you think about it. All of the nighttime scenes were shot by candlelight and it puts you right there in the 1760's. I can think of no other period piece movie that conveys the pre-electricity age so accurately-just one of the many reasons why this movie won so many awards, including the Oscar, for Cinematography. Filming at picturesque locales in Ireland, England and Germany didn't hurt, either. You just can't stop watching this movie.

Kubrick continued his fabulous use of Classical music to enhance the action on screen in Barry Lyndon. No synthesizers here-only music faithful to the era performed on instruments that were in use at the time. Gorgeous cinematography...gorgeous music. The result is sublime. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

Really, who's idea was this? A retreat back to the bad old days of Hollywood when Caucasians played Chinese, Indians and every race under the sun because how can we entrust these roles to "inferior" races. Brian Dennehy as Kublai Khan is as laughable in the 21st century as Bruce Cabot was as Maqua in the Last Of The Mohicans in 1936. And then, in a stunning reversal of typecasting, Achmed, a Muslim Saracen, is played by a Chinese. You can't write this stuff. Or, maybe you can. Somebody did here. God, what a mess. Let's not forget the casual glossing over of the trip to the East, which took almost 4 years and zips by here in a few minutes. Do yourself a favor and seek out the 1982 mini-series which was a labor of love with an all star cast, location filming and fabulous music from the master, Ennio Morriconne. Will someone finally release that on DVD so we won't have to be subjected to these awful remakes!!