Barry Lyndon is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. Did you know he took a lens off a 35 mm SLR and attached it to a film camera to shoot the scenes with only candles and available light?
There is a transition shot where you see a ship sailing across the water. The scene is composed entirely of triangles: the ship, its rigging, the sky, the water. To top this off, the ship moves from right to left, bottom to top across the screen. Since the eye naturally tracks left to right & down, this made the viewers pull their gazes upwards towards the triangle shapes that moved away from their sight path.
It built such a feeling of foreboding that not a word was necessary for the audience to know that whatever came next was not going to be good.
Got to watch this again. Very funny. One of the lines was changed in the film. The president gets a pie in the face and the line was suppose to be "our beloved president has been cut down in his prime", or something to that effect. They changed the line due the proximity of the films release to the Kennedy assassination.
As an aside, Kennedy encouraged the making of 'The Manchurian candidate' and 'Seven days in May' in order to highlight to the public the dangers of a military and corporate takeover of the U.S. He did more than encourage it, he arranged to be out of the oval office at specific points to allow them to film.
I watched this again a couple months ago for the first time in years. Frighteningly relevant. A great, great film.
As to Barry Lyndon, Quakerdave, I like it (and it's beautfully shot by John Alcott with a great deal of natural lighting) but it drags a bit for me at times and the end leaves me a bit unsatisfied for some reason. It's been a few years since I've seen it, though, and I'm overdue. Fantastic soundtrack, too.
"No fighting allowed in the war room!"
ReplyDeleteSo why do I think of Cheney when I see this?
ReplyDeleteI don't know. Same reason this Kubrick reminds some people of Cheney, maybe?
too beautiful. i just watched this this weekend.
ReplyDeleteYup. "Dr. Strangelove."
ReplyDelete"2001."
"A Clockwork Orange."
How about "Barry Lyndon," anyone? Even with Ryan O'Neil? I liked that one a lot, too.
Barry Lyndon is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. Did you know he took a lens off a 35 mm SLR and attached it to a film camera to shoot the scenes with only candles and available light?
ReplyDeleteThere is a transition shot where you see a ship sailing across the water. The scene is composed entirely of triangles: the ship, its rigging, the sky, the water. To top this off, the ship moves from right to left, bottom to top across the screen. Since the eye naturally tracks left to right & down, this made the viewers pull their gazes upwards towards the triangle shapes that moved away from their sight path.
It built such a feeling of foreboding that not a word was necessary for the audience to know that whatever came next was not going to be good.
Yeah, I remember that flick.
OG
When I think of Cheney, I think of Richard Nixon and Dr. Strangelove rolled all into one.
ReplyDeleteDr. Strangelove is one of my favorite films of all time. The only Kubrick film I dislike is Eyes Wide Shut.
Got to watch this again. Very funny. One of the lines was changed in the film. The president gets a pie in the face and the line was suppose to be "our beloved president has been cut down in his prime", or something to that effect. They changed the line due the proximity of the films release to the Kennedy assassination.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, Kennedy encouraged the making of 'The Manchurian candidate' and 'Seven days in May' in order to highlight to the public the dangers of a military and corporate takeover of the U.S. He did more than encourage it, he arranged to be out of the oval office at specific points to allow them to film.
See David Talbot's new book 'Brothers'
So why do I think of Cheney when I see this?
ReplyDeleteIt's the rubber glove - keeps Dubbya's dinner out from under The Dick's fingernails.
I watched this again a couple months ago for the first time in years. Frighteningly relevant. A great, great film.
ReplyDeleteAs to Barry Lyndon, Quakerdave, I like it (and it's beautfully shot by John Alcott with a great deal of natural lighting) but it drags a bit for me at times and the end leaves me a bit unsatisfied for some reason. It's been a few years since I've seen it, though, and I'm overdue. Fantastic soundtrack, too.
Paths of Glory is another great one.