However, as the film progresses, it becomes clear that Barry’s rise to prominence is not without its costs. His relationships are transactional and manipulative, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals, including betraying those who have helped him along the way.

Through Barry’s story, Kubrick and his co-writers, Brian O. Anderson and Stanley Kubrick, offer a scathing critique of 18th-century society, exposing the hypocrisy and superficiality of the aristocracy. The film is a clever satire that pokes fun at the excesses and absurdities of the upper class, from the absurdities of dueling to the ridiculousness of high-society etiquette.

Stanley Kubrick’s 1975 masterpiece, “Barry Lyndon,” is a sweeping period drama that tells the story of Redmond Barry Lyndon, a charming and cunning Irishman who rises from humble beginnings to become a member of the English aristocracy. Based on William Makepeace Thackeray’s 1844 novel “The Luck of Barry Lyndon,” the film is a scathing critique of 18th-century society, exploring themes of class, morality, and the corrupting influence of power.