I saw this movie for the first time when I was 12. I found it drab, dull, boring, pointless, and any number of adjectives meaning boring. The only things that stuck in my head was the use of Handel's "Sarabande" and that I felt that Bullingdon was poorly treated. Recently I saw the movie again. What a difference nine years makes! The story was much more comprehensible and felt rather like "Tom Jones" without the convoluted ending. I particularly enjoyed the setting of late 18th- early 19th century Ireland. The story reads like an 18th century novel, in fact besides Thackeray's 19th century novel there are dozens of novels that follow the rises and falls of the scapegrace lads. There was only one disappointment with watching it again and that was finding that Bullingdon was really a pain in the butt. Chalk my feelings of sympathy up to some weird thing for Leon Vitale.
There is one thing that this movie excels in and that is music. The way that Handel's "Sarabande" weaves its way in and out of the last 30 minutes of the film is truly beautiful. It can create tension or simply convey a stately grace. There is also the constant use of Schubert's Piano Trio, if I am not mistaken, which lends a feeling of continental refinement. Kubrick may have had some trouble connecting the audience with his films, but his matching music with what is on screen is unparalleled in my mind.
There is one thing that this movie excels in and that is music. The way that Handel's "Sarabande" weaves its way in and out of the last 30 minutes of the film is truly beautiful. It can create tension or simply convey a stately grace. There is also the constant use of Schubert's Piano Trio, if I am not mistaken, which lends a feeling of continental refinement. Kubrick may have had some trouble connecting the audience with his films, but his matching music with what is on screen is unparalleled in my mind.