How does an Irish lad without prospects become part of 18th-century English nobility? For Barry Lyndon (Ryan ONeal), the answer is: any way he can! His climb to wealth and privilege is the focus of this sumptuous Stanley Kubrick version of William Makepeace Thackerays novel. For this ravishing, slyly satiric winner* of 4 Academy Awards, Kubrick found inspiration in the works of the eras painters. Costumes and sets were crafted in the eras designs, and pioneering lenses were developed to shoot interiors and exteriors in natural light. The result is a cutting-edge movie that brings a historical period to vivid screen life like no other film before or since.