INTRODUCED BY ACADEMY MEMBER BENNETT MILLER ("CAPOTE," "MONEYBALL")

Eclectic director Stanley Kubrick followed his string of Academy Award nominations ("Dr. Strangelove," "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "A Clockwork Orange") with the seemingly odd choice of adapting The Luck of Barry Lyndon, an early novel by 19th century writer William Makepeace Thackeray. The story's piercing examination of societal hypocrisy fit well within Kubrick's oeuvre, however, and the lush period setting allowed the director's notorious obsession with detail to shine.

Told in two acts, the picaresque story recounts the lusty adventures of an 18th century Irishman who shamelessly attempts to climb the social ladder any way he can. Ryan O'Neal, in one of his few costume dramas, played the unrepentant rogue. The 1975 film, which was shot entirely on location throughout Great Britain, was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won four, including an Oscar for John Alcott's innovative cinematography. The film's interior sequences were shot in natural candlelight to achieve the feeling of an 18th century painting.

Oscar-nominated director Bennett Miller chose "Barry Lyndon" for this "Member Selects" evening, where distinguished members of the Academy introduce one of their favorite films.

Screened courtesy of Warner Bros. 1975. 187 minutes. 

Academy Award winner: Art Direction (Ken Adam, Roy Walker; Set Decoration: Vernon Dixon); Cinematography (John Alcott); Costume Design (Ulla-Britt Soderlund, Milena Canonero); Music – Scoring: Adaptation (Leonard Rosenman)

Academy Award nominee: Directing (Stanley Kubrick); Best Picture (Kubrick, producer); Writing – Screenplay adapted from other material (Kubrick)