What are the reasons for Barry's downfall?
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Mr_Wolf_80 — 10 years ago(August 03, 2015 07:59 AM)
The point of the film is that he was of humble origins and no money could buy the respect of the aristocrats, who would continue to see and consider him a poor, rude and unmannered social climber.
I'm Winston Wolf. I solve problems.
And no dream is ever just a dream -
Opwiz — 10 years ago(August 03, 2015 11:48 AM)
I think the movie showed tragic flaws in both in the protagonist and the individuals part of the aristocracy - it's not about one being better than the other. There was no real redemptive moment for any of the characters, no lessons learned, no change. Barry was just a catalyst for the downfall of the aristocratic family - the seeds were there before he arrived. They can blame each other but it's really just long due debts being paid. Call it karma or sin (to miss the mark), trying to cheat your way to wealth or love - wife deluding herself, Barry lying, betraying and cheating to acquire money and higher position, etc. So I don't think the movie is picking sides in the "squabble", it just shows it in all its ugliness.
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starfoxfan86 — 10 years ago(September 19, 2015 04:53 PM)
My theory would be the expenses of his lavish lifestyle in combination with lord Bullingdon's grudges and actions. I think Redmond had the extravagant lifestyle and attitude to fit in with high class society of the time. Bullingdon pretty much has the same motivations as young Redmond did, only Bullindon had the ability to do more damage- and I believe he'd be bound to follow the same arc as Redmond.
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KobiyashiMauru — 10 years ago(November 29, 2015 08:25 AM)
A lot of you aren't going to like the answer but Barry's downfall was due to the fact that he didn't have a father growing up and was raised/influenced by a committee of idiots.
Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.
Yogi Berra -
kaskait — 10 years ago(December 06, 2015 10:02 AM)
Not truly understanding the society in which he miraculously found himself among. He should have studied who and what they were and he should have treated Bullingdon with kid gloves. But Lyndon was only street smart, it never went further than that to his misfortune. He was only a pretty face.
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Felixthecat34213 — 10 years ago(December 13, 2015 09:43 PM)
I would say settling down and of course setting out to deceive a woman and her young son.
As the film goes along we see Redmund grow from a young, insecure, naive country boy into a reckless manipulator.
I suppose in a weird way it's a cautionary tale about seeing too much of the world. Redmund knew where he came from and he saw where he could go. Most average Irish, English, whatever country, would have lived, breathed, reproduced and died in the same place. To see such great wealth and to know that it is attainable is almost too much to bear.
I suppose Barry's drive to better his life is ironically his downfall. -
saturnfan — 9 years ago(April 15, 2016 03:48 PM)
The character of Barry Lyndon does have an interesting characteristic in that in times of peril or stress, his instinct was to be good (part from the first duel you may argue).
When his family friend was injured in battle he carried him. When the Prussian officer was in peril he saved him. The final duel and him shooting into the ground.
It was when he had time and space to think that his dislikable side came out.
His treatment of Lord Bullingdon is so ill considered that it is his downfall. He proved he could be a loving father and had he been discreet re his philanderings and treated the Lord well and been a father to him, it could have gone a long way to sealing a better fate and would not have required the expensive courting of upper classes in an attempt to get a title. -
starfoxfan86 — 9 years ago(April 20, 2016 07:25 PM)
I think I already replied, but after a rewatching yesterday, I have a new theory.
Redmond at a young age is cast out away from his so called first love so she can marry a well paid officer. because of this he doesn't get to learn to understand how to make and deal with mistakes, and learn to outgrow his boyish impulses. then every situation he gets into he takes advantage of and cheats his way upwards- bringing his fall down on himself.
Now I'm not really good at explaining things, and this is incredibly deep, and complex, but I think this also comparable to the downfall of Romeo and Juliet, where outside interference with the lead(s) not knowing how to deal with the situation at hand.