War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and Cinema History

Barry Lyndon - with Robert Smith

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and Cinema History

Show Notes

Irish War Movie Month ends with Stanley Kubrick's tale of a socially ambitious rogue during the Seven Years War. Will Rob and Duncan be forced to duel? Would this film have been better if it had been about Napoleon? Joining us is Robert Smith, Corporate Finance Editor at the Financial Times, to explain why the film has become the subject of rap memes. No, we can't really explain either.

Next week: Good Morning Vietnam

Drop us a line! Send comments and suggestions to [email protected].

Would you like to know more? See the list of films we'd like to do? Buy merch? Visit our website: https://warmovietheatre.com

Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter or at our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and Cinema History

Oct 22, 2026

Definitely Not Vietnam Month rolls on with The Wild Bunch, a 1969 film so violent it had viewers throwing up in the foyer. Director Sam Peckinpah was clear that he wanted to bring the violence of war, especially the war in South East Asia, into cinemas, and if he had to fire live ammunition at his crew to do that, then he would. The film pioneered a wealth of new techniques, with fast cuts and slow motion evoking the chaos of combat. Is it a war film? Did it chance the course of a different 1969 Western? And will Duncan ever tell his friends about his podcast?

Oct 15, 2026

Definitely Not Vietnam Month rolls on with a film about a US force with superior equipment and training going into a swamp, upsetting the locals, and being killed them. Yep, definitely not about Vietnam. Is this the first time that Nastiest Nazi has been won by a piece of geography? And who exactly are the baddies here?

Oct 8, 2026

Definitely Not Vietnam Month takes us to a galaxy far, far away as we discuss a 1977 film about a small resistance movement taking on and beating a powerful empire.

Oct 1, 2026

Definitely Not Vietnam Month opens with one of the greatest films ever to be made that definitely wasn't about the Vietnam War. Robert Altman's 1970 debut M*A*S*H was the tale of the 4077th Army hospital in the Korean - repeat Korean - War. It defied cinematic conventions, with no story arcs, overlapping dialogue, and a cynical attitude to life right from the opening song. The studio didn't expect much, but it was a critical and commercial hit, spawning a long-running sitcom and putting rocket boosters under the careers of not just Altman but also stars Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould.

Sep 24, 2026

Near the top of any list of war films, Full Metal Jacket was Stanley Kubrick's bleak take on Vietnam. It gave us cinema's greatest drill sergeant, a script full of unforgettable lines, and an Asian country as it could only look if it had been filmed in an East London gasworks.

See all episodes →