If Sean Penn Wins the Oscar, He Should Thank Stanley Kubrick

I immediately recognized a familiar echo when a character spoke these lines in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film. While the exact words were different, the way they were said – the tone and meaning – strongly reminded me of a speech from Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon. In that film, Lord Wendover explains to Redmond Barry why he should trust him, saying, “When I take someone under my wing, they are safe. There’s no further doubt about them. My friends are simply the best – not necessarily the most virtuous, intelligent, or wealthy, but the best. They are people you can rely on.”







