MAN: Gentlemen, cock your pistols.
Gentlemen...
MAN (narrating): Barry's father had been bred,
like many other young sons of a genteel family,
- to the profession of the law. - MAN: One, two...
NARRATOR: There is no doubt he would have made an eminent figure in his profession.
- Three! - (pistols fire)
NARRATOR: Had he not been killed in a duel,
which arose over the purchase of some horses.
Barry's mother, after her husband's death,
lived in such a way as to defy slander.
Many a man who had been smitten by the charms of the spinster
now renewed his offers to the widow.
But she refused all proposals of marriage,
declaring that she lived now for her son only
and the memory of her departed saint.
(thunder rumbling)
(thunder continues rumbling)
NARRATOR: First love.
What a change it makes in a lad.
What a magnificent secret it is that he carries about with him.
The tender passion gushes instinctively out of a man's heart.
He loves as a bird sings
or a rose blows from nature.
Killarney.
Now, what shall it be?
Turn around and face the wall.
(thunder continues rumbling)
NARRATOR: The object of Barry's attention,
and the cause of all his early troubles,
was his cousin.
Nora Brady by name.
I have taken the ribbon from around my neck
and hidden it somewhere on my person.
If you find it, you can have it.
You are free to look for it anywhere you will,
and I will think very little of you if you do not find it.
I cannot find it.
You haven't looked properly.
I cannot find it.
I'll give you a hint.
I feel the ribbon.
Why are you trembling?
At the pleasure of... of finding the ribbon.
You're a liar.
Company, forward!
March!
♪♪ (fifes, drums: march)
Company eyes!
NARRATOR: About this time,
the United Kingdom was in a state of great excitement
from the threat, generally accredited, of a French invasion.
And the noblemen and people of condition
showed their loyalty by raising regiments of horse and foot
to resist the invaders.
Their scarlet coats and swaggering airs filled Barry with envy.
♪♪ (drums continue)
Company eyes!
(shouts)
♪♪ (fifes, drums continue)
NARRATOR: Brady Town sent a company to join the Kilwangan regiment,
of which John Quin was the captain.
The whole country was alive with war's alarms,
the three kingdoms ringing with military music.
♪♪ (stops)
And ready!
Set!
- Fire! - (women scream)
♪♪ (fifes, strings: lively jig)
♪♪ (jig continues)
Redmond, what is the matter?
Nora, were you obliged to dance five times with Captain Quin?
(Nora scoffs)
I don't care a fig for Captain Quin.
He dances prettily, to be sure, and is a pleasant rattle of a man.
And he looks well in his regimentals too.
If he chose to ask me to dance, how could I refuse him?
But you refused me.
Oh, I can dance with you any day.
And to dance with your own cousin looks as though you could find no other partner.
Besides, Redmond, Captain Quin is a man.
And you're only a boy, and you haven't a guinea in the world.
If ever I should meet him again,
you will find out who is the best man of the two.
I'll fight him sword or pistol, captain as he is.
- Redmond, don't be so silly. - I mean it, Nora.
But Captain Quin is already known as a valiant soldier.
It is mighty well of you to fight farmers' boys,
but to fight an Englishman is a very different matter.
Best have your Englishman take you home.
Redmond!
NARRATOR: Barry had resolved never to see Nora again.
But such resolutions, though they may be steadfastly held for a whole week,
are abandoned in a few moments of bleak despair.
No, Nora, no.
Except for you and four others,
I vow before all the gods
my heart has...
has never felt the soft flame.
Ah, you men.
You men, John.
Your passion is not equal to ours.
We are like... like some plant I've read of.
We bear but one flower and then we die.
But you... you...
you mean you never felt such an inclination for another?
Never, my John, but for thee.
- How can you ask me such a question? - Oh, Nora.
NARRATOR: Nora was chaperoned by her brothers, Mick and Ulick,
whose interests would be much affected
by the favorable outcome of her affair with Captain Quin.
Redmond. So nice to see you.
Redmond!
How could you do this to me, Nora?
Redmond, in the name of heaven, what's the matter?
What are you talking about?
I... I think this might be an opportune moment to return something to you.
(gasps)
Thank you, Redmond.
I must have forgotten them somewhere.
Yes, you did, Nora.
Captain Quin, may I have the honor of introducing my cousin, Redmond Barry?
Miss Brady, it would appear
you have something to discuss in private with this young man.
Perhaps it would be best for me to withdraw.
Captain Quin, I have nothing to discuss with my cousin in private.
Miss Brady, it would appear you have a great deal to discuss in private.
Good heavens, Captain Quin.
He is but a boy and don't signify any more than my parrot or lapdog.
Oh, indeed? Are you then in the habit of giving...
intimate articles of your clothing to your parrot or lapdog?
Mayn't I give a bit of ribbon to my own cousin?
You're perfectly welcome, miss.
As many yards as you like.
When ladies make presents to gentlemen, it is time for other gentlemen to retire.
I have the honor to wish you both a good day.
Jack Quin, what's the matter here?
I'll tell you what it is, sir.
I've had enough of Miss Brady here and your Irish ways.
- Think you still, sir? - Well, well, what is it?
We'll make you used to our Irish ways, or we'll adopt English ones.
It is not the English way for ladies to have two lovers.
And so, Mr. Brady, I'll thank you to pay me the sum you owe me,
and I resign all claims to this young lady.
If she has a fancy for schoolboys, let her take 'em, sir.
Quin, you're joking.
I never was more in earnest.
John, wait.
Hang ya for a meddlin' brat.
Your hand is in everybody's pie.
What business had you to come quarreling here
with a gentleman who has 1,500 a year?
(chattering)
Redmond, me boy, take a seat.
(chattering continues)
(no audible dialogue)
(chattering stops)
Mrs. Brady and ladies, if you please.
This is the sort of toast that's drunk a great deal too seldom in my family,
and you'll please to receive it with all the honors.
Here's to Captain and Mrs. John Quin and long life!
(guests exclaiming, murmuring)
Go on.
Kiss her, Jack, you rogue, for faith, you've got a treasure.
(guests murmuring, exclaiming)
- Come on, Jack, come on. - (Quin chuckles)
- There's the man. - (guests continue exclaiming, chattering)
- Oh! - (guests applauding)
Here's to a long and happy life together.
GUESTS: A long and happy life together!
QUIN: Thank you. (clears throat) That was very kind, Mr. Brady.
(guests continue chattering)
- Redmond. - (chattering quiets)
Here is my toast to you, Captain John Quin.
(women scream)
QUIN: You wretch!
How dare you behave like that in my house!
Mrs. Brady, take the children out.
Captain Quin, my dear fellow, are you all right?
(grunts)
In heaven's name, what does all the row mean?
The fact is, sir, the young monkey's fallen in love with Nora.
He found herself and the captain mighty sweet in the garden today,
and now he's for murdering Jack Quin.
And I'll tell you what, Mr. Brady.
I've been insulted grossly in this house.
I'm not at all satisfied with these here ways of going on.
I'm an Englishman, I am, and a man of property.
And as for this impudent young swine,
he should be horsewhipped.
Mr. Quin can have satisfaction any time he pleases
by calling on Redmond Barry, Esq., of Barryville.
Oh, I see.
I'll see the boy home.
A pretty day's work of it you've made, Master Redmond.
Knowing your uncle to be distressed for money,
and try and break off a match which will bring 1,500 a year into the family?
Quin has promised to pay off the £4,000 which is bothering your uncle so.
He takes a girl without a penny,
a girl that's flinging herself at the head of every man in these parts
these five years past,
and missing them all.
And you,
a boy who ought to be attached to your uncle as to your father ‒
And so I am.
And this is the return you make for his kindness?
Didn't he harbor you in his house when your father died?
Hasn't he given you and your mother, rent free,
your fine house of Barryville yonder?
Mark this and come what will of it.
I will fight the man who pretends the hand of Nora Brady.
I'll follow him if it's into the church and fight him there.
I'll have his blood, or he'll have mine.
Faith, and I believe you.
I never saw a lad more game in me life.
Give me a kiss, me dear boy.
You're after me own soul.
As long as Jack Grogan lives,
you shall never want a friend or a second.
Will you take my message to him?
Will you arrange a meeting?
Well, if it must be, it must.
Now, look here, Redmond, me boy.
This is a silly business.
The girl will marry Quin, mark my words.
And as sure as she does, you'll forget her.
You're but a boy.
And Quin is willing to consider you as such.
Isn't that right, Quin?
(mutters)
Now, Dublin's a fine place.
And if you've a mind to take a ride there and see the town for a month,
here's ten guineas at your service.
Will that satisfy you, Captain Quin?
Yes, if Mr. Barry will apologize and go to Dublin,
I will consider the whole affair honorably settled.
ULICK: Say you're sorry, Redmond.
Go on. You can easily say that.
I'm not sorry.
And I'll not apologize.
And I'd as soon go to Dublin as to hell.
Well then, there's nothing else for it.
God bless you, me boy.
This isn't one of my pistols.
It's all right. It's one of mine.
Yours'll serve if it's needed for the next round.
Good luck, Redmond.
ULICK: Gentlemen...
cock your pistols.
(hammer cocks)
Gentlemen...
aim your pistols.
ULICK: One.
Two.
Three.
(Quin groans)
Is he dead?
Quite dead.
MICK: This has been a sad day's work for our family, Redmond Barry.
And you've robbed us of 1,500 a year.
Now, you'd better ride off before the police are up.
They'd wind of this business before we left Kilwangan.
Come on, Redmond. I'll go home with you.
NARRATOR: How different Barry's fate might have been
had he not fallen in love with Nora,
and had he not flung the wine in Captain Quin's face.
Redmond, you're alive!
- But he was destined to be a wanderer. - (Mrs. Barry chattering)
And the battle with Quin set him on his travels at a very early age,
as you shall soon see.
The boy must go into hiding, just for a short time anyway.
Dublin is the best place for him to go.
He can stay there till matters have blown over.
But the poor child has never been away from home in his life.
Wouldn't he be as safe here as in Dublin?
I wish that were true, Aunt Belle. Now, you know I do.
But I'm afraid the bailiffs may be already on their way from Kilwangan.
Now... Now, Dublin is five days' ride away from here.
There's not a soul who'll know him there.
I don't want to harp on unpleasant matters. You know that.
But you do know what can happen to him if he's taken.
I'll be all right.
I'll be all right in Dublin, Mother.
NARRATOR: No lad who has liberty for the first time
and 20 guineas in his pocket
is very sad.
And Barry rode towards Dublin
thinking not so much of the kind mother left alone
and of the home behind him,
but of tomorrow and all the wonders it would bring.
Excuse me, miss. Would it be possible to have a drink of water?
Yes, sir.
Good day to you, young sir.
Good day.
Will you join us in a drink?
No, thank you.
Would you like something to eat?
That's very kind of you, but I have to be on my way.
Thank you.
(exhales)
Good-bye.
Uh, excuse me, sir.
Good morning again, young sir.
Don't even think about it.
Get down off that horse.
Raise your hands high above your head, please.
Come forward.
Stop.
How do you do?
I'm Captain Feeney.
Captain Feeney?
Captain Feeney, at your service.
The Captain Feeney?
None other.
May I introduce you to my son Seamus.
- How do you do? - How do you do?
To whom have I the honor of speaking?
My name's Redmond Barry.
How do you do, Mr. Barry?
And now I'm afraid we must get on to the more regrettable stage
of our brief acquaintance.
Turn around and keep your hands high above your head, please.
There must be 20 guineas in gold here, Father.
Well, well, well.
You seem to be a very well set-up young gentleman, sir.
Captain Feeney, that's all the money my mother had in the world.
Mightn't I be allowed to keep it?
I'm just one step ahead of the law myself.
I killed an English officer in a duel,
and I'm on my way to Dublin till things cool down.
Mr. Barry, in my profession we hear many such stories.
Yours is one of the most intriguing and touching I've heard in many weeks.
Nevertheless, I'm afraid I cannot grant your request.
But I'll tell you what I will do.
I'll allow you to keep those fine pair of boots,
which in normal circumstances I would have for myself.
The next town is only five miles away,
and I suggest you now start walking.
Mightn't I be allowed to keep my horse?
I should like to oblige you,
but with people like us, we must be able to travel faster than our clients.
Good day, young sir.
You can put down your hands now, Mr. Barry.
♪♪ (rapid drumbeat)
♪♪ (drumbeat ends)
Gale's regiment of foot,
commanded by Lieutenant General Charles Gale,
which has so gloriously distinguished itself during the recent troubles,
wants several men to supply the places of those veterans
who have deserved to be pensioned as lettermen
at one shilling a day for the rest of their lives.
All clever young fellows who are free and able
and are ambitious of becoming gentlemen by bearing arms
are hereby invited to step up and meet the recruiting officer,
who promises that they shall meet with every encouragement
that merit and good behavior can entitle them to.
Those meeting the qualifications
will immediately receive His Majesty's royal bounty
of one and a half guineas,
with complete clothing, arms and accoutrements.
King George and Old England forever.
(onlookers cheering)
Left! Left! Left, right, left!
- Left! Left! - Arms! One, two!
Left, right, left!
NARRATOR: For a young gentleman in difficulty
who had killed a man in a duel
and was anxious to find refuge from the law,
the opportunity to earn distinction in the European wars
seemed a great stroke of good fortune.
And King George was too much in want of men to heed from whence they came.
- (crow cawing) - (men chattering)
Hey, lad. Lad!
Lad!
Can I have a new beaker? This one is full of grease.
- (soldiers laughing) - Did you hear that?
- SOLDIER: Did you hear that? - (laughing continues)
Covered in grease!
Give the gentleman a towel and a basin of turtle soup.
(soldiers laughing)
- (chuckling) - (laughter subsides)
(chuckling)
(laughter resumes, cheering, applause)
If you want to vex him,
ask him about his wife, the washerwoman, who baits him.
Mr. Toole, is it a towel of your wife's washing?
They say she wipes your face often with one.
(soldiers exclaiming)
Ask him why he wouldn't see her yesterday when she came to the camp.
Mr. Toole, why did you hide so yesterday when Mrs. Toole came to visit you?
You afraid of getting your ears boxed?
(soldiers laughing)
- (soldiers exclaiming) - Gentlemen, gentlemen!
You may fight it out with fists if you choose.
We'll form a square for that purpose.
Gentlemen, step this way, please.
Both shake hands.
Shake hands.
Take your stance.
No biting, kicking or scratching.
The last man to remain standing is the winner.
Gentlemen, commence fighting now!
(soldiers shouting)
(shouting continues)
You'll get him!
Left up! Left up!
(soldiers cheering, whistling)
(soldiers shouting, booing, jeering)
(shouting continues)
Use your left!
(soldiers cheering, whistling)
♪♪ (fife, drums: march)
NARRATOR: Barry's training continued at Dunleary Camp,
and within a month he was transformed into a tall and proper young soldier.
During this time,
the regiment's strength was steadily increased
by the arrival of other troops
in preparation for joining their gallant armies fighting in Germany.
One of these occasions brought the welcome appearance
of no other than his second in the fatal duel, Captain Grogan.
♪♪ (continues)
It would have been better for all of us if we'd known what had become of you.
Didn't you think of writing to your mother?
Of course I did.
But the shame I felt of losing all her money,
my father's sword and pistols,
I couldn't tell her.
Your mother wouldn't care a pin about those things.
You were her only concern.
Now, you must sit down tonight and write her a proper letter
and tell her that you're safe and well and married to Brown Bess.
I will.
Is Miss Brady well?
There are only six Miss Bradys now.
Has something happened to Nora?
She took on so about your going away
that she was obliged to console herself with a husband.
She is now...
Mrs. John Quin.
Mrs. John Quin?
Was there another John Quin?
No.
The very same one, me boy.
He recovered from his wound.
(chuckles)
The shot you hit him with was not likely to hurt him,
for it was only made of tow.
Tow?
Do you think the Bradys would let you kill 1,500 a year out of the family?
The plan of the duel was all arranged in order to get you out of the way,
for the cowardly Quin could never be brought to marry
from fear of you.
But hit him you certainly did, me lad,
with a fine, thick plugget of tow.
(chuckles)
The fellow was so frightened that he was an hour in coming to.
Are you in want of cash?
You may draw on me,
for I got a couple of hundred out of your uncle for my share.
And while they last, you shall never want.
NARRATOR: It would require a great philosopher and historian
to explain the causes of the famous Seven Years War,
in which Europe was engaged
and in which Barry's regiment was now on its way to take part.
Let it suffice to say that England and Prussia were allies
and at war against the French, the Swedes,
the Russians and the Austrians.
♪♪ (fifes, drums: march)
Barry's first taste of battle was only a skirmish
against a small rearguard of Frenchmen
who occupied an orchard beside a road
down which, a few hours later, the English main force would wish to pass.
Though this encounter is not recorded in any history books,
it was memorable enough for those who took part.
♪♪ (drums continue)
♪♪ (fifes, drums continue)
- ♪♪ (fifes, drums continue) - Company, arms!
Company, arms!
(officer shouts)
OFFICER: Fire!
(officers shouting)
(officer shouts)
OFFICER: Fire!
Arms! Set!
(officers continue shouting)
Fire!
(officers continue shouting)
- (officer shouting in French) - Fire!
(officer shouting in French) Fire!
(officers continue shouting)
(volley of gunfire)
(soldiers shouting)
(shouting continues)
(gasps, panting)
(gunfire continues)
I've only a hundred guineas left to give you,
for I lost the rest at cards last night.
(chuckles)
Kiss me, me boy,
for we'll never meet again.
(sobbing)
NARRATOR: It is well to dream of glorious war in a snug armchair at home.
But it is a different thing to see it firsthand.
And after the death of his friend,
Barry's thoughts turned from those of military glory
to those of finding a way to escape the service
to which he was now tied for another six years.
(bull lowing)
Gentlemen may talk of the age of chivalry,
but remember the ploughmen, poachers and pickpockets whom they lead.
It is with these sad instruments
that your great warriors and kings
have been doing their murderous work in the world.
A young man could hardly have fallen into worse circumstances
than those in which Barry found himself.
But fate did not intend he should remain long an English soldier.
And an accident occurred which took him out of the service
in a rather singular manner.
MAN: Freddie, I hope you won't be too angry with me about this,
but I've got something to tell you which I don't think you're going to be very happy about.
FREDDIE: Oh? What is it?
MAN: Well, first, you've got to promise me that you're going to keep your temper.
Look, Jonathan, don't be such a silly ass.
You're making a great big mystery about it.
Now, what on earth is going on?
JONATHAN: Well, I'm afraid I shall have to go away again.
Probably for about a fortnight.
FREDDIE: Oh, my God.
- You're not serious. - Yes, I'm afraid I am.
And there's nothing I can do about it.
FREDDIE: Where are you going to this time?
JONATHAN: I'm going to Bremen,
carrying important messages and dispatches to Prince Henry.
FREDDIE: But, Jonathan, you promised me the last time
it would be once and for all and never again.
JONATHAN: Yes, I know, and I promise you I kept my part of the bargain.
But Pontersby insists that I'm the only one on his staff
who can be entrusted with the trip.
NARRATOR: Here was the opportunity to escape from the army
for which he had been searching.
It was only a few miles through the forest
to the area occupied by their Prussian allies,
where this officer's uniform and papers should allow him to travel without suspicion
and stay ahead of the news of his desertion,
which would be sure to follow.
FREDDIE: We shall have precious little time together.
JONATHAN: Are you terribly cross with me?
Damn you.
Damn you. You know I can't stay cross with you for long.
Oh, Jonathan.
It's times like this that I realize how much I care for you
and how impossibly empty life would be without you.
JONATHAN: Oh, Frederick.
NARRATOR: Barry was very glad to see the blue-and-white uniforms
of a company of Prussian infantry,
which showed him that he was out of the land occupied by his own country.
His intention was to make for Holland,
almost the only neutral country of Europe in those times,
and thence to get a passage home somehow.
As he rode away
Barry felt once more that he was in his proper sphere
and determined never again to fall from the rank of a gentleman.
Entschuldigen Sie, Fräulein.
Ja?
- Guten tag. - Guten tag.
Sprechen Sie English?
I'm speaking little.
I have not eaten anything all day. No food.
Is there an inn nearby where I might receive a meal?
No, I don't think so.
There is nothing to eat something since Grünberg.
Do you live near here?
Ja.
Would you, uh, feed me something to eat?
I'd be, uh... I'd be happy to pay you.
I think so.
(thunder rumbling)
(woman whispers in German, chuckles)
Is that a little boy or a little girl?
A boy.
And what's his name?
Peter.
And how old is Peter?
He is one years old.
And where might Peter's father be?
You mean where he is?
Yes.
He is in the war.
And how long has he been gone?
- Sorry. - (thunder continues rumbling)
I didn't understand.
What?
Wie lange ist er schon weg?
Oh. A long time.
Since springtime.
Must be hard for you to be alone.
(thunder continues rumbling)
It is.
It must be very danger for you to be in the war.
I'm an officer and I must do my duty.
- (fussing) - (thunder continues rumbling)
You are sometimes lonely?
Sometimes.
What did you say ‒ What's your name?
Lieutenant Fakenham.
No, I mean...
what is the name before Fakenham?
- Mein Vorname? - Ja.
Ist Jonathan.
Jonathan.
Would you like to stay with me?
For a few days, or sometimes?
That would be very nice.
Auf wiedersehen, meine schöne Lischen.
Auf wiedersehen, Redmond.
- Ich liebe dich. - Ich liebe dich.
Pass auf dich auf.
Gott behüte dich.
NARRATOR: A lady who sets her heart upon a lad in uniform
must prepare to change lovers pretty quickly,
or her life will be but a sad one.
This heart of Lischen's was like many a neighboring town
and had been stormed and occupied several times
before Barry came to invest it.
During the five years in which the war had now lasted,
the great and illustrious Frederick had so exhausted the males of his kingdom
that he had to employ scores of recruiters
who would hesitate at no crime, including kidnapping,
to keep supplied those brilliant regiments of his
with food for powder.
Good evening, sir.
I'm Captain Potzdorf.
May I ask to whom I have the honor of speaking?
Good evening, Captain.
I'm Lieutenant Fakenham, Gale's regiment of foot.
Pleased to meet you.
Can we be of some assistance to you, Lieutenant?
Thank you, Captain, but I must continue on my way.
I'm carrying urgent dispatches.
May I ask your destination?
I'm traveling to Bremen.
To Bremen?
Well, then you're obviously lost, Lieutenant.
Bremen is in the opposite direction.
- Are you sure, Captain? - Yes, I am.
Wouldn't you know it.
My departure was so hastily organized
that my orderly forgot to prepare proper maps of the area.
Of course. I understand.
Please do not be offended, Lieutenant.
But may I ask whether you are carrying your identity papers?
Yes, of course I am.
Would you allow me to see them?
Of course.
- Here you are. - Thank you very much.
Thank you very much, Lieutenant. I hope I haven't inconvenienced you in any way.
Not at all.
Now that we are riding in the same direction,
I'd be very honored if you'd allow me to offer you a meal and a bed for the night.
And a proper map to be drawn up for the journey.
Well, that's extremely kind of you, Captain,
and I'd be honored to accept your invitation.
NARRATOR: Barry was treated with great civility
and was asked a thousand questions about England,
which he answered as best he could,
inventing a thousand stories.
He described the king and the ministers,
boasted that the British ambassador in Berlin was his uncle
and even offered Captain Potzdorf a letter of introduction.
♪♪ (officers singing in German)
His host seemed quite satisfied with these stories.
But at the same time he led Barry on
with a skillful combination of questions and flattery.
You will have to pardon me. I know so little about your country of England.
Except that you are the bravest nation in the world
and that we are really fortunate to have such allies.
Lieutenant Fakenham,
let us drink to the friendship of our two great nations.
To our two great nations.
♪♪ (singing in German continues)
Aren't you lucky.
Going to Bremen tomorrow.
I know one of the loveliest women in Europe there.
May I ask you to take a letter to her?
Certainly.
By the way, to whom are you carrying your dispatches?
General Williamson.
- General Williamson. - Yes.
General Percival Williamson?
Yes, the same.
Sergeant.
♪♪ (singing continues)
Dieser Mann ist unter Arrest.
♪♪ (stops)
Under arrest?
Captain Potzdorf, sir.
I'm a British officer.
You are a liar.
You're an impostor.
You're a deserter.
I suspected you this morning, and your lies and folly have confirmed this to me.
You pretend to carry dispatches to a general
who has been dead these ten months.
You say your uncle is the British ambassador in Berlin
with the ridiculous name of O'Grady.
Now, will you join and take the bounty, sir, or will you be given up?
I volunteer.
♪♪ (fifes, drums)
NARRATOR: The Prussian service was considerably worse than the English.
The life that the private soldier led was a frightful one.
Punishment was incessant,
and every officer had the right to inflict it.
The gauntlet was the most common penalty for minor offenses.
The more serious ones
were punishable by mutilation or death.
♪♪ (fifes, drums continue)
At the close of the Seven Years War,
the army, so renowned for its disciplined valor,
was officered by native Prussians,
but it was composed, for the most part,
of men from the lowest levels of humanity,
hired or stolen from almost every nation in Europe.
Thus, Barry fell into the very worst of courses and company
and was soon very far advanced in the science of every kind of misconduct.
- (gunfire) - (screaming)
(officer shouting in German)
(shouting continues)
- (explosions, gunfire continue) - (shouting continues)
(officer shouts)
POTZDORF: Leutnant.
Holt mich hier raus!
Leutnant.
Holt mich hier raus.
(coughing)
Leutnant, holt mich hier raus!
(explosion)
Soldaten,
Seiner Majestät der König abordnet,
Seine Satisfaktion...
NARRATOR: The colonel's speech declared
that the king had expressed his satisfaction
with the conduct of the regiment at the Battle of Audorf
and that the bravery of Corporal Redmond Barry in rescuing Captain Potzdorf
was to be specially rewarded with the sum of two friedrich d'or.
(German continues)
Korporal Barry, acht Schritte vorwärts.
Marsch!
Corporal Barry.
You're a gallant soldier and have evidently come of good stock.
But you're idle, dissolute and unprincipled.
You've done a great deal of harm to the men,
and for all your talents and bravery I'm sure you will come to no good.
I hope Colonel Bulow is mistaken regarding my character.
I have fallen into bad company, it is true,
but I've only done as other soldiers have done,
and above all, I never had a kind friend and protector before
to show that I was worthy of better things.
The colonel may say I'm a ruined lad and send me to the devil,
but be sure of this:
I would go to the devil to serve the regiment.
Korporal Barry. Abdrehen.
NARRATOR: The war was soon ended
and Barry's regiment was garrisoned in the capital.
He had, for some time now,
ingratiated himself considerably with Captain Potzdorf,
whose confidence in him was about to bring its reward.
- Good morning, Redmond. - Good morning, Captain Potzdorf.
I should like you to meet my uncle, the minister of police, Herr Von Potzdorf.
Good morning, Herr Minister.
Redmond, I've spoken to the minister regarding your services,
and your fortune is made.
We shall get you out of the army,
appoint you to the police bureau,
and in time we'll allow you to move in a better sphere
than that which fortune has hitherto placed you.
Thank you, Captain Potzdorf.
Redmond, your loyalty to me
and your service to the regiment
has pleased me very well.
And now there's another occasion on which you may make yourself useful to us.
And if you succeed, depend on it ‒
your reward will be secure.
I'll do the best I can, sir.
There has lately come to Berlin
a gentleman in the service of the empress queen of Austria
who calls himself the Chevalier de Balibari.
He appears to follow the profession of a gambler.
He's a libertine.
Fond of women, of good food.
Polished, obliging.
He speaks French and German indifferently.
But we have some reason to fancy that this Monsieur de Balibari
is a native of your country of Ireland...
and that he has come here as a spy.
Naturally, your knowledge of English makes you an ideal choice
to go into his service
and to find out for us whether or not he is a spy.
Does this assignment interest you?
You may be certain, Herr Minister, I'm interested in anything
that can be of service to yourself and to Captain Potzdorf.
Of course you will not know a word of English.
And if the chevalier answers to the particularity of your accent,
say you are a Hungarian.
You served in the war.
You left the army on account of weakness in the loins.
You then served Monsieur de Quellenburg for two years.
He's now with the army in Silesia, but you'll have a certificate signed by him.
(knocking)
Komm türen.
Guten Morgen, Euer Gnaden.
Also, er ist der junge Mann, den mir Seebach empfohlen hat.
Jawohl, Euer Gnaden. Hier sind meine Zeugnisse.
Sein Name ist Lazlo Zilagy?
Jawohl, Euer Gnaden.
Er ist mir sehr von Monsieur de Quellenburg empfohlen.
Monsieur von Quellenburg war ein sehr guter Herr.
NARRATOR: It was very imprudent of him,
but when Barry saw the splendor of the chevalier's appearance,
the nobleness of his manner,
he felt it impossible to keep disguise with him.
Those who have never been out of their country
know little what it is to hear a friendly voice in captivity,
and as many a man who will not understand
the cause of the burst of feeling which was now about to take place.
Er scheint mir der Richtige zu sein.
Danke schön, Euer Gnaden.
Ist ihm nicht wohl?
Sir, I...
I have a confession to make to you.
I'm an Irishman,
and my name is Redmond Barry.
I was abducted into the Prussian army two years ago
and now have been put into your service
by my Captain Potzdorf and his uncle, the minister of police,
to serve as a watch upon your... actions...
and to give...
information to the same court.
(Barry sobbing)
NARRATOR: The chevalier was as much affected as Barry
at thus finding one of his countrymen.
CHEVALIER: You'll be all right.
NARRATOR: For he too was an exile from home.
You'll be all right.
And a friendly voice, a look,
brought the old country back to his memory again.
He goes to church regularly. He's very religious.
And after hearing mass, he comes home for breakfast.
He then takes an airing in his carriage.
NARRATOR: Barry presented his reports regularly at the minister's office.
The details were arranged between him and the chevalier beforehand.
BARRY: After dinner he writes his letters.
He was instructed, and it is always far the best way,
to tell as much truth as his story would possibly bear.
It will be seen that the information he gave was very minute and accurate,
though not very important.
...but who does not acknowledge him.
Wein oder Punch, Euer Gnaden?
Wein.
NARRATOR: It was agreed that Barry should keep his character of valet,
that in the presence of strangers he should not know a word of English
and that he should keep a good lookout on the trumps
when serving the champagne and punch about.
And having a remarkably fine eyesight
and a great natural aptitude,
he was speedily able to give his dear patron much assistance
against his opponents at the green table.
If, for instance, he wiped the table with a napkin,
it was to show the enemy was strong in diamonds.
If he adjusted a chair, it meant ace king.
If he said, "Punch or wine, my lord?" hearts was meant, and so forth.
The prince of Tübingen was a nobleman
who had intimate connections with the great Frederick.
He was passionately fond of play,
as, indeed, were the gentlemen of almost all the courts of Europe.
Sie schulden 15,500 Friedrich d'or.
Chevalier...
though I cannot say how,
I believe you have cheated me.
I deny Your Grace's accusation
and beg you to say how you have been cheated.
I don't know, but I believe I have been.
Your Grace owes me 15,500 friedrich d'or,
which I have honorably won.
Chevalier,
if you will have your money now, you must fight for it.
If you will be patient,
maybe I will pay you something another time.
Your Grace,
if I am to be so tame as to take this,
then I must give up an honorable and lucrative occupation.
I have said all there is to be said.
I am at your disposal for whatever purposes you wish.
Good night.
Was the prince cheated?
In as far as I am able to tell of such things, Herr Minister, no.
I believe the chevalier won the money fairly.
MINISTER: Mmm.
POTZDORF: What are the chevalier's intentions?
I'm not sure.
The prince told him quite clearly that if he wished to have his money
he'd have to fight for it.
MINISTER: A meeting with the prince of Tübingen is impossible.
The prince has left him only that choice.
(bell tolling)
(no audible dialogue)
Now, will you be able to return here tomorrow
without arousing suspicion?
I know they won't allow a meeting with the prince.
But if I say that, do you know any reason why he'll pay me what he owes me?
You must tell them I intend to demand satisfaction.
Don't look so downcast, my boy.
There's no harm they can do to me.
My friends in the Austrian embassy will see to that.
The worst they can do is send me out of this dreary country of theirs.
And if they should, make your mind easy.
You shall not be left behind.
Have no fear of that.
The king has determined to send the chevalier out of the country.
Has he already demanded satisfaction?
Not yet, Herr Minister,
but I believe he intends to.
Possibly today.
Then this must be done tomorrow.
All the arrangements are made.
Redmond.
You said that he takes a drive in his carriage after breakfast every day.
Yes, sir.
Is there any reason to believe that he'll do any different tomorrow?
No, sir.
Good.
When the chevalier comes out to his carriage tomorrow morning,
two officers will meet him and escort him to the frontier.
His baggage will be sent after him.
Excellent.
NARRATOR: At ten o'clock the next morning,
the Chevalier de Balibari
went out for his regular morning drive.
Where's my servant Lazlo?
I will let down the steps for Your Honor.
- What is the meaning of this? - Please get inside, Your Honor.
Am I under arrest?
We're going to drive to the frontier.
To the frontier?
But I'm on my way to the Austrian ambassador's house.
I'm sorry, Your Honor, but my orders are to escort you to the frontier
and see you safely across the border.
But I'm not going to the frontier.
I'm going to the Austrian ambassador's house. I have very important business there.
My orders are to take Your Honor to the frontier by any means which may be necessary.
But if you come along willingly,
I am to give you this purse on behalf of the prince of Tübingen
containing 2,000 friedrich d'or.
All Europe shall hear of this.
NARRATOR: And so, without papers or passport,
and under the eyes of two Prussian officers,
Barry was escorted across the frontier into Saxony and freedom.
The chevalier himself had uneventfully crossed the frontier the night before.
(chattering)
NARRATOR: And by these wonderful circumstances,
Barry was once more free again
and began his professional work as a gamester,
resolving thenceforward and forever to live the life of a gentleman.
(guests exclaiming)
Le quatre gagne.
Soon there was no court in Europe where he and the chevalier were not received.
And they were speedily in the very best society,
where play was patronized
and professors of that science always welcome.
Le sept.
Pourquoi pas le sept?
Deuce. Deuce.
- (whispering) - Shh!
Rien ne va plus.
- (guests groaning) - Numéro sept, perdant.
Faites vos jeux.
Chevalier, will you give me credit for 5,000 Louis d'or, please?
Of course, Lord Ludd.
Cinq mille.
Maintenant, tout sur le quatre.
(guests gasping)
Oui. Shh.
(speaking French) Tout sur le quatre.
(guests murmuring)
Tout sur le quatre. Oui, eh?
Rien ne va plus.
- (guests gasping) - Le quatre, perdant.
(women whispering in French)
Faites vos jeux.
Ce n'est pas important.
Maintenant, je suis fatigué.
Je désire dîner.
Allons-nous?
Excuse me, Lord Ludd.
If you don't mind.
Not at all.
NARRATOR: They always played on credit
with any person of honor or noble lineage.
They never pressed for their winnings
or declined to receive promissory notes in lieu of gold.
But woe to the man who did not pay when the note became due.
Redmond Barry was sure to wait upon him with his bill.
And there were very few bad debts.
Saluez.
It was his great skill with the sword and readiness to use it
that maintained the reputation of the firm, so to speak.
En garde.
I will pay you today, sir.
NARRATOR: Thus it will be seen
that their life, for all its splendor,
was not without some danger and difficulty,
requiring talent and determination for success,
and one which required them to live a wandering and disconnected life.
And if the truth be told,
though they were swimming upon the high tide of fortune
and prospering with the cards,
they had little to show for their labor but some fine clothes and a few trinkets.
NARRATOR: Five years in the army
and some considerable experience of the world
had by now dispelled any of those romantic notions regarding love
with which Barry commenced life.
And he began to have it in mind,
as so many gentlemen had done before him,
to marry a woman of fortune and condition.
And as such things so often happen,
these thoughts closely coincided
with his setting first sight upon a lady
who will henceforth play a considerable part in the drama of his life.
The countess of Lyndon,
Viscountess Bullingdon of England,
Baroness Castle Lyndon of the kingdom of Ireland.
A woman of vast wealth and great beauty.
She was the wife of the right honorable Sir Charles Reginald Lyndon,
knight of the Bath
and minister to George Ill at several of the smaller courts of Europe.
A cripple wheeled about in a chair,
worn out by gout and a myriad of diseases.
Her Ladyship's chaplain, Mr. Runt,
acted in the capacity of tutor to her son,
the little Viscount Bullingdon,
a melancholy little boy much attached to his mother.
(chattering)
MAN: Rien ne va plus.
- (all gasping) Ah! - Cinq.
Faites vos jeux.
(crowd gasps)
Quatre, perdant.
Faites vos jeux.
Rien ne va plus.
- (gasping) - Dix, gagnant.
Faites vos jeux.
Rien ne va plus.
(gasping)
Faites vos jeux.
Rien ne va plus.
(gasping, chattering)
Faites vos jeux.
Samuel, I'm going outside for a breath of air.
Yes, my lady. Of course.
NARRATOR: To make a long story short,
six hours after they met,
Her Ladyship was in love.
And once Barry got into her company,
he found innumerable occasions to improve his intimacy
and was scarcely out of Her Ladyship's sight.
(coins clinking)
- Good evening, gentlemen. - ALL: Good evening.
Sir Charles.
Good evening, Mr. Barry.
Have you done with my lady?
I beg your pardon.
Come, come, sir.
I'm a man who would rather be known as a cuckold than a fool.
I think, Sir Charles Lyndon, that you've had too much to drink.
(chuckling) What?
As it happens, your chaplain, Mr. Runt,
introduced me into the company of your lady
to advise me on a religious matter, of which she is a considerable expert.
(laughing loudly)
The cheek! He wants to step into my shoes.
(laughs)
He wants to step into my shoes!
Is it not a pleasure, gentlemen, for me, as I am drawing near the goal,
to find my home such a happy one?
My wife's so fond of me that she is even now thinking of appointing a successor.
Isn't it a comfort to see her, like a prudent housewife,
getting everything ready for her husband's departure?
I hope you're not thinking of leaving us soon, Sir Charles.
Not so soon, my dear, as you may fancy, perhaps.
Why, man, I've been given over many times these four years.
And there was always a candidate or two waiting to apply for the situation.
I am sorry for you, Mr. Barry.
It grieves me to keep you or any gentleman waiting.
Had you not better arrange with my doctor,
or have the cook flavor my omelet with arsenic, eh?
What are the odds, gentlemen, that I live to see Mr. Barry hang yet?
(laughs)
Sir, let those laugh that win.
Gentlemen.
Oh! (coughing)
(blubbering, wheezing breath)
(pills rattling)
(whimpering)
(gasping)
- Oh! - I'll get a surgeon.
(gasping breaths)
Have some brandy, Sir Charles.
NARRATOR: From a report in the St. James Chronicle:
"Died at spa in the kingdom of Belgium,
the right honorable Sir Charles Reginald Lyndon,
knight of the Bath, member of Parliament
and for many years His Majesty's representative at various European courts.
(wheezing)
(fading) He has left behind him a name which is endeared to all his friends."
Dearly beloved,
we are gathered together here in the sight of God
and in the face of this congregation
to join together this man and this woman...
NARRATOR: A year later, on the 15th of June
in the year 1773,
Redmond Barry had the honor to lead to the altar
the countess of Lyndon.
The ceremony was performed by the Reverend Samuel Runt,
Her Ladyship's chaplain.
...is not in any way to be enterprised
nor taken in hand unadvisedly,
lightly or wantonly...
to satisfy men's carnal lusts and appetites
like brute beasts that have no understanding.
But reverently,
discreetly,
advisedly,
soberly
and in the fear of God,
duly considering the causes for which matrimony was ordained.
First,
it was ordained for the procreation of children
to be brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord
and to the praise of his holy name.
Secondly,
it was ordained for a remedy against sin
and to avoid fornication,
that such persons ‒
NARRATOR: Barry had now arrived at the pitch of prosperity
and, by his own energy,
had raised himself to a higher sphere of society,
having procured His Majesty's gracious permission
to add the name of his lovely lady to his own.
Thenceforth, Redmond Barry assumed the style and title of Barry Lyndon.
Redmond, would you mind not smoking for a while?
Redmond?
Lady Lyndon was soon destined
to occupy a place in Barry's life
not very much more important
than the elegant carpets and pictures
which would form the pleasant background of his existence.
My Lord Bullingdon, you seem particularly glum today.
You should be happy that your mother has remarried.
Not in this way.
And not in such haste.
And certainly not to this man.
I think you judge your mother too harshly.
Do you not like your new father?
Not very much.
He seems to me little more than a common opportunist.
I don't think he loves my mother at all.
And it hurts me very much to see her make such a fool of herself.
NARRATOR: At the end of a year,
Her Ladyship presented Barry with a son.
Bryan Patrick Lyndon, they called him.
MEN: ♪ None of those ancient heroes ere saw a cannonball ♪
♪ Or knew the force of powder to slay their foes withal ♪
♪ But our brave boys do know it and banish all their fears ♪
♪ With a tow, row, row, row, row to the British grenadiers ♪
NARRATOR: Her Ladyship and Barry lived after a while pretty separate.
She preferred quiet, or to say the truth, he preferred it for her,
being a great friend to a modest and tranquil behavior in women.
Besides, she was a mother
and would have great comfort in the dressing, educating
and dandling of their little Bryan,
for whose sake it was fit, Barry believed,
that she should give up the pleasures and frivolities of the world,
leaving that part of the duty of every family of distinction
to be performed by him.
(birds chirping)
Lady Lyndon tended to a melancholy and maudlin temper,
and left alone by her husband
was rarely happy or in good humor.
Now she must add jealousy to her other complaints
and find rivals even among her maids.
Samuel, what would the time be?
Twenty-five minutes past 11:00, my lady.
Shall we make this the last game, ladies?
Yes.
MAID: "Les cœurs, l'un par l'autre attirés, se communiquent leur substance;
tels deux miroirs ardents, l'un à l'autre opposés,
concentrent la lumière, et se la réfléchissent.
Les rayons, tour-à-tour recueillis, divisés,
en se multipliant s'accroissent, s'embellissent.
Et d'autant plus actifs, qu'ils se sont plus croisés,
au même point se réunissent.
Quel spectacle je vois, sur un lit verduyant,
enrichi de l'émail de mainte fleures naissantes."
(knocking)
Good morning, ladies.
Good morning, sir.
Would you mind excusing us? I'd like a word alone with Lady Lyndon.
Madam.
I'm sorry.
This coat is made of the finest Littlefield velvet,
all cunningly worked, as you see, with silver thread.
No finer velvet has ever been woven, and you will see none better anywhere.
Pardon me, gentlemen.
- Good morning, dearest. - Good morning.
We're taking the children for a ride to the village.
We'll be back in time for tea.
Well, have a nice time. I'll see you then.
Good-bye, little Bryan, yes.
Mmm. (kisses)
Lord Bullingdon.
(bell tolling)
Take good care of your mother.
Come now. Give your father a proper kiss.
LADY LYNDON: Lord Bullingdon, is that the way to behave to your father?
Lord Bullingdon, have you lost your tongue?
My father was Sir Charles Lyndon.
I have not forgotten him, if others have.
Lord Bullingdon, you have insulted your father!
(crying continues)
Madam, you have insulted my father.
Dearest, would you excuse Lord Bullingdon and me for a few minutes?
We have something to discuss in private.
Gentlemen.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
- Five. - (gasps)
- Six. - (gasps)
Lord Bullingdon.
I have always been willing to live with you on terms of friendship.
But be clear about one thing.
As men serve me, I serve them.
I've never laid a cane on the back of a lord before,
but if you force me to, I shall speedily become used to the practice.
Do you have anything to say for yourself?
No.
You may go.
NARRATOR: Barry believed, and not without some reason,
that it had been a declaration of war against him
by Bullingdon from the start
and that the evil consequences which ensued were entirely of Bullingdon's creating.
MAN: I shall make you into a real magician now, Bryan.
I shall show you the knot that never was.
NARRATOR: As Bullingdon grew up to be a man,
his hatred for Barry assumed an intensity
equaled only by his increased devotion to his mother.
Very good, Bryan. A little bow. That's good.
Will you put it on this table for me? Thank you very much indeed.
- NARRATOR: For Bryan's eighth birthday ‒ - Where's my magic bag?
the local nobility, gentry and their children
came to pay their respects.
The inside is quite empty. The outside is quite empty.
Wave your hand over the top, Bryan. Is there anything there?
Yes! Oh!
Wonderful! Wonderful colorful silk handkerchiefs.
Take a bow, Bryan. You did that beautifully.
- (applause) - Very good indeed.
Let's see if you have something behind your ear.
Yes, you have. (laughs)
A little ball. Let's make it vanish. It's gone, Bryan.
Here it is. Here it is, behind my elbow.
I want you to wave your hand over my green silk handkerchief
and see whether we can produce a magic flower.
I wonder if we can.
There it comes. Look at that.
We have the colors of the rainbow. There they are.
You know all the colors of the rainbow produce but one color, Bryan.
Nothing in my magic cabinet. They produce the color white.
And there is my own... beautiful white rabbit.
Bryan, you did that very well. A little bow. That's right.
- (drumming) - (children screaming)
We crept up on their fort, and I jumped over the wall first.
My fellows jumped after me.
Oh, you should have seen the look on the Frenchmen's faces
when 23 rampaging he-devils,
sword and pistol, cut and thrust,
pell-mell came tumbling into their fort.
In three minutes, we left as many artillery men's heads
as there were cannonballs.
Later that day we were visited by our noble Prince Henry.
"Who is the man who has done this?"
I stepped forward.
"How many heads was it," says he, "that you cut off?"
"Nineteen," says I, "besides wounding several."
Well, when he heard it,
I'll be blessed if he didn't burst into tears.
"Noble, noble fellow," he said.
"Here is 19 golden guineas for you, one for each head that you cut off."
Now, what do you think of that?
Were you allowed to keep the heads?
No, the heads always become the property of the king.
Will you tell me another story?
I'll tell you another story tomorrow.
Will you play cards with me tomorrow?
Of course I will. Now go to sleep.
Will you keep the candles lit?
Oh, now, Bryan, big boys don't sleep with the candles lit.
But I'm afraid of the dark.
But, my darling, there's nothing to be afraid of.
But I like it with the candles lit.
It's all right. You can sleep with the candles lit.
Thank you, Papa.
Good night.
MRS. BARRY: Oh.
It's a blessing to see my darling boy
has attained a position I always knew was his due...
and for which I pinched myself to educate him.
Little Bryan is a darling boy.
And you live in great splendor.
Your lady wife knows she has a treasure she couldn't have had
had she taken a duke to marry her.
But if one day she should tire of my wild Redmond
and his old-fashioned Irish ways...
or if she should die,
what future would there be for my son and my grandson?
You have not a penny of your own.
And cannot transact any business without the countess's signature.
Upon her death, the entire estate would go to young Bullingdon...
who bears you little affection.
You could be penniless tomorrow.
And darling Bryan at the mercy of his stepbrother.
Shall I tell you something?
There is only one way for you and your son to have real security.
You must obtain a title.
I shall not rest until I see you Lord Lyndon.
You have important friends.
They can tell you how these things are done.
For money, well timed and properly applied,
can accomplish anything.
NARRATOR: And to be sure, Barry was acquainted with someone
who knew how these things were done.
And this was none other than the distinguished barrister
and former government minister Lord Hallam,
whose acquaintance he had made, as he had so many others,
at the gaming table.
Do you happen to know Gustavus Adolphus, the 13th earl of Wendover?
I don't believe I do.
Well, sir, this nobleman is one of the gentlemen of His Majesty's closet
and one with whom our revered monarch is on terms of considerable intimacy.
In my opinion, you would be wise to fix upon him
your chief reliance for the advancement of your claim to the peerage
which you propose to get.
When I take up a person, Mr. Lyndon, he, or she, is safe.
There is no question about them anymore.
My friends are the best people.
Oh, I don't mean that they're the most virtuous
or, indeed, the least virtuous,
or the cleverest or the stupidest, or the richest or the best born.
But the best.
In a word, people about whom there is no question.
I cannot promise you how long it will take.
You can appreciate it is not an easy matter.
But any gentleman with an estate and 30,000 a year
should have a peerage.
So I look around, and there standing behind me was a total stranger.
So I looked at him, and he said to me,
"Excuse me, sir. Could you tell me, is Lord Wendover alive or dead?"
(laughing)
I was so astonished, I couldn't think of what to say.
Then I became a bit angry, so said to him, "He's dead."
NARRATOR: The striving after this peerage
was one of Barry's most unlucky dealings at this time.
He made great sacrifices to bring it about.
He lavished money here and diamonds there.
He bought lands at ten times their value
and purchased pictures and articles of virtue at ruinous prices.
He gave repeated entertainments to those friends to his claim
who, being about the royal person,
were likely to advance it.
And I can tell you, bribes were administered.
And in high places too.
So near the royal person of His Majesty
that you would be astonished to know
what great nobleman condescended to receive his loans.
This is by Ludovico Cardi,
a disciple of Alessandro Allori.
It's dated 1605
and shows the adoration of the magi.
- It's beautiful. - Yes.
I love the use of the color blue by the artist.
Yes, indeed. That is very beautiful.
What, may I ask, is the price of this one?
(laughs)
Well, this is one of my best pictures.
But if you really like it,
I'm sure we can come to some arrangement.
Count Andreshu.
- Mr. Henry Drummond. - Mr. Drummond.
- Sir Gilbert Elliott, Your Majesty. - Sir Gilbert.
Lord Wendover, Your Majesty.
I'm glad to see you here today, Lord Wendover.
And tell me, what news of Lady Wendover?
Thank you, Your Majesty. Lady Wendover is much better.
Good, good! Present my compliments to her.
- Say we miss her company here. - Thank you, Your Majesty.
- And what of those excellent boys of yours? - Oh, they're very well.
Charles has gone to sea under the protection of Captain Geary on the Ramillies.
And John has gone to Oxford to be taught how to preach and pray.
Good, good.
Your Majesty, may I present Mr. Barry Lyndon.
- Your Majesty. - Mr. Lyndon.
We were very fond of Sir Charles Lyndon. And how is Lady Lyndon?
She's very well, Your Majesty.
Mr. Lyndon has raised a company of troops and sent them to America
to fight the rebels against Your Majesty's crown.
Good. That's right, Mr. Lyndon.
Raise another company and go with them too.
Sir Christopher Neville, Your Majesty.
- Sir Christopher. - Your Majesty.
- Sir Peregrine Cavendish. - Sir Peregrine.
NARRATOR: Barry was one of those born clever enough at gaining a fortune,
but incapable of keeping one.
For the qualities and energies which lead a man to achieve the first
are often the very cause of his ruin in the latter case.
Now he was burdened with the harassing cares and responsibilities
which are the dismal adjuncts of great rank and property.
And his life at this period
seemed to consist of little more than drafts of letters
to lawyers and money brokers
and endless correspondence with decorators and cooks.
(pen scratching)
(bell tolling)
(clock ticking)
Gentlemen, I'm going to leave you on your own for a few minutes.
- You may carry on with your work. - Yes, sir.
Bully?
Hmm?
What does... "strenuous" mean?
Bryan, I'm trying to work.
But what does it mean?
It means an effort requiring strength.
What does "quadrangle" mean?
A quadrangle is a four-sided figure like a square or a rectangle.
Now, please be quiet, Bryan, and let me get on with my own work.
(loud clattering)
Bryan, please be quiet.
Have you seen my pencil?
No, Bryan, I haven't.
(objects rattling)
Bryan, please stop making so much noise.
- That's my pencil! Give it! - No, it isn't!
- Yes, it is. - It is not your pencil!
- It's my pencil! - Listen, I've had this all morning.
- It's my pencil! - Bryan, go sit down!
- It's my pencil! - Listen, will you be quiet!
It's my pencil!
I'll teach you a lesson.
(screaming)
- What the devil is going on in here? - (Bryan crying)
I told you never to lay a hand on this child!
One.
Two.
- Three. - (gasps)
Four.
- Five. - (gasping)
- (shouts) - Six.
(crying quietly)
Will that be all, Mr. Redmond Barry?
Yes, that will be all.
Well, then look you now.
From this moment, I will submit to no further chastisement from you.
I will kill you if you lay hands on me ever again.
Is that entirely clear to you, sir?
Get out of here.
♪♪ (mid-tempo)
(shoes clunking loudly)
♪♪ (flute, harpsichord stop)
♪♪ (chamber group stops)
Don't you think he fits my shoes very well, Your Ladyship?
Dear child.
What a pity it is I am not dead, for your sake.
The Lyndons would then have a worthy representative
and enjoy all the benefits of the illustrious blood of the Barrys of Barryville.
Would they not,
Mr. Redmond Barry?
From the way I love this child, my lord,
you ought to know how I would have loved his elder brother
had he proved worthy of any mother's affection.
Madam!
I have borne as long as mortal could endure
the ill-treatment of the insolent Irish upstart whom you've taken into your bed.
It is not only the lowness of his birth
and the general brutality of his manners which disgusts me,
but the shameful nature of his conduct toward Your Ladyship,
his brutal and un gentlemanlike behavior,
his open infidelity,
his shameless robberies and swindling of my property, and yours.
And as I cannot personally chastise this low-bred ruffian,
and as I cannot bear to witness his treatment of you
and loathe his horrible society as if it were the plague...
I have decided to leave my home and never return.
At least, during his detested life,
or during my own.
(crying)
- (shouts) - (women screaming)
- Oh! No! (shouting) - (screaming continues)
(shouting, screaming continue)
(women screaming continues)
- Good day, my lord. - Good day, Barker.
- Will anyone be joining Your Lordship? - No, I shall be alone.
Thank you.
The roast beef's very good, my lord.
(grunts)
Hello, Neville.
- How are you? - Ah, Barry. Hello.
I see you're alone. Why don't you come over and join me?
Uh, well, thank you, Barry. You're very kind.
But I'm expecting someone to join me soon.
Ah. What a shame.
Lady Lyndon and I have missed your company lately.
Please give my respects to Lady Lyndon
and say I've been very busy of late and not been able to go about much.
I shall.
By the way, on the eighth of next month we're having some guests over for cards.
We'd love to have you and Lady Wendover join us.
I'll check my diary, but I think I'm engaged on that evening.
Well, I hope you're not engaged. We'd love to see you again.
If I may, I'll write and say if I'm free or not.
I look forward to hearing from you. It's nice to see you again, Neville.
NARRATOR: If he had murdered Lord Bullingdon,
Barry could scarcely have been received with more coldness and resentment
than now followed him in town and country.
His friends fell away from him
and a legend arose of his cruelty to his stepson.
Now all the bills came down on him together.
All the bills he had been contracting for the years of his marriage
and which the creditors sent in with a hasty unanimity.
Their amount was frightful.
Barry was now bound up in an inextricable toil of bills and debts,
of mortgages and insurances and in all the evils attendant upon them.
And Lady Lyndon's income was hampered almost irretrievably
to satisfy these claims.
- Do you think that's good? - Excellent.
Who's this?
A peacock on the wall.
What's it say?
I saw this bird yesterday.
Who's that?
Mama in her coach.
Is she going to London?
I don't know.
Parry.
Octave. Very good. Septime.
- NARRATOR: Barry had his faults. - Faster. Septime. Parry.
But no man could say of him that he was not a good and tender father.
He loved his son with a blind partiality.
He denied him nothing.
It is impossible to convey what high hopes he had for the boy...
and how he indulged in a thousand fond anticipations
as to his future success and figure in the world.
But fate had determined that he should leave none of his race behind him...
- and that he should finish his life ‒ - Very good.
poor, lonely and childless.
- Papa. - Yes, Bryan?
Will you buy me a horse?
Will I buy you a horse?
Yes, Papa.
But you already have little Julia.
But Julia's only a pony. I want a real horse.
Then I can ride with you on the hunt.
You think you're big enough for the hunt, do you?
Oh, yes, Papa. Jonathan Plunkett is only a year older than I am.
And he rides with his papa.
Well, I'll have to think about it.
Oh, please say yes, Papa.
There's nothing I want in the whole world more than a horse.
I'll think about it.
Oh, thank you, Papa. Thank you.
BARRY: How much are you asking for him?
MAN: 100 guineas.
BARRY: He's a nice little horse, but I don't think he's worth a hundred guineas.
Seventy-five seems more like the right price.
I'll accept 80 guineas and not a shilling less.
Five guineas should never keep two gentlemen from their drink.
- Eighty it'll be. - Done, sir.
Timmy, take the horse over to Doolan's farm. Tell him he needs a bit of breaking in.
And say it's for Master Bryan's birthday next week, and I want it to be a surprise.
- And remember that yourself. - Yes, sir.
(chattering)
BRYAN: Papa.
What is it, lad?
Did you buy the horse?
Horse? What horse is that?
The horse you were going to buy me for my birthday.
I know nothing about any horse.
But one of the boys in the stable told Nelly that you'd already bought it
and it was at Doolan's farm where Mick the groom was breaking it in.
Is that true?
Bryan, when is your birthday?
Next Tuesday.
Well, you'll have to wait till then to find out.
Then it's true. Oh, thank you, Papa.
Mmm.
LADY LYNDON: Bryan? Bryan.
Yes, Mama?
Promise me you will not ride that horse except in the company of your father.
Yes, Mama, I promise.
And I promise Your Lordship a good flogging if you even so much as go to Doolan's farm
to see him before your birthday.
- Yes, Papa. - You understand that?
Yes, Papa.
- You promise me? - Yes, Papa, I promise.
All right, eat your food.
(knocking)
Come in.
- Good morning, sir. - Good morning, Reverend.
I'm sorry to trouble you with this, Mr. Lyndon,
but I believe Master Bryan may have disobeyed your orders and stolen away to Doolan's farm.
On going to the boy's room this morning, I found his bed empty.
One of the cooks said she saw him cross the kitchen yard at daybreak.
Didn't you see him go?
He must have passed through my room while I was asleep.
(rooster crowing)
Oh, my God.
What has happened here?
I ‒ I noticed the lad riding across the field, sir ‒
- (whinnying) - and having trouble with the horse,
which was playing up a bit.
- (horse shrieking) - Suddenly the animal plunged and reared,
and the poor lad was thrown.
Oh, Bryan, why did you disobey me?
I'm sorry, Papa.
You won't whip me, will you?
No, my darling.
I won't whip you. (kisses)
William. You take my horse and you ride like the devil for Dr. Broughton.
You tell him whatever he's doing, he must come at once.
- You understand? - Yes, sir.
NARRATOR: The doctors were called.
But what does a doctor avail in a contest with the grim invincible enemy?
Such as came could only confirm the hopelessness of the poor child's case.
He remained yet with his parents for two days,
and a sad comfort it was to know he was in no pain.
Papa.
Am I going to die?
No, my darling, you're not going to die.
You're going to get better.
But I can't feel anything
except in my hands.
Does that mean I'm already dead in parts of my body?
No, my darling, that's where you were hurt by the horse.
But you're going to be all right now.
Papa, if I die, will I go to heaven?
Of course you will, my darling,
but you're not going to die.
Mama, give me your hand.
Papa, give me your hand.
Will you both promise me something?
Yes.
Promise me never to quarrel so,
but to love each other
so that we may meet again in heaven...
where Bullingdon said quarrelsome people would never go.
We promise.
Will you tell me the story about the fort?
Of course.
We crept up on the fort.
And I jumped over the wall first,
and my fellows jumped after me.
And you should have seen the look...
on the Frenchmen's faces when 23 rampaging he-devils,
sword and pistol, cut and thrust,
pell-mell came tumbling into the fort.
In three minutes' time ‒
(sobs)
we left.
(crying)
RUNT: "I am the resurrection and the life," saith the Lord.
"He that believeth in me, though he were dead,
yet shall he live.
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me...
shall never die."
I know that my redeemer liveth
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth,
and though after my skin worms destroy this body,
yet in my flesh shall I see God...
whom I shall see for myself
and mine eyes shall behold
and not another.
We brought nothing into this world,
and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
The Lord gave,
and the Lord hath taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
NARRATOR: Barry's grief was inconsolable.
And such solace as he could find came only from drink.
His mother was the only person in his misfortune
who would remain faithful to him
and many a night, when he was unconscious of her attention,
saw him carried off to bed.
"O blessed Lord,
the father of mercies and the God of all comforts,
we beseech thee, look down in pity and compassion
upon this, thy afflicted servant.
Thou writest bitter things against her
and makest her to possess her former iniquities."
NARRATOR: Her Ladyship, always vaporish and nervous,
plunged into devotion with so much fervor
that you would have imagined her almost distracted at times.
(clock ticking)
In the doleful conditions which now prevailed at Castle Hackton,
the entire management of the house and of the Lyndon estate
fell to Mrs. Barry,
whose spirit of order attended to all the 10, 000 details of a great establishment.
(knocking)
Come in.
You wish to see me, madam?
Yes, Reverend. Please sit down.
I have some other matters I would like to discuss with you later, Graham,
but just now perhaps you would go to Her Ladyship
and have these papers signed by her.
Yes, madam.
(door closes)
Reverend Runt,
I need not tell you that the recent tragedy to this family
has made the services of a tutor no longer required at Castle Hackton.
And as we are in some considerable difficulty about money,
I'm afraid I must ask you, with the greatest reluctance,
to resign your post.
Madam, I'm sensible of your predicament,
and you need have no concern about my wages
with which I can willingly do without.
But it is out of the question for me to consider leaving Her Ladyship in her present state.
I'm very sorry to say this to you,
but I truly believe you are largely responsible for the state of mind she is in.
And the sooner you leave, the better she will be.
Madam, with the greatest respect,
I take my instructions only from Her Ladyship.
Reverend Runt,
Her Ladyship is in no fit mind to give instructions to anyone.
My son has charged me with managing the affairs at Castle Hackton
until he recovers from his grief and resumes his interest in worldly matters.
And while I am in charge, you will take your instructions from me.
My only concern is for Lady Lyndon.
Madam,
your only concern is for Her Ladyship's signature.
You and your son have almost succeeded in destroying a fine family fortune.
And what little remains for you
depends on keeping Her Ladyship prisoner in her own house.
Reverend Runt,
this matter bears no further discussion.
You will pack your bags and leave by tomorrow morning!
(screaming)
God, help. Help!
Help! (screaming)
NARRATOR: In midst of these great perplexities,
Her Ladyship made an attempt to kill herself by taking poison.
Though she succeeded only in making herself dangerously ill
due to the very small amount which she swallowed,
this, nevertheless, caused an intervention from a certain quarter
which was long overdue.
Oh, my God.
(screaming continues)
If my mother had died,
it would have been as much my responsibility
as if I had poured the strychnine for her myself.
For to the everlasting disgrace of my family name,
I have, by my cowardice and my weakness,
allowed the Barrys to establish a brutal and ignorant tyranny
over our lives
which has left my mother a broken woman...
and to squander and ruin a fine family fortune.
My friends profess sympathy,
but behind my back, I know I am despised.
And quite justifiably so.
However...
I know now what I must do...
and what I shall do...
whatever be the cost.
Good morning, my lord.
Good morning.
- Is Mr. Barry Lyndon here? - Yes, my lord. He's inside.
Thank you.
Mr. Redmond Barry.
The last occasion on which we met,
you wantonly caused me injury and dishonor
in such a manner and to such an extent as to which no gentleman can willingly suffer...
without demanding satisfaction,
however much time intervenes.
I have now come to claim that satisfaction.
(birds cooing)
Mr. Lyndon, these are a matched pair of pistols,
and as you have seen,
your second has loaded one, and I have loaded the other.
But as they belong to Lord Bullingdon, you may have whichever one you wish.
Lord Bullingdon.
Now, gentlemen, to determine who will have first fire,
I will toss a coin in the air.
Again, as the offended party, it is Lord Bullingdon's choice to call the toss.
Is that agreeable to both of you?
Yes.
If Lord Bullingdon calls correctly, he will have the first fire.
If incorrectly, Mr. Lyndon will have the first fire.
Is that clearly understood?
(wings flapping)
What is your call, Lord Bullingdon?
Heads.
It is heads.
Lord Bullingdon will have the first fire.
Lord Bullingdon, will you take your ground?
One, two, three, four,
five, six, seven,
eight, nine, ten.
Mr. Lyndon,
will you take your ground?
Mr. Lyndon,
are you ready to receive Lord Bullingdon's fire?
Yes.
Lord Bullingdon,
cock your pistol and prepare to fire.
(wings flapping)
Sir Richard, this pistol must be faulty.
I must have another one.
I'm sorry, Lord Bullingdon, but you must first stand your ground
and allow Mr. Lyndon his turn to fire.
That is correct, Lord Bullingdon.
Your pistol has fired, and that counts as your shot.
Mr. Lyndon.
Are the rules of firing clear to you?
Yes.
Lord Bullingdon.
Are you ready to receive Mr. Lyndon's fire?
Yes.
Very well then.
Mr. Lyndon.
Cock your pistol and prepare to fire.
(gagging, coughing)
(retching)
Are you ready, Lord Bullingdon?
Is your pistol cocked, Mr. Lyndon?
Yes.
Then prepare to fire.
One.
Two.
Lord Bullingdon, in view of Mr. Lyndon having fired into the ground,
do you now consider that you have received satisfaction?
I have not received satisfaction.
Mr. Lyndon, are you ready?
Yes.
Lord Bullingdon,
cock your pistol and get ready to fire.
One.
Two.
(groaning)
(bell tolling)
NARRATOR: Barry was carried to an inn nearby
and a surgeon was called.
(Barry gasping)
(panting)
(dog barking)
Right. I'm nearly finished.
I'm very sorry to have to tell you this, Mr. Lyndon.
I'm afraid you'll have to lose the leg.
Most likely below the knee.
Lo ‒ Lose the leg?
What for?
The simple answer to that is to save your life.
The ball has completely shattered the bone below the knee and severed the artery.
Unless I can amputate, there's no way that I can repair the artery
and prevent further hemorrhaging.
(breathing erratically)
(bell chiming)
Graham?
Yes, my lord?
As soon as we arrive at Castle Hackton,
I want you to inform Mrs. Barry of what has happened.
Don't go into any unnecessary detail.
Just tell her where he is and that he has been wounded in the leg.
She will naturally want to go to him.
See to it that she is out of the house and on her way to London as quickly as possible
and that in no event is she to be allowed the opportunity to see my mother
or create any disturbance at the house before she leaves.
GRAHAM: Yes, my lord.
(knocking)
(panting) Ah. Mrs. Barry. How do you do?
How nice to see you, Graham. Please come in.
Oh, thank you.
You, uh ‒ You received my note?
- Yes, we were expecting you. - Oh, good, good.
I didn't want to call unannounced.
Mr. Lyndon, how are you feeling?
I'm feeling much better, thank you, Graham.
Won't you sit down?
Thank you, Mrs. Barry.
(panting continues)
- Would you like some tea? - Oh, no.
No, thank you, Mrs. Barry.
Not just now.
How's the world been treating you, Graham?
Oh, not too bad.
And, uh, are you comfortable here?
- Most comfortable. - (bell tolling)
Good, good.
Um... uh...
Well, uh, shall, um ‒ (clears throat)
Shall we get down to the matter at hand?
By all means.
Yes.
Well...
Mr. Lyndon...
Lord Bullingdon has instructed me
to offer you an annuity
of 500 guineas a year for life...
specifically on the condition of your...
leaving England
and to be stopped the instant of your return.
Lord Bullingdon has also asked me to point out to you...
that should you decide to remain here,
your stay would infallibly plunge you
into jail,
as in view of the present circumstances,
there will soon be innumerable writs
taken out against you for debts long outstanding,
and your credit is so blown
that you could not hope
to raise a shilling.
(man shouting, indistinct)
NARRATOR: Utterly baffled and beaten...
what was the lonely and brokenhearted man to do?
He took the annuity and returned to Ireland with his mother
to complete his recovery.
Sometime later he traveled to the continent.
His life there we have not the means of following accurately.
But he appears to have resumed his former profession of a gambler
without his former success.
He never saw Lady Lyndon again.