It's no surprise that your attention is drawn to the cinematography and look of the film given it is Kubrick - it is a beautiful film to watch with every shot perfectly composed as if lifted straight from a painting, especially the night time scenes often lit in candlelight. What may surprise given Kubrick's (unfair) reputation for a cold detached style of filmmaking is how emotional the film is, especially in its second half. The narration of the film sets the tone immediately and lends the film a quaint charm and Kubrick mines a lot of humour from this too. With its three hour running time devoted to following one man's life, the central character is initially very difficult to sympathise with and care about as he has few redeeming qualities, but the audience's attention is held by an unpredictable plot and engaging secondary characters. Gradually as the film develops O'Neal's character becomes much more engaging, particularly in the latter half of the film. Not Kubrick's best film, but well worth the time.