Paths of Glory
Safe in their picturesque chateau behind the front lines, the French General Staff passes down a direct order to Colonel Dax: take the Ant Hill at any cost. A blatant suicide mission, the attack is doomed to failure. Covering up their fatal blunder, the Generals order the arrest of three innocent soldiers, charging them with cowardice and mutiny. Dax, a lawyer in civilian life, rises to the men's defense but soon realizes that, unless he can prove that the Generals were to blame, nothing less than a miracle will save his clients from the firing squad.
Member Reviews
Phenomenal - KHARD
One of Kubrick's most sublime works.
Corrupt, ambitious and brutal, that is the military engine. Yet, as monstrous as man is inside this hideous construction, I think Kubrick's comment at the end is that this is not our natural state.
It still amazes me what he was able to accomplish in a single scene or shot. Nothing is superfluous and the result is a true masterpiece.Outstanding anti-war film - Port_Moresby
Exceptional war film by Stanley Kubrick that contains elements viewers will recognize from his later films such as Full Metal Jacket and even 2001: A Space Odyssey. Kirk Douglas is terrific as an army officer who takes on the task of defending three soldiers accused of cowardice in a military court martial, following their regiment’s failure to take a hill during the first World War. Their sadistic commander (George Macready) is mainly trying to cover up his shame for his failure and putting the blame on his subordinates, giving Douglas quite the job to do in what is obviously a show trial. A superb film that, like most of Kubrick’s work, is achieved on a magnificent technical level as well as an intellectual one, with its military setting the perfect ground for fleshing out Kubrick’s favourite themes of dehumanization and conformity.Excellent in almost all respects - Lone_Wolf
In Paths of Glory, Col. Dax of the French army in World War I is ordered by the generals to attack a heavily fortified position. However, the assault is a total disaster and many of the men die without even getting to the enemy wire. The generals are furious and believe this is due to the fact that the men were cowards and retreated when they should have gone forward. They order that three men to be chosen to be executed for cowardice. Paths of Glory is the story of Col. Dax trying to save these three completely innocent men from the firing squad, and Paths of Glory was, I believe, Kubrick’s first great movie.
I think Paths is the first Kubrick to really be a Kubrick. What I mean by this is everything that made it up just came together perfectly. The direction and cinematography was excellent, and those tracking shots through the trenches are very iconic. The music, while scarcely used, is an excellent example of how to use drums to create tension. The acting was also very surprising. Nearly ever performance I thought was just great. From Douglas’ restrained and powerful ‘Col. Dax’, to the three soldiers chosen for execution, everyone gave unexpectedly, exceptional performances.
I just loved the movie so much, like almost all the other Kubrick’s, the entire way through, until the ending. The one problem with Paths is the ending. The movie is short to begin with, but handles the runtime very well. However, the actual ending was disappointing. I failed to see why the girl singing was so powerful or even relevent, and after that it ended so awkwardly and abruptly that it created a complete anti climax.
However, in spite of the poorly executed ending I still love the movie. It is technically superb, and its anti war themes come through very well, even after all these years.
lonewolf17@gmail.com
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Phenomenal - KHARD
One of Kubrick's most sublime works.
Corrupt, ambitious and brutal, that is the military engine. Yet, as monstrous as man is inside this hideous construction, I think Kubrick's comment at the end is that this is not our natural state.
It still ...Outstanding anti-war film - Port_Moresby
Exceptional war film by Stanley Kubrick that contains elements viewers will recognize from his later films such as Full Metal Jacket and even 2001: A Space Odyssey. Kirk Douglas is terrific as an army officer who takes on the task of defending three soldiers ...Excellent in almost all respects - Lone_Wolf
In Paths of Glory, Col. Dax of the French army in World War I is ordered by the generals to attack a heavily fortified position. However, the assault is a total disaster and many of the men die without even getting to the enemy wire. The generals are furious ...