Review of Paths of Glory (1957) by Simeon D — 10 Aug 2010

Not a conventional war movie, nor a conventional trial movie, Paths of Glory feels amazingly fresh even now in 2010, despite the fact that it takes place in 1914 and was made in 1957. And aside from being original genre-wise, the movie is very well made in virtually every way: the writing and directing in particular are great, and most of the actors do a fabulous job.

I have not seen Killer's Kiss, and am not sure if it makes much sense to compare this to The Killing, but if you compare it to Fear and Desire, I think it is clear in Paths of Glory that Kubrick had grown into a vastly superior director since Fear and Desire. He also has demonstrated skill once again in screenwriting (I don't know about Killer's Kiss, but The Killing was certainly well written).