Review of Paths of Glory (1957) by Sean D — 18 Jan 2012

It is hard to dispute the greatness of Stanley Kubrick. He has directed some legendary films: Dr. Strangelove, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, The Shining, 2001, Lolita, Spartacus. However, it was Paths of Glory where Kubrick begins to really shine.

Made in 1957, Paths of Glory is the story of a French division in World War One given an impossible task to take a German position. When the attack fails, the incompetent generals opt to put three random privates on trial for cowardice to set an example. Mad as hell and not taking it anymore is Kirk Douglas who is a real firebrand as Colonel Dax, the colonel who led the impossible attack and defends the privates.

Kubrick does a great job at depicting the grittiness of war through showing the muddy hell of World War One trench warfare and satirizing the emphasis placed on âbraveryâ? and the importance of the officer class. You can see examples of this when one of the generals is touring the trench before the battle and encounters a soldier with shellshock. The general calls the soldier a coward and tells him to man up before battle. This lack of compassion is contrasted with the sympathy and caring showed by Kirk Douglas.

It is made clear that the three privates were guilty before the trial even started and you can see how Kubrick paints a large crosshair on the officer class when he shows how the brown-nosing major wins the favour of the generals on the tribunal.

In the end, we are treated to Kirk Douglas giving an impassioned speech to the general, who wants him to replace the general who organized the failed battle, and essentially tells him to stick it. The movie ends with a German prisoner singing a song of peace before a group of French soldiers on the verge of tears.

Kirk Douglas and Stanley Kubrick are the real stars of the show. However, they have a great supporting cast. The actors who play the generals do an excellent job of depicting snobbery and incompetence, the major really gets under your skin, and the dead-to-rights Private Arnaud, played by Joseph Turkel, is amazing.

This was Kubrickâ(TM)s fourth film. But it was the film which caught the attention of many around world (even being banned in France for sometime). If you want to see Kubrick before Kubrick was big, start with Paths of Glory. For those who know Kubrick, you will notice many similarities between this and his other movies and appreciate his expert directing. But you will also appreciate everything else about it.