Review of Paths of Glory (1957) by Eric H — 06 Mar 2017

This is Stanley Kubrick's film (which is called "antiwar" though I thought it was more of a statement about the human element in war, such as fear, bravery, treachery, stubbornness, etc. rather than a statement against war in general, it just showed something that was not completely gung ho about going to battle, which would have been very different at the time) is about the chain of command and the unnecessary call for sacrifice to save the face of an officer.

I enjoyed it, though I don't think of this as a true Kubrick film since he was still answering to a lot of people when this was made. So the only trademark I really picked up on was the tracking shots in the trenches, which are great.

Other than that, the filmmaking feels like it's 50 years old and is hard to really appreciate today (for me, at least). The performances are good and you really feel for Douglas's character. I found myself enraged with the stubborness of so many characters.

The courtroom scene is especially maddening, which is a compliment to the film as it engrossed me anything to become angry at the people trying to prosecute the innocent soldiers. A truly tragic early film by one of the best directors of all time.