Review of Paths of Glory (1957) by Danny R — 14 Dec 2011

One of the greatest anti-war films ever made brilliantly directed by Stanley Kubrick. About a French Army division fighting in Verdun during World War I, who has been ordered on a blatant suicide mission to attack and take a German ant hill by a tyrannical sadistic corrupted general, played with great malice by George Macready.

The ant hill attack is a marvel of realistic filmmaking ; one feels the desperation and the confusion of the soldiers under machine gun and artillery fire on this impossible assault. The attack fails horribly and the general is forced to cover-up his fatal blunder, he orders the pick of three innocent soldiers, excellently played by Ralph Meeker, Joe Turkel and Timothy Carey to be tired and executed for cowardice.

Kirk Douglas in a magnificent portrayal of a officer who believes in treating his men as human beings as well as soldiers, rises to the men's defense but soon realizes that nothing short of a miracle will save his clients from the firing squad.

This masterpiece is a shattering study of the insanity of war. Highly Recommended.