Review of Paths of Glory (1957) by Vinay C — 29 Oct 2009

One of Kubrick's best. Even surpasses the likes of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Lolita.

Stanley Kubrick, aged just 29 and with the 1956 masterpiece The Killing already under his belt, made this World War 1 classic. Touching and at most times hard to watch because of the raw emotion, it is his most emotional film to date with an ending that may not be his best but is certainly the deepest, as a German girl sings uncomfortably in a pub. It brought a tear to my eye for so many reasons and this is proof of Kubrick's budding genius. In fact it was already in full bloom.

The scenes in the trenches showcase Kubrick's eye for angles perfectly, as the camera pulls backwards and gives us a sort of tour of the squalid conditions and the people who brave them whilst the way the doomed attack is filmed obviously inspired Spielberg's direction of the first scene in Saving Private Ryan.

The cast were well incredibly well chosen. Douglas gives his all whilst the three accused also give masterclass performances and their powerful emotion gave me the chills.

The screenplay is brilliant. Two soldiers discuss if they would rather die "by bayonet or bullet" whilst one concludes that "we are not afraid of death but pain instead". Is this a realistic portrayal of soldiers and their possible denial of fear? I can only imagine so. Great dialogue, great moments, great realism; Kubrick has always written above par sceenplays and this is no exception,.

Paths Of Glory is one of Kubrick's best but unfortunately is one of his most under rated. As I have already said, I prefer this to more widely acknowledged Kubrick classics such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Lolita. Everyone should see this so they can see a master director tell one of his best films.