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Paths of Glory (Stanley Kubrick, 1957)
Review: I was totally impressed with Kubrick's amazing cinematography. It reminded me of Orson Welles' work in Citizen Kane. The next time you watch a 'run of a mill' movie, pay attention to how often close ups are used. They're used a lot, which means the cinematographer is using a telephoto lens with a narrow angle of view. They do this because it cuts out much of the background scene allowing for a cheaper made set. If you can't see much of the walls of an interior shot then they don't have to be made or dressed for the movie. Kubrick awards us with beautiful wide angle shots. Even on close ups he goes with a wide angle lens with a small aperture for great depth of field in the background (in focus).
In the still shot above, Kubrick has used a wide angle lens with a low mount-upwards angle, this shows beautifully the rich detail of the Schleissheim Castle in Germany. The camera angle gives an imposing feel with the soldiers looming larger than life. This is a nice shot with lots of visual impact.
I was also impressed with the film noir/German expression style of lighting and shadows that was used in this beautifully framed shot. Both the foreground and background subjects are set at the photographers 'rule of 3rds', with the overall composition looking balanced. Nicely done.
One more shot that was stunning, towards the end of the film inside the castle we have the two generals talking at the bottom of a long stair case...way in the distance, on top of the stairs are two small figures. Then the camera goes to them and we hear their discussion. Look for that scene it's impressive!
The last scene I want to talk about is the battle field. In the trench scene there's this very long dolly shot traveling down the length of the trench. The camera just keeps going and going showing us the war weary men. We see the sides of the trenches lined with 100s of men. In most war movies they don't have that many extras in the shot as they cost money. The trench and no man's land scenes look real.
I thought Kirk Douglas was good, as always. I also liked Ralph Meeker, George Macready, and Adolphe Menjou. I didn't like Wayne Morris (Lt. Roget). He usually plays a dumb muscle in crime movies and here seemed a bit off.
Despite the dramatic events in the story, I found the film somewhat austere. I never had a personal connection to it, it felt emotionally distant. But...that's not a negative comment. I get the feeling that Kubrick was working on the visual impact of the film. The French military is shown as inflexible and regimented, so the austere feel of the story matched that perfectly. I can only concluded that Kubrick planned it that way and is a genius.
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Paths of Glory (Stanley Kubrick, 1957)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou
Genre: Drama, War
About: After a French soldier refuses to attack an enemy position, a pompous general accuses the soldier of cowardice. Leaving the soldiers commanding officer to defend him
Cast: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou
Genre: Drama, War
About: After a French soldier refuses to attack an enemy position, a pompous general accuses the soldier of cowardice. Leaving the soldiers commanding officer to defend him
Review: I was totally impressed with Kubrick's amazing cinematography. It reminded me of Orson Welles' work in Citizen Kane. The next time you watch a 'run of a mill' movie, pay attention to how often close ups are used. They're used a lot, which means the cinematographer is using a telephoto lens with a narrow angle of view. They do this because it cuts out much of the background scene allowing for a cheaper made set. If you can't see much of the walls of an interior shot then they don't have to be made or dressed for the movie. Kubrick awards us with beautiful wide angle shots. Even on close ups he goes with a wide angle lens with a small aperture for great depth of field in the background (in focus).
In the still shot above, Kubrick has used a wide angle lens with a low mount-upwards angle, this shows beautifully the rich detail of the Schleissheim Castle in Germany. The camera angle gives an imposing feel with the soldiers looming larger than life. This is a nice shot with lots of visual impact.
I was also impressed with the film noir/German expression style of lighting and shadows that was used in this beautifully framed shot. Both the foreground and background subjects are set at the photographers 'rule of 3rds', with the overall composition looking balanced. Nicely done.
One more shot that was stunning, towards the end of the film inside the castle we have the two generals talking at the bottom of a long stair case...way in the distance, on top of the stairs are two small figures. Then the camera goes to them and we hear their discussion. Look for that scene it's impressive!
The last scene I want to talk about is the battle field. In the trench scene there's this very long dolly shot traveling down the length of the trench. The camera just keeps going and going showing us the war weary men. We see the sides of the trenches lined with 100s of men. In most war movies they don't have that many extras in the shot as they cost money. The trench and no man's land scenes look real.
I thought Kirk Douglas was good, as always. I also liked Ralph Meeker, George Macready, and Adolphe Menjou. I didn't like Wayne Morris (Lt. Roget). He usually plays a dumb muscle in crime movies and here seemed a bit off.
Despite the dramatic events in the story, I found the film somewhat austere. I never had a personal connection to it, it felt emotionally distant. But...that's not a negative comment. I get the feeling that Kubrick was working on the visual impact of the film. The French military is shown as inflexible and regimented, so the austere feel of the story matched that perfectly. I can only concluded that Kubrick planned it that way and is a genius.
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