← Back to Reviews
in
Paths of Glory was Stanley Kubrick’s fourth (including Fear and Desire) full feature film, released in 1957 when he was only twenty-nine years old, yet watching this film feels like your watching a work of art produced during the peak of a highly successful career of an experienced director, a moving and powerful masterpiece.
In the previous year Stanley Kubrick had released The Killing, which although was not a commercial success and is regarded as relatively weak when compared to his later work. However watching The Killing it is not surprising that the same director would go on to create a film such as Paths of Glory, although more of a raw product than his later films, The Killing was still quite well received by critics at the time, a decent noir that showed plenty of signs of talent and potential. What is more surprising though is the fact that Paths of Glory was created only a year after The Killing.
The craft and guild involved in the film are superb, with some of the best scenes ever constructed on display. Later war films contain many memorable scenes themselves; however the battle scenes in Paths of Glory are as good as any you will ever see with a fantastic scene in the first half when the attack on ant hill actually took place.
The story of the film follows the trial of three soldiers who are being charged with cowardice when facing the enemy. The troops were ordered to carry out the outrageous and impossible task of capturing the German ant hill; originally a captain is hesitant to carry out this order from those above but agrees to at the opportunity of a promotion.
Whilst only one third of the troops leave the trenches for the attack, only three are chosen for trial to attempt to make an example of their cowardice to discourage any future attempts of disobedience of orders. The trial scene in itself is expertly done, with Kirk Douglas as Col. Dax, a man who attempts to defend those wrongly on trial for their lives, delivering an emotional speech that ranks among the best ever given in the history of film. Douglas is fantastic throughout, with his good hearted and morally right intentions outlined at the films end when his motivations behind his defence of the troops on trial are questioned.
Kubrick’s anti-war film mocks the chain of command structure and structure put in place, focussing less on the war itself but more on those involved with it. Dr. Strangelove has long been one of my favourite Kubrick films and like Paths of Glory it also takes a critical stance against war, albeit in a more satirical manner.
Paths of Glory works mainly because of the characters we are shown, aside from the excellent Douglas we also has a great supporting cast, we no what the likely fate of the troops are yet their characters are none the less important. Then there are the men responsible from above such as the characters portrayed by Menjou and MacCready, men we grow to dislike due to their own interests as Kubrick looks at the human and moral side of war.
The film’s final scene is beautifully symbolic and fitting as we see the future Mrs. Kubrick sing a song in front of a bar full of haggling men, battling on despite the unfavourable odds against her.
Paths of Glory
(1957, Stanley Kubrick)
(1957, Stanley Kubrick)
Paths of Glory was Stanley Kubrick’s fourth (including Fear and Desire) full feature film, released in 1957 when he was only twenty-nine years old, yet watching this film feels like your watching a work of art produced during the peak of a highly successful career of an experienced director, a moving and powerful masterpiece.
In the previous year Stanley Kubrick had released The Killing, which although was not a commercial success and is regarded as relatively weak when compared to his later work. However watching The Killing it is not surprising that the same director would go on to create a film such as Paths of Glory, although more of a raw product than his later films, The Killing was still quite well received by critics at the time, a decent noir that showed plenty of signs of talent and potential. What is more surprising though is the fact that Paths of Glory was created only a year after The Killing.
The craft and guild involved in the film are superb, with some of the best scenes ever constructed on display. Later war films contain many memorable scenes themselves; however the battle scenes in Paths of Glory are as good as any you will ever see with a fantastic scene in the first half when the attack on ant hill actually took place.
The story of the film follows the trial of three soldiers who are being charged with cowardice when facing the enemy. The troops were ordered to carry out the outrageous and impossible task of capturing the German ant hill; originally a captain is hesitant to carry out this order from those above but agrees to at the opportunity of a promotion.
Whilst only one third of the troops leave the trenches for the attack, only three are chosen for trial to attempt to make an example of their cowardice to discourage any future attempts of disobedience of orders. The trial scene in itself is expertly done, with Kirk Douglas as Col. Dax, a man who attempts to defend those wrongly on trial for their lives, delivering an emotional speech that ranks among the best ever given in the history of film. Douglas is fantastic throughout, with his good hearted and morally right intentions outlined at the films end when his motivations behind his defence of the troops on trial are questioned.
Kubrick’s anti-war film mocks the chain of command structure and structure put in place, focussing less on the war itself but more on those involved with it. Dr. Strangelove has long been one of my favourite Kubrick films and like Paths of Glory it also takes a critical stance against war, albeit in a more satirical manner.
Paths of Glory works mainly because of the characters we are shown, aside from the excellent Douglas we also has a great supporting cast, we no what the likely fate of the troops are yet their characters are none the less important. Then there are the men responsible from above such as the characters portrayed by Menjou and MacCready, men we grow to dislike due to their own interests as Kubrick looks at the human and moral side of war.
The film’s final scene is beautifully symbolic and fitting as we see the future Mrs. Kubrick sing a song in front of a bar full of haggling men, battling on despite the unfavourable odds against her.
RATING: