Paths of Glory (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Paths of Glory' (directed by, then, newcomer Stanley Kubrick & adapted from a controversial novel) is one of the pioneering - and strongest - anti-war films to emerge from the 1950s. It's also a timeless one. The plot: in the 3rd tumultuous year of WWI, the wise but morally corrupt French general Broulard (Adolphe Menjou) orders his emotionally crippled troops to seize the heavily fortified 'Ant Hill' from the Germans. General Mireau (a formidable George MacReady) knows that this order will prove to be suicidal for the troops, but he decides to sacrifice his men to enhance his own reputation {d*ck}. Against his better judgment, commanding officer Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) leads the charge, & the results are catastrophic.
When, after witnessing the slaughter of their comrades, a smattering of the French troops refuses to leave their trenches … Gen. Mireau nearly orders the artillery to fire on his own men!! Whether this was punishment or to get them out of the trenches is up for debate. Furious from the defeat, Gen. Mireau refuses to admit to himself that the Ant Hill attack was an awful idea from the start; convincing himself that loss of Ant Hill was due - exclusively - to the shameful cowardice of his troops. Gen. Mireau then demands that 3 soldiers (not, say, 100 ... but a random 3) be selected to be executed as an example to the rest of the troops.
Acting as defense attorney, Col. Dax defends them against the ridiculous charge of cowardice in a court-martial; pleading eloquently yet passionately for the lives of the unfortunate 3 (Ralph Meeker, Joe Turkel, Timothy Carey). But their fate seems to be a done deal; even an 11th-hour piece of evidence proving Gen. Mireau's reprehensible incompetence looks to be ignored by Broulard ... who only seems interested in showing his bravado & setting an example for other troops to stick to their game plans. To Col. Dax, this whole scenario is nothing but a Kangaroo Trial (in which the principles of law & justice are disregarded for other purposes).
Kirk Douglas' is exceptional, here. Sure, he's the star of the film (I believe he co-produced it), but he allows the story, itself, to take center stage - an engrossing story about inhumanity, the insanity of war, authoritarian incompetence, & hypocrisy in the military system. Douglas is the emotional glue holding everything together; and I love the scene in which he really lays into Gen. Broulard. The rest of the cast impresses, as well; particularly Adolphe Menjou & George MacReady as the vile-beyond-words generals, and Timothy Carey as an "undesirable" soldier who was one of the 3 'selected' for execution. I won't say how the execution scene plays out (if it does), but Carey's long march to potential doom is heartbreaking to watch; due to his tears & cries out to a priest for what is about to happen to him.
Stanley Kubrick critiques both war & the class systems in wartime; cynically showing how the privileged military ranks only care about themselves. So, it's not a very hopeful film, really. But it's powerful, nevertheless. The direction/screenplay is smart & taut; as is the editing. It is remarkable how much punch this film packs in its 87 min. run time. The use of black-&-white cinematography within the trenches and then during battle is also exceedingly well-handled. 'Paths of Glory' was a passion project at the time of its release and it didn't do amazing box office business. But it has since taken its high-valued place in the pantheon of classic anti-war films. I really loved this motion picture. And the last scene in which a captured German girl sings to a pub of French soldiers is something to behold.
When, after witnessing the slaughter of their comrades, a smattering of the French troops refuses to leave their trenches … Gen. Mireau nearly orders the artillery to fire on his own men!! Whether this was punishment or to get them out of the trenches is up for debate. Furious from the defeat, Gen. Mireau refuses to admit to himself that the Ant Hill attack was an awful idea from the start; convincing himself that loss of Ant Hill was due - exclusively - to the shameful cowardice of his troops. Gen. Mireau then demands that 3 soldiers (not, say, 100 ... but a random 3) be selected to be executed as an example to the rest of the troops.
Acting as defense attorney, Col. Dax defends them against the ridiculous charge of cowardice in a court-martial; pleading eloquently yet passionately for the lives of the unfortunate 3 (Ralph Meeker, Joe Turkel, Timothy Carey). But their fate seems to be a done deal; even an 11th-hour piece of evidence proving Gen. Mireau's reprehensible incompetence looks to be ignored by Broulard ... who only seems interested in showing his bravado & setting an example for other troops to stick to their game plans. To Col. Dax, this whole scenario is nothing but a Kangaroo Trial (in which the principles of law & justice are disregarded for other purposes).
Kirk Douglas' is exceptional, here. Sure, he's the star of the film (I believe he co-produced it), but he allows the story, itself, to take center stage - an engrossing story about inhumanity, the insanity of war, authoritarian incompetence, & hypocrisy in the military system. Douglas is the emotional glue holding everything together; and I love the scene in which he really lays into Gen. Broulard. The rest of the cast impresses, as well; particularly Adolphe Menjou & George MacReady as the vile-beyond-words generals, and Timothy Carey as an "undesirable" soldier who was one of the 3 'selected' for execution. I won't say how the execution scene plays out (if it does), but Carey's long march to potential doom is heartbreaking to watch; due to his tears & cries out to a priest for what is about to happen to him.
Stanley Kubrick critiques both war & the class systems in wartime; cynically showing how the privileged military ranks only care about themselves. So, it's not a very hopeful film, really. But it's powerful, nevertheless. The direction/screenplay is smart & taut; as is the editing. It is remarkable how much punch this film packs in its 87 min. run time. The use of black-&-white cinematography within the trenches and then during battle is also exceedingly well-handled. 'Paths of Glory' was a passion project at the time of its release and it didn't do amazing box office business. But it has since taken its high-valued place in the pantheon of classic anti-war films. I really loved this motion picture. And the last scene in which a captured German girl sings to a pub of French soldiers is something to behold.