Paths of Glory
by Stanley Kubrick
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Adolphe Menjou, George Macready, Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Wayne MorrisDirector: Stanley Kubrick
Brand: DOUGLAS,KIRK
Producer: Kirk Douglas
Producer: Stanley Kubrick
Writer: Stanley Kubrick
Producer: James B. Harris
Writer: Calder Willingham
Writer: Humphrey Cobb
Writer: Jim Thompson
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0; English (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: Academy Ratio, 1.33:1
Running Time: 87 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-06-29
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of Paths of Glory
Movie Review: The Faint Hearts of War
Summary: 5 Stars
Paths of Glory is a masterpiece. It's one of the greatest anti-war films of all time. It shows a grim and disturbingly violent reality that, at the time, many other war films never dared to enter. Stanley Kubrick and Kirk Douglas achieved this task, and they have done an extraordinary job with it.
There are few heroes and many cowards. These men that have fought against German artillery are rarely think of victory over the enemy. They mostly think of themselves, their families, their girlfriends, and their parents. So when they have been chosen to take the Ant Hill, many of them retreat without hesitation. As a result, Generals Mireau & Broulard order three men from each company to be brought to a court-martial. This ultimately leads to all three men being sentenced to death. Colonel Dax (Douglas), however, is not giving up on his own men, and he finds ways to give them their own reprieves. But will the solutions be enough?
I have been a fan of Kubrick ever since I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey on VHS. Five of his films are among my favorites: 2001, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, Dr. Strangelove, and Paths of Glory. Paths of Glory was immediately added right after I saw this movie on DVD. This shows his masterful directing at an early age. The way he portrays war in a much negative light is something that has probably now been imitated ever since it was released in theaters. It's an almost flawless film, with great performances from Douglas, Menjou, Macready, Meeker, Anderson, Turkel, and others. Not to mention the unforgettable tearjerker ending. I'm glad that I discovered this film.
Grade: A
Summary of Paths of Glory
Safe in their picturesque chateau behind the front lines, the French general staff passes down a direct order to Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas): take the Ant Hill at any cost. A blatant suicide mission, the attack is doomed to failure. Covering up their fatal blunder, the generals order the arrest of three innocent soldiers, charging them with cowardice and mutiny. Dax, a lawyer in civilian life, rises to the men's defense but soon realizes that, unless he can prove that the generals were to blame,nothing less than a miracle will save his clients from the firing squad. A compelling masterpiece from world-class director/writer Stanley Kubrick and screenwriters Calder Willingham and JimThompson, Paths of Glory is a blistering indictment of military politics and "an unforgettable movie experience" (Newsweek).Stanley Kubrick had already made his talent known with the outstanding racetrack heist thriller The Killing, but it was the 1957 antiwar masterpiece Paths of Glory that catapulted Kubrick to international acclaim. Based on the novel by Humphrey Cobb, the film was initiated by Kirk Douglas, who chose the young Kubrick to direct what would become one of the most powerful films about the wasteful insanity of warfare. In one of his finest roles, Douglas plays Colonel Dax, commander of a battle-worn regiment of the French army along the western front during World War?I. Held in their trenches under the threat of German artillery, the regiment is ordered on a suicidal mission to capture an enemy stronghold. When the mission inevitably fails, French generals order the selection of three soldiers to be tried and executed on the charge of cowardice. Dax is appointed as defense attorney for the chosen scapegoats, and what follows is a travesty of justice that has remained relevant and powerful for decades. In the wake of some of the most authentic and devastating battle sequences ever filmed, Kubrick brilliantly explores the political machinations and selfish personal ambitions that result in battlefield slaughter and senseless executions. The film is unflinching in its condemnation of war and the self-indulgence of military leaders who orchestrate the deaths of thousands from the comfort of their luxurious headquarters. For many years, Paths of Glory was banned in France as a slanderous attack on French honor, but it's clear that Kubrick's intense drama is aimed at all nations and all men. Though it touches on themes of courage and loyalty in the context of warfare, the film is specifically about the historical realities of World War?I, but its impact and artistic achievement remain timeless and universal. --Jeff Shannon
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