Paths of Glory

Paths of Glory

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Year: 1957

Starring Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker and George Macready

     When it comes to Stanley Kubrick, it's very hard for him to make a film that isn't a cinematic masterpiece. Paths of Glory is no exception. The film was his fourth as a filmmaker, and starred Kirk Douglas, father of Michael Douglas, in the lead role. What makes this film stand out among other war movies, apart from being directed by Kubrick, is the depiction of French soldiers. It's not something you see very often, as war movies tend to focus on either British, American, Russian or German soldiers. 

     Douglas plays a French colonel charged with the impossible task of capturing a German stronghold, nicknamed "The Anthill". Colonel Dax, Douglas' character, tries to convince the commanding officer, General Mireau, played by George Macready, that the mission is suicide, and would kill most, if not all, the soldiers charged with the task. Overruled, Dax leads the charge, and as he predicted, it fails.

     The rest of the film deals with this failure, as the General staff accuse the soldiers of cowardice, and are put on trial. Dax aggressively defends his soldiers, and offers a perspective the commanding Generals wouldn't understand, as they aren't actually fighting in the trenches. Eventually, three soldiers are sentenced to a firing squad as an example for future missions, and the soldiers ordered to carry these missions out. 

     In case you haven't guessed, this is an anti-war film. Primarily, it deals with the dehumanizing nature of war. It's a theme that Kubrick would re-visit in later years, and it's why I consider this to be the first "Kubrickian" film. Everything that would become synonymous with his name starts with this film. The anti-war themes are both subtle and obvious, and the blending of the two makes for an interesting look at how the film is presented, further emphasizing Kubrick's status as an auteur.

     With a great performance by Douglas (who would appear in Kubrick's next film, Spartacus) and set pieces that are fantastic, Paths of Glory is both an entertaining war movie, and a piece of cinematic artistry that (ironically) gives a human element to conflict, and reminds you that soldiers fighting these wars are still people, and that shouldn't be taken for granted.