Paths of Glory (1957)

Directed by

Stanley Kubrick

Genre

war film, trial film, anti-war film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 28m

Rated

NR

Rating

8.3 of 10 from 3,303 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A colonel tries to defend three French soldiers who are court-martialed for cowardice after they refused to follow a suicidal attack order during World War I. The film shows the military's disregard for human life and the corruption of those in command.

tensebleakmoralstarkunyieldingclaustrophobicangryunsentimental

What happens

Paths of Glory is a 1957 American anti-war film directed by Stanley Kubrick, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Calder Willingham and Jim Thompson. It is adapted from the 1935 novel of the same name by Humphrey Cobb, which in turn was based on the Souain corporals affair during World War I. The film stars Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax, the commanding officer of French soldiers who refuse to continue a suicidal attack, after which Dax defends them against charges of cowardice in a court-martial. It also features Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready, Timothy Carey, Joe Turkel, Wayne Morris and Richard Anderson. The film was co-produced through Douglas' film production company, Bryna Productions, and a joint venture between Stanley Kubrick and James B. Harris, Harris-Kubrick Pictures. Due to the film's negative depiction of the French military, it could not be filmed there, and was instead shot in West Germany. It was likewise not released in France until 1972. Paths of Glory was released by United Artists on December 20, 1957. It received critical acclaim and several international accolades, including a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Film, and is considered one of the greatest war films ever made. In 1992, the film was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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