After three soldiers are accused of cowardice, their commanding officer Col. Dax (Kirk Douglas) tries to prove that they were responding to an impossible attack.
Paths of Glory was the first of Stanley Kubrick's so-called trilogy on the dehumanization of war (the other two would be Dr. Strangelove and Full Metal Jacket). All three basically showed that even if you get out alive, you never leave the war behind.
This was also the first of two movies Douglas and Kubrick would do together (the second, of course, was Spartacus). Like Spartacus in a sense, Paths of Glory needs Douglas as its driving force. Mind you, that's not a bad thing.
Not many movies revolve around the First World War; Paths of Glory is one of those few. It's one of the many highlights in both Douglas and Kubrick's filmographies. Should you ignore it? Hell no. The final scene alone is worth the price of admission.
My Rating: *****
Glad you gave it five stars. This is one of my favorite war films! A truly powerful masterpiece from Kubrick, whose wonderful resume features few better than this one. General Mireau is one of the most angering villains in cinemas.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great film and much better than some of the last few films Kubrick did.
ReplyDelete