Review for Paths of Glory

I’ve never seen ‘Paths of Glory’ before. On paper, it’s not a film that particularly appeals. The idea of Kirk Douglas, fresh from ‘Spartacus’, gritting his teeth in yet another heroic war blockbuster sounds like something I’ve probably seen once too often on a rainy Sunday afternoon. But wait a minute – this isn’t about the heroic endeavours of the US in WWII. Despite being produced in that genre’s heyday, this is actually a film about the First World War from a French perspective and is actually something quite unique and special. It’s also a Stanley Kubrick film, albeit an early one, and as a result is anything but predictable, worth watching for the stunningly inventive cinematography alone. In short, despite some slightly hammy performances (it is Kirk Douglas after all), this is a stunning and thought-provoking film, full of the kind of political nuance and subtlety you wouldn’t expect from a film of its genre.


Although this film clearly reflects the pointlessness and tragedy of mass loss of human life in World War 1, it seeks not just to show the horrors of that but to dig deeper into the insidious politics and self-interest that were partially to blame for such slaughter, on an industrial scale. Whatever the case, in common with ‘Dr. Strangelove’, this is very much an anti-war film.



Based on a popular novel by Humphrey Cobb, on the front lines the order is given for what will inevitably be a disastrous mission to capture a German stronghold, the so-called ‘Ant Hill’. The men are outnumbered and the stronghold is above them, clearly impossible to ‘capture’ despite the General’s need to be seen to be on the attack. But not everyone is in favour of such a futile mission. Colonel Dax, the men’s leader (played by Kirk Douglas) protests the mission’s futility from the outset – as impolitic as such a view would seem to be, much to the disdain of the insidious General Paul Mireau (George Macready) who despite also knowing how impossible such a mission would be is keen to earn himself yet another promotion.




When one officer (John Stein) refuses to obey an order from the General to fire on his own men after the attack fails, Mireau wants a dozen men court-martialled and shot by their colleagues for cowardice. This is gently negotiated to three men, almost randomly selected by their leaders, like sacrificial lambs to appease the wrath of the corrupt general.

But Dax was a lawyer before the war and is determined to fight for the lives of those unfortunate men, and in so doing, expose the corruption of the General – and highlight the fact that he has instructed his own men to shoot, not at the enemy, but upon their own colleagues.


But the trial is a disgrace – rigged from the outset and the film has a stark and somewhat grim conclusion (which I shan’t completely spoil here).

It rattles along at a great pace and is utterly engrossing in the way that such a melodrama should – with Douglas giving one his most impassioned performances.


It looks stunning too in a flawless OAR ration of 1.66:1 and in glorious HD black and white. As a Masters of Cinema release, it comes with a number of excellent contextual features.

• Commentary – an exclusive commentary for this release with film academic Adrian Martin which looks at every aspect of the production, including the difficulties of raising finance and, following completion, of even getting the film shown. (It was banned in both France and Spain following initial release).
• Peter Kramer Interview - A 15 minute interview with Peter Kramer, another film academic who is something of an expert on all things Kubrick, who discusses Stanley Kubrick's career and ‘Paths of Glory’ in particular.
• Richard Ayoade Interview – Another exclusive for this release is a 25-minute interview with the young Director, Richard Ayoade (Submarine) who is clearly a huge Kubrick fan and who is clearly hugely influenced by his use of fluid cinematography in particular. His enthusiasm for the film is completely infectious.

• Richard Conbs – A ten minutes interview with film critic Richard Combs who focuses on the visual look of Paths of Glory
• Music and Effects Track – allowing you to really tune into the musical work of Gerald Fried who is perhaps better known for his TV work – with a back catalogue of work on many iconic TV Series.
• Trailer - original 3 minutes’ trailer
• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring the words of Stanley Kubrick and more.
   

‘Paths of Glory’ is a really great film that should be seen by everyone at least once in their lives. Fans of Kubrick will want it in their collection and, in the UK, this is by far the best possible version to get your hands on.