Paths of Glory

Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory (1957) is a wonderful illustration of how singular talent and ingenuity can shepard a studio film into a personal and far more fundamental elegy for all those who have sacrificed themselves for pretenses of victory in war. From Humphery Cobb's WWI novel, Kubrick crafts a story that is so precise and powerful that it becomes heartrending in its simplicity.

Gen. Paul Mireau (George Macready) is coerced by his superiors to try to take ground that is nigh-impossible having had national pride and personal reward dangled in front of him. As a result Col. Dax (Kirk Douglas) and his men are ordered to take the Anthill, a heavily-fortified German position. Though the men all understand that this assault is akin to suicide, they nonetheless try. Ultimately, however, Col. Dax and the few survivors are driven back. Gen. Mireau interprets this retreat as pure cowardice, and so he orders that three of Col. Dax's men be made examples of at a military trial. What follows is Col. Dax's attempts to justify his men's actions and prevent their execution under false pretenses.

An obvious criticism for Kubrick is the theme of military dehumanization, where the commanding general Mireau is more concerned with his public image and official record than with his men's lives. Yet, ironically, Mireau is brought to this state by a fellow general, Gen. George Broulard, who will ultimately relieve Mireau of his post, so the chain of needless sacrifice is indeed cyclical and, in the end, utterly human.

What gives this film its emotional power is the humane approach to each of the three men who are forced to be made an example of, as each of the men are distinguishable from the next and belie their own individual traits and fears. The scenes where they beg forgiveness for their sins and receive a final prayer from the priest on hand are well orchestrated, and lead into the final redemptive image, which remains for Kubrick one of the most singular moments of his entire careeer. It is justly memorable, and says more about war, sacrifice, and the human will to understand others than any actual dialogue could.

This is certainly Kubrick's breakthrough in Hollywood, and it remains a powerful example where the director's dedication and fidelity of vision are in concert with his cast. A wonderful film that embodies all that is good about film in the 1950s.

Paths of Glory: 9.5/10