Paths of Glory is a 1957 war film about the fallibility of human judgment and questioning the value of a life. Stanley Kubrick directed the film, prompted by his vivid memories of reading the novel written by Humphrey Cobb for school. The film turned out to be a controversial affair, nationally, and on foreign shores. Coupled with the tale's moral itself, this cultural prejudice against the movie's depiction of war proved to be the greatest irony of all.
The movie starts with the proposition by the French General Staff to take a stronghold of the German forces on the nearby battlefield. The General in charge does not believe this to be a wise decision at first, realizing his troops that would be assigned such a duty would be far underpowered in comparisons to the enemy. However, the General above him makes the suggestion that such a victory would guarantee a promotion in rank, and suddenly the task becomes far less impossible.
The film takes a subtle, and realistic by today's standards, approach to the telling of a war story. The characters drive the plot forward without prompt from the external enemy, but rather from the inhumane judgments and justifications of their own seats of power. A depth exists in every private, general, and rank in between, along with the interactions between them. This is why the movie is a popular choice for teachers to assign their students to analyze and write about it for critical thinking.
The plight of Colonel Dax to defend the lives, honor, and rights of his troops is among the most heroic ventures a character can take. When the attack fails, as the Colonel and every soldier involved predicts, the General points to the troops themselves as the cause for their acts of cowardice. With the random assignment of three soldiers to take the fall for the entire regiment, the main hook of the story begins, and a court hearing begins to decide their fate.
The drama of this warning tale is effectively told through the medium of black and white film, giving the audience just as much emotional depth and drama as a film in full color. Though the art of using black and white is almost obsolete, some artistic directors and photographers still utilize its stark effect to convey the film noir style from the days before color and for its ability to create extreme contrasts. For example, in Paths of Glory, Kubrick utilizes the pitch black and dark gray in the trenches to contrast with the bright white within the overly elaborate and comfortable military headquarters.
One of the only noticeable flaws a person of today may find curious about the film is an artifact from the times and the limits with which movie makers were faced. The opening scene watches as the general and his superior discuss the radical plan concocted by the French General Staff, choreographed as a progressive movement throughout the general's room. The purpose of this was to accommodate for the limitation number of cameras and angles they were able to achieve. The actors' pacing kept the scene interesting and active during long bouts of dialogue and information revealing.
The movie does its best to portray the harsh reality of war, and the ironic cost of loyalty. It was the first of its kind to portray a disapproving face of war and the way it is run, a trend that didn't become popular in Hollywood until after the Vietnam war. This was the reason it was banned in many European countries for decades while war was still perceived as something that should be glorified and patriotic.
Although Paths of Glory did not make a large profit upon its release, it remains a potent classic in film history for all time. Teachers of many liberal art subjects show the film to their students to discuss the moral dilemmas and valiant versus selfish motives. While many war movies may have their glory day come and go, the underrated tale of Paths of Glory sticks around as a time honored classic any film appreciator should see.
The movie starts with the proposition by the French General Staff to take a stronghold of the German forces on the nearby battlefield. The General in charge does not believe this to be a wise decision at first, realizing his troops that would be assigned such a duty would be far underpowered in comparisons to the enemy. However, the General above him makes the suggestion that such a victory would guarantee a promotion in rank, and suddenly the task becomes far less impossible.
The film takes a subtle, and realistic by today's standards, approach to the telling of a war story. The characters drive the plot forward without prompt from the external enemy, but rather from the inhumane judgments and justifications of their own seats of power. A depth exists in every private, general, and rank in between, along with the interactions between them. This is why the movie is a popular choice for teachers to assign their students to analyze and write about it for critical thinking.
The plight of Colonel Dax to defend the lives, honor, and rights of his troops is among the most heroic ventures a character can take. When the attack fails, as the Colonel and every soldier involved predicts, the General points to the troops themselves as the cause for their acts of cowardice. With the random assignment of three soldiers to take the fall for the entire regiment, the main hook of the story begins, and a court hearing begins to decide their fate.
The drama of this warning tale is effectively told through the medium of black and white film, giving the audience just as much emotional depth and drama as a film in full color. Though the art of using black and white is almost obsolete, some artistic directors and photographers still utilize its stark effect to convey the film noir style from the days before color and for its ability to create extreme contrasts. For example, in Paths of Glory, Kubrick utilizes the pitch black and dark gray in the trenches to contrast with the bright white within the overly elaborate and comfortable military headquarters.
One of the only noticeable flaws a person of today may find curious about the film is an artifact from the times and the limits with which movie makers were faced. The opening scene watches as the general and his superior discuss the radical plan concocted by the French General Staff, choreographed as a progressive movement throughout the general's room. The purpose of this was to accommodate for the limitation number of cameras and angles they were able to achieve. The actors' pacing kept the scene interesting and active during long bouts of dialogue and information revealing.
The movie does its best to portray the harsh reality of war, and the ironic cost of loyalty. It was the first of its kind to portray a disapproving face of war and the way it is run, a trend that didn't become popular in Hollywood until after the Vietnam war. This was the reason it was banned in many European countries for decades while war was still perceived as something that should be glorified and patriotic.
Although Paths of Glory did not make a large profit upon its release, it remains a potent classic in film history for all time. Teachers of many liberal art subjects show the film to their students to discuss the moral dilemmas and valiant versus selfish motives. While many war movies may have their glory day come and go, the underrated tale of Paths of Glory sticks around as a time honored classic any film appreciator should see.
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