One of the all-time greats of anti-war motion pictures

Rating: 9/10 (2 December 2018)

Paths of Glory is undoubtedly Stanley Kubrick's first truly great motion picture, and in turn cemented his talented potential in the motion picture industry. Ofcourse, he would later follow this up by directing at least six more films of superb quality, yet the typical Kubrick technical aspects are first visible in this particular picture.
In a way, Paths of Glory is the most humane movie that Kubrick has ever made, and while certain trackingshots are very reminiscent of later projects such as The Shining (1980), this is still for Kubrick terms a very unconventional film. While one cannot deny Kubrick's genius as a director of angles, visuals, depth or artistic imagery, his films are generally emotionally quite disconnected since his character development is quite minimal, and the characters themselves one dimensional. ( Yeah, Alex DeLarge is an exception to this ) However, Paths of Glory is one of the most coherently structured films Kubrick has ever made, and doesn't have that 'weird-esque' feeling to it that later Kubrick films might have. It also has the strongest message about humanity and evil indifference, which in a way makes this Kubrick's most personally touching film by far, and the result is that it is without a doubt the most emotionally draining film he has ever made.
Colonel Dax ( Kirk Douglas ) is the metaphor for the sole representation and hope of humanity, whereas every other high ranking officer symbolizes the evil and inhumanity of man. The picture does a tremendous job by showing the futility of war, and the corruption of those involved. The enemy is never shown, and battle sequences, while technically superbly filmed, are deliberately not very satisfying. This further symbolizes the fact that this is in the end about an army fighting itself, instead of an enemy, which ofcourse also emphasizes the ultimate uselessness of war. The only German that is shown ( The female singer in the final scene ) is depicted as an array of light and hope, instead of hate and anger as is usually associated with the enemy.
The acting is generally superb, with in particular an outstanding performance by Kirk Douglas in the lead role, who truly seems to be the sole 'human' officer depicted in the film. The screenplay that is accompanied with this ( In particular later discussions between him and his superior officers ) is also fantastic, as the dialogue is intelligent and very relevant to this reflection of the human condition and the corruption thereof. There are a couple of short scenes in which the three future victims are introduced, and they are depicted as the average joe's who are quite comparable to nearly every other human being, and therefore their dilemma is even more emotionally compelling.
In terms of technical aspects, Paths of Glory is also phenomenal. It is one of the best looking black-and-white movies ever made, which is a result of fantastic cinematography. The lighting in the jail sequences, the sideways tracking shots of the charge on the ant hill or the execution walk, every shot is close to perfection. Ofcourse the long trackingshots in the trenches also help enhance the situation our characters are in, and Kubrick's blocking in the officer scenes is fantastic, with many varieties in mood swings which are always emphasized by a character sitting down, standing up, or walking a certain direction. The dynamics in these exposition scenes are remarkable due to these varying visual hierarchies. One also has to mention the fantastic production design of the indoor sets featuring the high ranking officers, which definitely gives the audience this aristocratic kind of feeling that is in high contrast to the bleak trackingshots in the trenches featuring the normal soldiers.
In the end, Paths of Glory is Kubrick's greatest personal effort, and among his greatest films. It is a genuinely human story under inhuman conditions, and with a final scene that is one of the greatest metaphorical and emotional sequences ever created in cinema, it is indeed one of the all-time greats in terms of anti war motion pictures.