Kubrick's repeating music motif

Rating: Null/10 (9 December 1998)

It is interesting to observe Kubrick's musical connection of the early "paths of glory" and his modern brother - the 80's "Full metal jacket".
Both pictures end with the same musical narrative: a dusty, tired group of combat soldiers, singing a a surrealistic tune.
The american soldiers of "Metal jacket" are facing their next episode of vietnam nightmare, and they are singing about Mickey Mouse. The surrealistic morbid atmosphere is the bracket of a high energy (double) story.
Yet the survivors of World War 1's "Paths of glory" scene are singing a "border crossing" all-european popular tune with a bar singer. The singer seems to be a young german female captive - but the soldiers (which are the main characters of the film) are french.
When combining this clue with the central theme of the film, Kubrick's hidden message unveils: when tragedy occurs, your real enemy is on your side - not the opposite one.