Very compelling anti-war film

Rating: 7/10 (24 January 2005)

"Paths of Glory", Stanley Kubrick's 1957 anti-war film was his first film in the anti-war genre, but not his last. Starring Kirk Douglas as Col. Dax, the commander of a regiment in the French army who fall back on their orders because theirs is an impossible attack. Gen. Paul Mireau (George Macready) is a glory-seeking man who agreed to this attack regardless of the casualties it will cause, and when it all hits the fan, looks for anyone else to be the scapegoats. He and Gen. George Broulard (Adolph Menjou) tell Dax that he must select random men to execute for cowardice, but Dax talks him into only selecting three, and to allow him to defend them. (In civilian life, Dax was the best attorney in France.) All of the events of the film are an exercise in futility, and the entire film's strong anti-war stance is extremely effective.
This was one of the very few Kubrick films I had not seen (I think my last one is Spartacus) and I was extremely impressed. As with another early film of his, "The Killing", his intelligence, vision and burgeoning talent are so very apparent. I enjoyed seeing certain Kubrick trademarks in this film, (particularly the tracking shot which follows Douglas through the trenches) and the story really was a compelling one. Apparently he had to fight to get this film made, and found a strong ally in Douglas, who used his star power with Warner Brothers to get the job done. This is certainly a must-see for any Kubrick fan, and a worthwhile film to check out anyway. "Paths of Glory" does not have the wit or belly laughs of "Dr. Strangelove", or even the terror of "Full Metal Jacket", but it is a strong film with a strong story. Simply based upon the first viewing I give it a 7/10.
--Shelly