phony

Rating: 4/10 (19 September 2002)

I had read all the hoopla about this being one of the seminal anti-war films of all times and, upon finally seeing it, was astounded at how overrated and poorly done it is. The movie is less a drama than a Victorian melodrama. All the generals and officers are the mustachioed villain and all the soldiers are the sausage-curled maiden tied to the railroad tracks. The dialogue is farcically unrealistic; General Mireau's lines, in particular, are of the "Aha, my pretty, at last I have you in my clutches!" variety. One almost thinks that the director is trying to make the audience hiss. Character development is non-existent, as is subtlety. The ballroom scene, in particular, with the grandly attired generals dancing to Strauss waltzes in luxurious surroundings with elegantly attired women is - get it? - supposed to be a contrast with the misery of the soldiers; the point is made like being hit on the side of the head with 2-by-4. Kirk Douglas does the best he can with a limited part. The denouement with the German girl (a prisoner? a prostitute? a lost civilian? just who the hell is she?) singing is both baffling and unconvincing. One keeps waiting for some kind of closure and - bam! - 'The End' comes up.
This is not a quarrel with the theme of the movie, just its execution. For a truly brilliant treatment of the same theme - the scapegoating of soldiers by an uncaring and expedient power structure - see 'Breaker Morant,' a movie with complex, fleshed-out characters, realistic dialogue, and true emotional and dramatic depth. And, for good measure, a court martial that puts the one in "Paths of Glory" to shame.