The Sign of Brilliance to Come

Rating: 9/10 (17 February 2014)

I won't bother to dissect the film, or to comment on its value as a statement of war, but rather to state this is a testament to the brilliant film making that marked the career of Stanley Kubrick. The greatness that was to come through his next films (Strangelove, 2001, Clockwork Orange) is on full display here. Its hard to imagine that we can enter this twisted world of war, where nonsensical episodes are commonplace, and yet we are not simply muted spectators, we are empathetic participants. This is Kubrick's genius. Making the bizarre and extraordinary seem almost mundane.
One could consider the range of performances as a further measure of Kubrick's growing confidence as a film maker. Kirk Douglas can never really be accused of being too subtle, but here the passion seems to rise out of the absurd circumstances. There is a genuine quality to everyone here, just as there would be with Gen. Jack D. Ripper and Alex years later.