Among the 5 best movies of Stanley Kubrick (Some spoilers)

Rating: 10/10 (21 November 2001)

General George Broulard (Adolphe Menjou) appoints General Paul Mireau (George Macready) to plan an attack on "The Anthill": An important German position that has been heavily fortified and deemed impregnable. The Regiment chosen to attack is the 701st, lead by Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas). Though it has been estimated that more than half of Dax's men will be killed, the 701st should be able to take and hold the Anthill until reinforcements arrive.
A day later, the attack begins. After a light bombardment, the first wave charges toward the Hill. However it is found to be merely a suicide charge. Many of the troops are either killed or wounded. The bombardment is so intense that some of the soldiers never even leave the trenches. General Mireau (Who was observing the battle from afar) deems the men cowards and orders a court martial with a sentence of death if the men are convicted.
Paths of Glory is a bold and powerful statement against the self-serving officers of all armies. General Mireau did not capture the Anthill. So, although the attack was impossible, he court-martialed and had killed some of the "cowards" who made him look "ridiculous". These Generals, although they must be geniuses to have risen to such high rank, also have no clue what some of these soldiers go through. They live and work and dine and drink in their spacious, nice, clean mansions while the soldiers who do the fighting and win the wars live in cramped, ugly, dirty trenches under the constant fear of death and disease. In one scene, as General Mireau inspects the trenches, he comes across a shell-shocked soldier. In a scene reminiscent of Patton, he hits the soldier who he then claims is a Baby. Maybe if he had been in the first wave of the attack on the anthill, he might have respected the men rather than court-marital them.

I will not talk much about the court martial, for there is not much to talk about. It is also more of a kangaroo court; The outcome has already been pre-determined and the defense is futile. The three men court-martialed are Private Paris (Ralph Meeker), selected because his unit commander has a personal grudge against him (The film shows why), Private Ferol (Timothy Carey), chosen because his commander finds him to be physically unattractive and Private Arnaud (Joe Turkel), elected to be court-martialed just because he drew a slip of paper marked with an X.
Paths of Glory has often been renowned as one of Stanley Kubrick's best films. However, despite wide critical acclaim, it was not a commercial success and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences denied it even a single Oscar nomination. This is a pity, for Paths of Glory is not only one of the best war films but is also one of the greatest movies of all time. Period.