A Masterpiece about Military Incompetence and Immorality

Rating: 9/10 (30 August 2013)

Kubrick's Paths of Glory, as has been reported by other reviewers, is a masterpiece of film making. The acting is excellent. The camera work is extraordinary. The script is lean and powerful.
It also conveys a powerful message. It may be an anti-war message, but I think it is, more accurately, a message about the officers who advance through the ranks via military politics and who lead others even though they themselves are morally bankrupt.
One must inevitably compare the movie to Breaker Morant, another film about military leadership, including courtroom scenes and three defendants. One could think that Breaker Morant owes much to Paths of Glory, but Breaker Morant is based upon a true story from the Boer War. As good as Paths of Glory is, Breaker Morant is one of my favorite films. I think it has more depth of emotion.
But Paths of Glory is a must see.