An excellent anti-war film.

Rating: 10/10 (13 June 2013)

Star Kirk Douglas knew full well this was a film worth making, and readily agreed when young director Stanley Kubrick (28 at the time) approached him to star in this memorable commentary on the insanity of war, specifically on the demands of military brass to produce results. Scripted by Kubrick, Calder Willingham, and Jim Thompson, this tells a convincing and compelling story in high style. Hollywood was loathe to tackle what was deemed controversial material, in the light of Americas' post WWII patriotism, but actor and director stood by the material. This film may not have been profitable in its initial release, but 56 years later its power remains intact.
Based on a book by Humphrey Cobb, it tells the tale of trench warfare during WWI. French general Mireau (George Macready) orders his troops on a suicidal mission. When the mission fails, he determines to save face by selecting some of the soldiers for a court martial. The humanistic, realistic Colonel Dax (Douglas) insists on defending the three men - Corporal Paris (Ralph Meeker), Private Arnaud (Joe Turkel), and Private Ferol (Timothy Carey). However, Dax has his work cut out for him as proving that the fault lies with the brass, rather than the men in the trenches, will be most difficult indeed.
A superb cast, also including Adolphe Menjou as General Broulard, Wayne Morris as Lieutenant Roget, Richard Anderson as the prosecutor, Peter Capell as the judge, and Susanne Christian - a.k.a. Christiane Kubrick, who would become the directors' wife for the next 40 plus years - as the German singer, helps bring this story to life. The mostly percussive music score by Gerald Fried also serves to drive the story forward without calling a lot of attention to itself. Genuinely harrowing battle footage is well staged and executed, and even though emotions are mostly held in check the plight of the three doomed soldiers earns our sympathies; when they start breaking down it's tough to see. And Kubricks' use of the moving camera adds a lot to the scenes in the trenches.
With an impassioned performance by Douglas at its core, "Paths of Glory" is a quietly potent film and easily stands tall as one of the best films of its kind ever made.
10 out of 10.