Kubrick's best?

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2012)

It is almost impossible to write a review of Paths of Glory without spoiling, because if you want to talk about the best parts of the film - as I do - you will have to give away key plot points.
Firstly, the plot: after an goes horribly wrong, a crazed general decides to cover up his failure by picking three soldiers at random to be tried for cowardice in the face of the enemy. Colonel Dax, aware of the men's innocence, chooses to act as their lawyer.
There are four scenes/sequences in particular I would like to mention: the first is the sequence in which the camera does a tracking shot, following Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) through a trench which is being bombarded by the Germans. This creates a incredible sense of impending doom, which builds to a devastating climax when Dax leads his soldiers 'over-the'top' to their certain deaths. For the time the film was made, this battle seems to me to be astonishingly realistic, and on such a massive scale too.
The next scenes I would like to mention are the scenes in which the soldiers awaiting execution live out their last hours. The cinematography in particular helps to layer a sense of dread over these scenes and you will feel that you feel as helpless as the soldiers awaiting death, and as worthless as Dax as he runs around trying to save them.
The execution scene itself was more suspenseful to me the second time I saw it than when I saw it first. The relentless drumming in the background just helps build the massive tension to its inevitable climax.
Finally, the final scene, in which a young German girl is forced to sing in front of a bunch of rowdy French soldiers. Like the scene previously mentioned, this scene was a lot more powerful the second time around, for whatever reason. While the sings, the room gets gradually quieter, as the soldiers fully realise the situation they are in and weep. You may even cry yourselves - I almost did.
To conclude, Paths of Glory could possibly the best Kubrick film I have seen yet (it's this or The Shining). It's obviously severely dated, and some of the acting leaves a lot more to be desired. But if you look past that, you are watching something truly brilliant, and very anti-war.
Oh, and look out for what are without a doubt the best lines of this or any film (the ones I'm thinking of involve the scene between Dax and Broulard).