Essay In The Master's Craft

Rating: 9/10 (18 June 2006)

This is early proof of why Kubrick especially loved the topic of war -- it inherently gave him two levels of directorial control: the 'normal' one at the director-over-the character level, and the implied one at the director-over-actor level. Douglas would later give profanely grudging praise to Kubrick about his methods.
The best part of this is the meta-level of conflict: that of rogue director against studio bosses, which is mirrored in the story narrative. Kubrick exploits this meta-narrative to get some fine performances from the battle within between Douglas and Macready.
Along the way, we get the nascent Kubrick visual treats centering on his trademark use of camera inertia - he would later build entire cinematic worlds on this notion (after gaining full auteurship).
Especially striking is the first sight of no-man's land when the flare briefly illuminates a landscape from hell. Also a striking effect, on the macro scale, is the jarring relocation of the story from the obliterated battlefield to the court-martial in Schleissheim castle, a neo-Classical beauty.