Excellent filmmaking (warning - spoiler)

Rating: Null/10 (22 February 2003)

"Paths of Glory" is definitely a forgotten classic. The plot is fairly simple; a French General wants his troops (under lawyer-turned-soldier Colonel Dax, played brilliantly by Kirk Douglas) to take a German position, and when the attack fails he has three of the soldiers court-martialled for cowardice in order to set an example.
Apart from the excellent story, which I'm sure is well documented by the other summaries, I think the cinematography of this film is particularly astounding. There are some particular examples which I will mention:
After the scene in which General Broulard and General Mireau are discussing the planned attack on the Anthill, there is a shot of the German fortress; the camera then pans backwards to reveal that it is a view through an observation slat in the French trenches. The shot is accompanied by deep martial drum beats, and perfectly characterizes the changeover from the cozy office scene to that of the war-torn trenches.
Right before the attack, Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) walks speedily through the trench. As he walks, the view switches back and forth from his view of the trench to a shot of Kirk's face as he walks. The ruthless lack of emotion on Kirk's face and the nervousness of the soldiers creates an all too realistic atmosphere of anxiety before the coming battle.
The battle scene itself is excellent. Older war movies are always disappointingly antiseptic and unrealistic. But though the charge in "Paths of Glory" is relatively bloodless compared to the invasion scene in "Saving Private Ryan," the motion of the soldiers over the cratered landscape of No Man's Land makes the scene seem more realistic than most of the same time period.
There is one final moment of excellence, which of course I would urge you not to read if you have not seen the movie in its entirety:

*warning* SPOILER *warning*

In the scene when the prisoners are being marched out into the courtyard in front of the assembly of military and civilian spectators, they walk past Kirk Douglas. As they do this, the camera follows Kirk's face as it turns to follow the men, focusing on his penetrating eyes and serious countenance. Excellent, excellent shot.