Best WW1 film

Rating: 10/10 (18 August 2013)

Having watched this film for the umpteenth time today, I can only say that I've never seen a better film about WW1. The only one that comes close is the magnificent 'All Quiet on the Western Front' which, of course, sees the war from a German perspective though it's all too clear that life in the trenches was just as awful for both sides.
'Paths of Glory' is a film I see as being an understated masterpiece. The perceptions and objectives of those at the top are wholly different from the soldiers, probably mostly conscripts, at the sharp end and while the fighting men are mostly concerned about survival or death, their superiors worry more about their careers and images. Colonel Dax comes across as an honest officer, General Broulard (Adolphe Menjou) as a politician and General Mireau (George Macready) as an incompetent who's desperate not to be seen as a failure. At the end, the only real survivor is Broulard, as Mireau is headed for his own inquiry and Dax is on his way back to the front.
The story may be slight but the power of the production is immense. How the director made such an extraordinary film from such limited material is a mark of his greatness. While many younger viewers will see its stark black and white presentation as off-putting, a more mature eye will be riveted by it. In some ways it's similar to 'Breaker Morant' but it's vastly superior; this is a truly great film.