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Paths of Glory

Paths of Glory

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best war movie, and one of the best movies of all time.
Review: Paths of Glory has been one of my favorite films of all time. The first time I saw it, in 1972, was on a big screen, and the battle scenes were intensely griping and life like, even though the super realism of Saving Private Ryan is avoided. The grittiness and the intensity of battle is stomach renching. I had a new sense of what the trenches of WW I must have been like. Add to this a story which infuriates, acting which is totally believable, and finally, a sense of poigniency (sp?) which makes you tearful, and you have one of the best films of all time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best war movie ever made.
Review: A brilliant piece of filmmaking. A brilliant critique of war. Excellent performances by Douglas and the rest of the cast. Buy it, watch it, treasure it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Searing Portrayl of Abuse of Power
Review: This is, without a doubt, one of the finest "war" films ever made. Banned in France for years, "Paths of Glory" superbley illustrates the ultimate futility and waste of war. Released more than 40 years ago, this black and white Kubrick masterpiece easyily outshines "war" films such as Platoon and Fourth of July.Kubrick's own "Full Metal Jacket" pales in comparison to this film. From the disease-infested trenches on the western front to the oppulant and outlandinsh headquarters of the French Army High Command, Kubrick gave Kirk Douglas one of his finest acting vehicles and was rewarded with a stunning and gut-wrenching performance. The film's story of corruption and abuse of power is as old as the Bible. But through Douglas, Kubrick was able to put a face on the human toll of such arrogance and misplaced trust. My only complaint of the film is it isn't yet available on widescreen DVD.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the great films of this century
Review: This flawless masterpiece was far ahead of its time and is the work of genius. The fact that it was banned in France for decades speaks for itself: Kubrick hit an exposed nerve with his stunning realism and searing indictment of military discipline sacrificed to professional and political ambition.

As the First World War passes out of living memory, it is on the way to becoming a "forgotten war." _Paths of Glory_ captures the horror and futility of that war, which included the self-inflicted savagery of brutal military discipline, particularly (though by no means exclusively) in the French Army. Set in 1916 on the Western Front, when slaughter had become the order of the day, this film chronicles a doomed infantry assault and the French practice of "decimation" of disgraced units.

The infantry assault on an impregnable German position known as "the Ant Hill," pre-dates by decades Spielberg's [justly] acclaimed Omaha Beach landing scene in _Saving Private Ryan_, and is every bit as horrifying as the French "poilus" are ripped and blown apart by artillery and machinegun fire. And throughout this film, one never even sees a German soldier. The French never make it beyond their own barbed wire.

The subsequent court martial of three soldiers chosen at random to be tried for "cowardice in the face of the enemy" is a mockery, the hopelessness of which parallels the failed attack. Kubrick's focus on the last night of the condemned and their march to execution is sickeningly realistic.

Every scene in the film is effective as Kubrick explores the meaning of heroism and cowardice, both physical and moral, through the lives and deaths of soldiers. While brutal, the film is also filled with subtlety, social commentary and several compelling subplots.

I have shown this film in the course I teach on Military Justice. Beyond the reaction of horror at the doomed infantry assault and indignation over the injustice of the executions, I have discerned some muttered gratitude for the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Filmed in black and white, this stark, lean film is superior even to Kubrick's excellent _Full Metal Jacket_. It should be required viewing for every Officer Candidate, and it deserves considered viewing by any who truly aspire to the title of "citizen." What Kubrick reflects, here, has been the implicit cost of nationalism in this century.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Possibly THE best war film of all time, from the master...
Review: It's a bold claim, I know, but this has to be one of the best, if not THE best war film ever made. A shattering account of military and class politics during WWI, this film will leave you speechless (and emotionally drained) by the its conclusion. Kubrick is utterly relentless is this brutual examination of the court-martial of 3 innocent men. And this is based on a true story! A truly terrifying film; once you see it, you'll never need to watch another war film again. For what it's worth, your humble reviewer is a combat vet.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Amazing
Review: This movie astounded me. Kirk Douglas plays one of his best characters, as he tries to save three men from a firing squad.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellant movie!
Review: One of the best war films

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Irrefutable
Review: Without question, "Paths of Glory" must be included on any definitive list of war films, if not film in general... Like most of Kubrick's work, this movie needs no critique or explanation. It speaks for itself.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Paths of glory lead but to the grave"
Review: "Paths of Glory" is a beautifully filmed B&W movie by director Stanley Kubrick, and stars Kirk Douglas in one of his finest roles. It is a timeless anti-war movie whose message will not go out of style.

Basically, 3 French soldiers are court-martialed to take the blame for a failed suicide attack on the Germans. Although Kirk Douglas commanded the men, he also defends them at the trial.

Well acted by all, with excellent photography and direction, this movie currently resides at #39 on the IMDB list.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An unforgettable film!
Review: This is one the finest works of Stanley Kubrick. There are few movies in the cinema story so shocking like this. The nasty human condition and the greed of a General makes he sents a command under Kirk Douglas's service to a real suicide. It's imposible reach the desired goal.
To save his reputation they are sent to a jury arguing cowardy .
This is a heavyweight anti war movie. Kirk Douglas in one of his most powerful roles in his career.
A cult movie!
A must in your collection.


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