Paths of Glory was Stanley Kubricks entrance into the realm of great directors; and, for good reason too. Every scene from the meeting of the 2 powerful generals to the pointless charge is all aimed to display the brutality of war and the separation of classes on the battlefield. Kubrick and his cinematographer(George Krause) use the black and white film as an instrument to show the darkness of war. This film has no need for color, in fact, if it was shot in color it would take away the effect it has on the viewer. The lighting works hand in hand with the black and white film too create drama; and, enhance the effect of death and destruction of war.
Paths of Glory was first written in a novel of the same name by Humphrey Cobb,which Kubrick bought the rights too from Cobbs widow for $10,000 dollars. The movie starts off with a narration setting up the story. As Germany and France entered the war they dug fortified trenches stretching from Switzerland all the way to the English Channel, by 1916 successful attacks were measured by thousands of yards and paid for by thousands of lives. The opening scene starts off with 2 generals in a palace, the man even has a live palm tree for god sakes. They talk how the war is starting to stalemate and that taking a heavy fortified German position is the only way to move forward, deeming that 60% of casualties is acceptable. We then switch from the lavish palace to the heavily fortified trenches of the battlefield, this is a perfect example of contrast in the sense of the story; and, Kubrick uses this as a visual way to show the major separation of the 2 classes, the ruling class and the workers. The generals are detached from the value of many human lives because they are in a position of power. And this is Kubricks main character in the film, power. The way power is used to kill and maim thousands of men by the hands of the few. The story, in a nutshell is a Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) disobeying his commanding officers General Broulard (Adolphe Menjou) and General Mireau (George Macready) by defending 3 men who were convicted to death by cowardice.
The actors performances are fantastic. General Mireau(George Macready) is played with such fire and conviction. Kirk Douglas' performance is stone cold and resolute, yet never over the top. He is a man following orders; but, when hes angry you could tell. There is power and conviction in his role and is one of the main reasons why this movie is exceptional.
The actors performances are fantastic. General Mireau(George Macready) is played with such fire and conviction. Kirk Douglas' performance is stone cold and resolute, yet never over the top. He is a man following orders; but, when hes angry you could tell. There is power and conviction in his role and is one of the main reasons why this movie is exceptional.
The costumes of Paths to Glory are fully realistic of the French army clothes at the time, from the tiny metal hats all the way down to the dirt on the mens faces. Costume design and make up was crucial in enveloping the viewer of what trench warfare was really like. Every man has character, they look like they have been through the war itself and that not only enhances the effect Paths of Glory has on the viewer, it is the result of good costume design. While there is not much blood shown it is revealed tastefully, and here we see Kubricks experience with directing his earlier film noir movies, he knows how to place blood only in the most crucial of scenes.
While there were not much special effects in the movie, the futile charge Colonel Dax leads is full of explosions, smoke, gun fire, and many many extras dieing. This is such a crucial scene in the movie from a technical aspect and a plot aspect, it is the turning point in the movie; and, Kubrick executes it to perfection with such stunning realism of what war actually looks like. All the shots in this movie are long and drawn out. The trench scene just before the troops charge into no mans land, the wide angeled shot of the carnage, the long trailing shot of the generals ball; and, the funeral parade of the 3 "convicts." This is a classic trademark of the Kubrick style, drawing scenes out to stress their importance. These shots are crucial to the advancement of the story; and, are used to emphasize their importance on us and reveal certain things like the hypocrisy of the ruling class, and trench warfare. These shots are not for looks but are aimed straight at your heart. This movie is not beautiful, and that is intentional. We all know Kubrick with his skill, could have made the most beautiful anti-war movie ever with every color of the rainbow imaginable, with colors so vivid and shots so beautiful they'll make your head spin; but, that is not the point. Kubrick directed this film in such a way so the viewer can get a glimpse of what war is really like and the sorrow it causes men.
The music is typical of the time, back in 1957 all soundtracks were made with a full orchestra and this film is nothing different. The French national anthem in the beginning scene was a nice touch in setting up the story. But after that there is not much music till the end, only war drums in some parts . This was a smart choice by Kubrick seeing as full score music would only distance the viewer away from what the film is trying to achieve. Silence is the main music here and it does a good job in maintaining the vibe, ESPECIALLY during our time with the 3 convicts, the stark silence in the cell does its part to make us feel for the convicts.The final scene with the German singer is a surprising twist and a classic example of how audio in a film can be used to make it spectacular. The singing of the men, singing out with cathartic voices tug on your heartstrings; and, bring a great climax to the end of the film, only to be ruined by the ending movie credits with full orchestra. Great audio in a film only exists to enhance certain scenes and in Paths of Glory while there is not much music, the sound and silence speak for itself.
Overall, Paths of Glory succeeds in what it sets out to do. Create a true anti-war movie. Kubrick succeeded so much that the film was banned in France, Switzerland; and, Spain for a number of years. While this movie is short for a Kubrick film, the cinematography shows greatness and hints of Kubricks future projects when they are more expansive and groundbreaking. Every scene is carefully crafted to greatness, Kirk Douglas called it the "Best acting performance of his life." And my god, the ending scene will continue to cause viewers to cry for many years to come.
While there were not much special effects in the movie, the futile charge Colonel Dax leads is full of explosions, smoke, gun fire, and many many extras dieing. This is such a crucial scene in the movie from a technical aspect and a plot aspect, it is the turning point in the movie; and, Kubrick executes it to perfection with such stunning realism of what war actually looks like. All the shots in this movie are long and drawn out. The trench scene just before the troops charge into no mans land, the wide angeled shot of the carnage, the long trailing shot of the generals ball; and, the funeral parade of the 3 "convicts." This is a classic trademark of the Kubrick style, drawing scenes out to stress their importance. These shots are crucial to the advancement of the story; and, are used to emphasize their importance on us and reveal certain things like the hypocrisy of the ruling class, and trench warfare. These shots are not for looks but are aimed straight at your heart. This movie is not beautiful, and that is intentional. We all know Kubrick with his skill, could have made the most beautiful anti-war movie ever with every color of the rainbow imaginable, with colors so vivid and shots so beautiful they'll make your head spin; but, that is not the point. Kubrick directed this film in such a way so the viewer can get a glimpse of what war is really like and the sorrow it causes men.
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| The Futile Charge. |
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| Our 3 "convicts." |
The music is typical of the time, back in 1957 all soundtracks were made with a full orchestra and this film is nothing different. The French national anthem in the beginning scene was a nice touch in setting up the story. But after that there is not much music till the end, only war drums in some parts . This was a smart choice by Kubrick seeing as full score music would only distance the viewer away from what the film is trying to achieve. Silence is the main music here and it does a good job in maintaining the vibe, ESPECIALLY during our time with the 3 convicts, the stark silence in the cell does its part to make us feel for the convicts.The final scene with the German singer is a surprising twist and a classic example of how audio in a film can be used to make it spectacular. The singing of the men, singing out with cathartic voices tug on your heartstrings; and, bring a great climax to the end of the film, only to be ruined by the ending movie credits with full orchestra. Great audio in a film only exists to enhance certain scenes and in Paths of Glory while there is not much music, the sound and silence speak for itself.
Overall, Paths of Glory succeeds in what it sets out to do. Create a true anti-war movie. Kubrick succeeded so much that the film was banned in France, Switzerland; and, Spain for a number of years. While this movie is short for a Kubrick film, the cinematography shows greatness and hints of Kubricks future projects when they are more expansive and groundbreaking. Every scene is carefully crafted to greatness, Kirk Douglas called it the "Best acting performance of his life." And my god, the ending scene will continue to cause viewers to cry for many years to come.
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