 Tagline: BOMBSHELL! the roll of the drums... the click of the rifle-bolts... the last cigarette... and then... the shattering impact of this story... perhaps the most explosive motion picture in 25 years! Safe in their picturesque chateau behind the front lines, the French General Staff passes down a direct order to Colonel Dax: take the Ant Hill at any cost. A blatant suicide mission, the attack is doomed to failure. Covering up their fatal blunder, the Generals order the arrest of three innocent soldiers, charging them with cowardice and mutiny. Dax, a lawyer in civilian life, rises to the men's defense but soon realizes that, unless he can prove that the Generals were to blame, nothing less than a miracle will save his clients from the firing squad. Storyline: The futility and irony of the war in the trenches in WWI is shown as a unit commander in the French army must deal with the mutiny of his men and a glory-seeking general after part of his force falls back under fire in an impossible attack. Written by Keith Loh Cast Notes: Kirk Douglas (Colonel Dax), Ralph Meeker (Corporal Phillip Paris), Adolphe Menjou (General George Broulard), George Macready (General Paul Mireau), Wayne Morris [I] (Lieutenant Roget/Singing Man), Richard Anderson [I] (Major Saint-Auban), Joe Turkel (Private Pierre Arnaud), Christiane Kubrick (German Singer), Jerry Hausner (Proprietor of Cafe), Emile Meyer (Father Dupree), Bert Freed (Sergeant Boulanger), Kem Dibbs (Private Lejeune), Timothy Carey (Private Maurice Ferol), Fred Bell (Shell Shock Victim), John Stein [I] (Captain Rousseau, Battery Commander). User Comment: Hermit C-2 Marietta, GA, USA • At only 29 years of age and in only his second major studio release, Stanley Kubrick showed the world that he was a force to be reckoned with. By the time he died 42 years later his films were epochal events waited for breathlessly by his large band of devotees who considered him a director without equal. He seldom disappointed them. This movie is set in World War I amidst the incredibly destructive and futile trench warfare between France and Germany. Kirk Douglas plays Frenchman Colonel Dax, who is ordered to make an impossible assault on a heavily-fortified enemy position. The only reason this charge is being made is that his commanding general, played by George Macready, believes that capturing the position will earn him a promotion. When the assault does not go forward under heavy enemy bombardment, the general is infuriated and demands that three men be arbitrarily chosen to stand trial for cowardice, an offense punishable by death. Col. Dax defends these men at their court-martial. The battle and trial scenes are about as good as have ever been filmed and the high level of tension is sustained throughout the movie. After the film's climax has occurred, Col. Dax goes looking for his troops and finds them relaxing at a cafe. What he and the viewer witness there is possibly the most affecting scene I've ever seen on screen. Looking at this film in perspective, it's easy to see Kubrick's trademarks even at this early stage of his career. The attention to the composition of his shots reflects his background as a still photographer and foreshadows his other great films to come. I find myself most impressed today with the way he could handle a dramatic story like this one without any innovative techniques or unusual special effects to hide behind, then turn around and make such totally different films like '2001...' and 'Dr. Strangelove...' Other films like 'The Shining' and 'Barry Lyndon' combined a strong story line with breakthrough film techniques. His versatility astonishes me. Adolphe Menjou also stars as the general who convinces Dax's superior officer to risk the ill-fated charge. Ralph Meeker, Timothy Carey and Joe Turkel give strong performances as the men on trial. Turkel turns up 23 years later in another Kubrick film, 'The Shining,' playing the bartender. You can take your pick: 'Paths of Glory' can rightly be described as one of the greatest war movies of all, or one of the great anti-war films, or as one of Kubrick's best. Or simply one of the best, period. Summary: Kubrick--a fully-formed genius in 1957. IMDb Rating (07/25/14): 8.5/10 from 89,034 users Top 250: #58 IMDb Rating (10/15/07): 8.4/10 from 26,044 users Top 250: #42 IMDb Rating (07/20/02): 8.7/10 from 6,541 users Top 250: #32
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