Paths of Glory (Paths Of Glory (DVD))

Member Name: l-m-n-o-p

Product:	Paths Of Glory (DVD)
Date:	28/01/08 (81 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent story with a strong performance from Douglas

Disadvantages: Very few - maybe not as much action as you might expect

One of director Stanley Kubrick's earlier and lesser known films, Paths of Glory is a powerful anti-war film starring Kirk Douglas. Whilst it did not receive any awards at the time, it has since become a classic, and is currently rated #44 on the IMDb chart - Kubrick's second highest film.

Set on the French frontline in 1916, Douglas plays Colonel Dax - an idealistic man who is ordered to lead his French troops on a seemingly impossible mission. Although he reluctantly does so, the mission turns into a disaster; many men die, and they end up retreating back to their trenches.

Disgusted by this apparent display of cowardice, the General Somebody (played by Somebody Somebody) orders a court marshal. Three men must be picked out and executed as an example to the others. Angry at this scapegoating by the generals, Dax chooses to act as the defence for these men, and fights to save their lives.

Whilst this is undeniably a great film, I wonder at the ratings on IMDb - men give this an average 8.6, whilst women give it only 7.3. I think this could be due to its false appearance as an out and out war film, leading to people voting accordingly without actually seeing it (which many people probably haven't).

In truth, it's an anti-war film, and more concerned with the moral implications, political agendas and human cost of war, than with the bombs and bullets. Dare I say it, perhaps it's more of a women's war film, if you believed in such gender stereotypes.

Either way, the film is only on the battlefield for the first half, then after this it switches to a kind of courtroom drama, as Dax tries to uphold freedom and justice against the odds. It's a really inspirational film, with a commanding performance from Douglas - he's sympathetic and courageous without overdoing it. These court marshal scenes are excellent too; I'm not generally a fan of courtroom dramas and thus I haven't seen that many, but it recalled films such as To Kill A Mockingbird, in which an idealist fights the system.

On the other hand, it's also quite a satirical and cynical film, in the style of Dr Strangelove but without the humour. Well, cynical towards the government, that is, not at all cynical towards the soldiers. Kubrick brilliantly contrasts the luxury of the general's office with the horrible conditions of the trenches, and some scenes are quite bleak and shocking. The ending too, is both uplifting and sad, and fully expresses the stupidity of war.

It's expertly directed as you would expect from such a master - like I said, the way he contrasts various ideas is brilliant, and the film is edited very well, for example cutting straight from the trial to the outcome, without needing to give us the verdict in between, since we can work that out for ourselves. This kind of economical storytelling means the film is only 87 minutes long, and it's very well paced. Some scenes are quite lengthy to draw out their tension; others are gone through as quickly as possible, but you never feel like you're missing out on anything.

Overall, I would say that this is yet another brilliant film from Kubrick, and probably his best film dealing with war (it's not a "war film", remember). Powerful, inspirational and moving, it's possibly one of the best films you've never heard of. Unless you've heard of it. In which case it's just a very good film.

You can buy Paths of Glory from www.amazon.co.uk for £3.98. I'm reviewing the film only, not the DVD.

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Classification: PG

Running time: 87 minutes
Year: 1957

My Rating: 9/10

Summary: An excellent, thought-provoking film about WW1