Paths of glory

Stanley Kubrick’s World War One drama is a compelling anti-war film about the absurdities and horrors of war. Based on Humphrey Cobb’s novel, and co-written by Kubrick and Jim Thompson, ‘Paths of glory’ looks at the political machinations and power plays that ultimately decide who lives and dies in times of war, the cost and meaning of a life reduced to mere numbers and strategic manoeuvre. Set amongst the trenches and later on the decadent Chateau’s occupied by the French army’s elite, the films central courtroom drama focuses on the efforts of Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) to free three French soldiers (Joseph Turkel, Timothy Carey and Ralph Meeker) accused of cowardice for wisely retreating from a suicide mission to storm an Ant Hill occupied by the German army. Kubrick views the efforts of the French military to condemn these innocent men to death with detached bitter irony, leaving the films powerful message for it’s moving closing moments. Cast includes George Macready, Adolphe Menjou, Wayne Morris, Richard Anderson