It’s often brought up when people talk about the best war films ever made (Image: MGM)
There are some films you end up thinking about long after you’ve watched them, and this is one people can’t get out of their heads. It’s often brought up when people talk about the best war films ever made, and for good reason.
Many viewers say it’s quite different to most films in the genre. It focuses just as much on the decisions behind the fighting as it does on the battlefield itself. And even though it came out decades ago, people still say it holds up today. It also has an impressive 96% critic score and 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
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The story follows French soldiers during World War 1 who refuse to continue a near-impossible attack (Image: MGM)
That film is Paths of Glory. Released in 1957, it is an anti-war film directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the 1935 novel by Humphrey Cobb.
The story follows French soldiers during World War 1 who refuse to continue a near-impossible attack.
Kirk Douglas stars as Colonel Dax, who then defends the men when they are put on trial for cowardice.
The film was not shot in France due to its critical portrayal of the French military and was instead filmed in West Germany.
Despite this, it went on to receive widespread praise and is now seen as one of the greatest war films ever made.
It was even selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1992 for being culturally and historically important.
Many of those who have seen the film have called it a masterpiece.
One person wrote in a review on IMDb: “Greatest movie of all time. Kubrick’s mesmerising masterpiece that’s brilliant, gripping, and definitely a must-see.”
Another added: “It is an unforgettable masterpiece, a war film that combines the brutality of combat with a scathing indictment of military bureaucracy and the toxic patriotism that fuels it.
“The film is visually stunning, with Kubrick’s signature precision and attention to detail evident in every frame.”
A third wrote: “I consider Paths of Glory as one of the most memorable of Kubrick’s entire output. The most remarkable aspect of this pioneer anti-war film is the complete absence of any persons depicting the ‘real’ enemy.
Many have described the film as a ‘masterpiece’ (Image: MGM)
“Therefore, the significance of the film lay not so much in its anti-war message, but in its brilliant expose of the ‘monsters within’ the general staff.”
Someone else commented: « The most realistic, most emotionally draining, and most beautifully photographed movie ever made about trench warfare in World War 1. »
The film’s story focuses on a failed attack known as “the Anthill”, where soldiers are ordered into a battle they have little chance of winning.
When the attack fails, some are accused of cowardice and face a court-martial.
Colonel Dax, who was a lawyer before the war, steps in to defend them in a trial that quickly shows the flaws of the military system.
Paths of Glory is available to stream on Prime Video with an MGM+ subscription, which also offers a free seven-day trial.
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