Paths of Glory (1957)

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writers:

Stanley Kubrick (screenplay) &
Calder Willingham (screenplay) and
Jim Thompson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 October 1957 (West Germany)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | War

Tagline:

Never has the screen thrust so deeply into the guts of war!

Plot:

When soldiers in WW1 refuse to continue with an impossible attack, their superiors decide to make an example of them.

Plot Keywords:

General | Soldier | French Army | WWI | Major

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Kirk Douglas	...	Col. Dax
Ralph Meeker	...	Cpl. Philippe Paris
Adolphe Menjou	...	Gen. George Broulard
George Macready	...	Gen. Paul Mireau
Wayne Morris	...	Lt. Roget
Richard Anderson	...	Maj. Saint-Auban
Joe Turkel	...	Pvt. Pierre Arnaud (as Joseph Turkel)
Christiane Kubrick	...	German singer (as Susanne Christian)
Jerry Hausner	...	Proprietor of cafe
Peter Capell	...	Narrator of opening sequence / Judge (colonel) of court-martial
Emile Meyer	...	Father Dupree
Bert Freed	...	Sgt. Boulanger
Kem Dibbs	...	Pvt. Lejeune
Timothy Carey	...	Pvt. Maurice Ferol
Fred Bell	...	Shell-shock victim

Also Known As:

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Latin

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Spain:T | Iceland:L | Spain:(Banned) (1957-1986) | West Germany:12 (f) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:Atp (re-rating) | Netherlands:12 (2007) (DVD) | UK:PG (tv rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2005) | UK:PG (video rating: 86m) (2002) | Argentina:13 (original rating) | Australia:PG | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | France:(Banned) (original rating) | France:U (re-release) | Ireland:12 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) (passed with cuts) | UK:PG (video rating) (1989) | USA:Approved (MPAA rating: certificate #18708)

Filming Locations:

Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Bryna Productions

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [Stanley Kubrick] [faces]The soldiers, while the German girl is singing.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As Colonel Dax is running through the trenches after General Mireau gives his order, a supposedly-dead soldier blinks.

Quotes:

Soldier 1:I'm not afraid of dying tomorrow, only of getting killed.
Soldier 2:That's as clear as mud.
Soldier 1:Well, which would you rather be done in by: a bayonet or a machine gun?
Soldier 2:Oh, a machine gun, naturally.
Soldier 1:Naturally, that's just my point. They're both pieces of steel ripping into your guts, only the machine gun is quicker, cleaner, and less painful, isn't it?
Soldier 2:Yeah, but what does that prove?
Soldier 1:That proves that most of us are more afraid of getting hurt than of getting killed. Look at Bernard. He panics when it comes to gas. Gas doesn't bother me a bit. He's seen photos of gas cases. Doesn't mean anything to me. But I'll tell you something though, I'd hate like the devil to be without my tin hat. But on the other hand I don't mind not having a tin hat for my tail. Why is that?
Soldier 2:You're darn tootin', because...
Soldier 1:Because I know a wound to the head would hurt much more than one to the tail. The tail is just meat but the head- ah, the head is all bone.
Soldier 2:That's...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Entrenched: The Making of 'Gallipoli' (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Der Treue Husar

An Anti-War Masterpiece

In France, in the First World War, the insane and ambitious general Gen. Paul Mireau (George Macready) orders Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) to lead his men in a suicide attack against Germans in the unattainable Ant Hill. After a massacre of the French soldiers, Gen. Mireau orders his artillery to drop bombs between the French front line of attack and the trenches, to avoid the soldier to return to the protection of the trenches. The commander of the French artillery refuses to accomplish the order. Gen. Mireau asks his superior, Gen. George Broulard (Adolphe Menjou), to send three men to Court Martial and execute them for cowardice through shooting, as an example to the other soldiers. Colonel Dax, a former lawyer, defends his men in the unfair trial. Yesterday I watched this outstanding masterpiece for the first time and certainly it is among the best movies of the cinema history. The disgusting story shows the insanity of a war, where men are treated like numbers and not as human beings. The reality of the battles scenes is amazing. The cast has a stunning performance, highlighting the trio George Macready, Adolphe Menjou and Kirk Douglas. The lack of sensibility and respect for the human life and the cynicism in the dialogs of the two generals are fantastic. Two other points that called my attention are the fancy reception for the general staff, while their subalterns are fighting in the front and the misunderstanding of the real intentions of Colonel Dax by Gen. George Broulard. A must-see movie! My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): `Glória Feita de Sangue' (`Glory Made of Blood')