Paths of Glory (1957)

After refusing to attack an enemy position, a general accuses the soldiers of cowardice and their commanding officer must defend them.

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writers:

Stanley Kubrick (screenplay), Calder Willingham (screenplay)

Stars:

Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou

Top Rated Movies #59 | Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 7 wins & 3 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 / Chief Judge of Court-Martial
Emile Meyer	...	Father Dupree
Bert Freed	...	Sgt. Boulanger
Kem Dibbs	...	Pvt. Lejeune
Timothy Carey	...	Pvt. Maurice Ferol
Fred Bell	...	Shell-Shocked Soldier

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.

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Plot Keywords:

trench warfare | military officer | rifle | world war one | french soldier | 

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Taglines:

It explodes in the no-man's land no picture ever dared cross before!

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The song performed by Christiane Kubrick (née Christiane Harlan) at the end of the film is a German folk song titled "Der treue Hussar" ("The Faithful Hussar") and dates from 1825. Vera Lynn took the song to #55 in the US record charts.

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Goofs

In the bar at the movie's end, in order to look scruffy and disheveled, some of the men had obvious phony beards and mustaches glued onto their faces, some not very well. The reason? Those "soldiers" were actually off-duty Munich Policeman who were hired for the scene and HAD to be clean shaven for their "real" jobs.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator of opening sequence: War began between Germany and France on August 3rd 1914. Five weeks later the German army had smashed its way to within eighteen miles of Paris. There the battered French miraculously rallied their forces at the Marne River and in a series of unexpected counterattacks drove the Germans back. The front was stabilized then shortly afterwards developed into a continuous line of heavily fortified trenches zigzagging their way five hundred miles from the English Channel to the Swiss ...

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Connections

Referenced in The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2010)

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Soundtracks

Der Treue Husar
(uncredited)
German folk song
Sung a cappella by Christiane Kubrick near the end

User Reviews

Gripping Anti-War Film

Paths of Glory is one of the best movies ever made, and possibly the best "war" movie, period. Paths of Glory does not portray war as conflict between armies or individual soldiers arrayed against one another on the battlefield. Nor does it portray the acts of great leaders and heroes of war. No this film takes a different tact.

The setting is the Western Front of 1916 in the trenches with French soldiers faced off against an invisible German force across a barren No Man's Land. The German's are never seen and the dramatic "combat" is between vain French officers as they vie for prestige and honors. The victims are the innocent French soldiers under their command who suffer miserably because of their arrogance and ignorance.

Brilliant, gripping, and definitely a "must see".

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Latin

Release Date:

25 December 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Paths of Glory

Filming Locations:

Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$935,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,252

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bryna Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1