Paths of Glory (1957)
Average Rating: 8.8/10
Reviews Counted: 46
Fresh: 43 | Rotten: 3
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 7.9/10
Critic Reviews: 11
Fresh: 9 | Rotten: 2
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 4.2/5
User Ratings: 32,905
Movie Info
Adapting Humphrey Cobb's novel to the screen, director Stanley Kubrick and his collaborators Calder Willingham and Jim Thompson set out to make a devastating anti-war statement, and they succeeded above and beyond the call of duty. In the third year of World War I, the erudite but morally bankrupt French general Broulard (Adolphe Menjou) orders his troops to seize the heavily fortified "Ant Hill" from the Germans. General Mireau (George MacReady) knows that this action will be suicidal, but he
Dec 25, 1957 Limited
May 15, 2001
United Artists
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Kirk Douglas
Col. Dax -
Ralph Meeker
Corp. Paris -
Adolphe Menjou
Gen. Broulard -
George Macready
Gen. Mireau -
Wayne Morris
Lieutenant Roget -
Richard Anderson
Maj. Saint-Auban -
Joe Turkel
Private Arnaud -
Timothy Carey
Private Ferol -
Peter Capell
Col. Judge -
Susanne Christian
German Girl -
Bert Freed
Sgt. Boulanger -
Jerry Hausner
Cafe Owner -
Harold Benedict
Capt. Nichols -
John Stein
Capt. Rousseau -
Ken Dibbs
Pvt. LeJeune -
Emile G. Meyer
Priest
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All Critics (46) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (3) | DVD (11)
More than 20 years after Mr. Cobb's novel was first published, Mr. Kubrick reminded us that human folly is rarely checked for long. A half-century on, he is still right.
Top CriticKirk Douglas gives one of his finest performances as the intelligent and courageous Col. Dax.
The sardonic rhetoric may be laid on a little heavily at times, but the movie is blunt and scornfully brilliant.
While the subject is well handled and enacted in a series of outstanding characterizations, it seems dated and makes for grim screen fare.
This masterpiece still packs a wallop, though nothing in it is as simple as it may first appear; audiences are still arguing about the final sequence, which has been characterized as everything from a sentimental cop-out to the ultimate cynical twist.
The final scene, in which Kubrick presents close-ups of soldiers watching a captured German girl being forced to sing for their pleasure is nothing short of masterful.
You can sense Kubrick stretching his cinematic wings in this prime slice of Hollywood liberalism.
profound, poignant, and eloquent
Stanley Kubrick often spoke out against war in his film, using violence as a weapon against the audience's sensibilities. Never was he more convincing as here.
watching it is to watch the birth of the one of the greatest filmmakers of the second half of the 20th century
For all its chilly symmetry and beauty, the sheer injustice shown will have your pulse racing.
Stanley Kubrick's best meditation on war (yes, Full Metal Jacket fans, you heard me).
Truly a Kubrick classic with strong Kirk Douglas performance.
Working with a big budget for the first time, Kubrick superbly marshals the battle scenes. But the behind-the-scenes military wrangling seems so regimented and preordained that there's not much left to respond to.
Star Kirk Douglas used to say he didn't have to wait 50 years to know that Paths Of Glory would 'always be good.' He was right.
One of the great anti-war dramas.
The searing Paths Of Glory continues to impress with its striking blend of formal brilliance, economical storytelling and emotional directness.
Audience Reviews for Paths of Glory
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- Gen. Mireau: The men died wonderfully.
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Foreign Titles
- Wege zum Ruhm (DE)
- Paths of Glory (1957) (CA)
Stanley Kubrick, the genius behind Full Metal Jacket, directs another fantastic war film. Though Paths of Glory is more character-based than Full Metal Jacket, the battle sequences are nonetheless incredibly choreographed and compelling. The film slows down once it gets to the trial, and it is then that questions of honor and integrity in the face of extraordinary circumstances emerge as the film's primary themes. The characters become types, but that doesn't stop Kubrick from being able to get us to sympathize with their plights. Colonel Dax, especially, becomes an interesting character because he's forced to face his own failures and his ability to define himself erodes. Kirk Douglas captures these nuances, and Adolphe Menjou makes a great villain.
Overall, this is one of Kubrick's finest films.