Paths of Glory (1957)

Film: Paths of Glory (1957)
Stars: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready, Wayne Morris
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Oscar History: Despite a BAFTA Best Picture nomination and universal praise for the film (then and now), the film received no Oscar nominations, likely due to the controversial nature of the movie's depiction of the military.
Snap Judgment Ranking: 5/5 stars

One of the realities of the quarantine for all of us has been that we're staying at home constantly (and if we're not, we should be-social distancing is more important now than ever).  And with that, you can either sit around, be lazy, watching the same TV show over-and-over again (no judgment, this has been part of my "mental decompression" process over the past few months, especially with Bob's Burgers, and I support any form that social distancing takes place if it's medically sound), or you can start to cross off certain things from your To Do lists, and for me, that's been seeing a lot of movies.  Even without access to a movie theater, I'll likely hit the same number of movies I saw in 2019 by Columbus Day, perhaps even Labor Day, at the current rate I'm going.  And with that, I've seen an enormous number of quality, 5-star films.  I normally don't throw out 5-star ratings very often (indeed, I try to save them for only the most hallowed of cinematic experiences), but this week you're going to get two of them-one today, one on Tuesday.  And that's because I'm going to be watching two major classics of 1950's cinema, the first of which is arguably the most important English-language film I'd never seen until this past Friday: Paths of Glory.

(Spoilers Ahead) Paths of Glory is short, particularly considering director Stanley Kubrick would not be brief in later landmark pictures in his filmography (it's only 88 minutes long).  The movie is about a French battalion in World War I whose General Mireau (Macready) is given an order to try to take a well-defended German position called the "Anthill."  Mireau knows this is impossible-the task is not something that his troops will be able to execute successfully, and will surely end with countless lost lives, but is informed that if he does this, he may well be in-line for a promotion.  Mireau greedily gives the orders, and his men die in the battle, with his B Company refusing to continue the fruitless attack (at one point Mireau even orders that his own men are fired upon, but his captain refuses).  When word breaks, Mireau wants to sentence 100 of the men for cowardice, but is persuaded to randomly choose three men, all of whom are chosen for the personal gains of their commanding officers.  The film then shifts into a slow death march, with Colonel Dax (Douglas), the one man in this military who sees this trial for the sham that it is, trying to persuade the commanding officers to come to their senses and not kill these men, but to no avail.  The film ends with the three men shot for cowardice, and the remaining troops having a moment of lonely song in a bar before being sent back into battle.

Paths of Glory at the time invited an incredible amount of criticism from military and government leaders, especially in France, Germany, and Spain at the time (always the contrarian, Winston Churchill loved the movie).  There's a reason for that-Paths of Glory is an obvious entry in the "war is hell" canon, but more so it is deeply critical of the concept of military command, and the greed that it involves.  The film shows Macready and Menjou (both excellent in their roles), playing ambitious, shallow generals who move around men's lives less like they are trying to win a war and more like they're planning a place setting at a dinner party.  Kubrick, ever a stickler for detail, smartly shoots certain sequences in long or wide shots to counter the ugly, war-torn trenches with the gaudy opulence of the general's palaces & residents.  It shows how oftentimes the generals and politicians are making decisions based on their own personal greed and wish to advance more than what is best for the troops and winning the war.  This concept is commonplace in film (and in coverage of military & political figures) now, but in 1957 this was unthinkable & quite shocking.

Kubrick, more than any other director though, had a way of finding what was shocking in its time and making it age well.  Paths of Glory like Dr. Strangelove, 2001, and A Clockwork Orange after it, has such a specific motif that it still feels fresh sixty years later, even as it clearly has influenced countless military films since then.  His cinematography is gorgeous, moving, and precise, as is his direction.  The film's message of how war can rob the soul of a man is timeless, and he smartly makes every scene count (there's no fat in this movie).  The performances are also quite strong.  As I mentioned Macready & Menjou both play their parts beautifully, and I have to admit this is best I've ever seen Kirk Douglas.  If you follow this blog, you'll know that I am hit-or-miss with Douglas so this might reek of a backhanded compliment, but don't take it that way-it is a crime, even in a year as stacked as 1957, that Douglas didn't get an Oscar nomination for his work here.  Paths of Glory is a true achievement, a fresh, modern look at a tale as old as humanity, and one that has somehow remained unstained in the decades since.