Orizzonti di gloria

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')

Note: On 07 February 2025, I saw this film again.

I saw this movie for the first time on television today, after being persuaded by the reviews I read beforehand praising it. Also I like Kirk Douglas. Although I am not directly familiar with Kubrick's work, a shameful admission I know. Out of what I have seen so far I loved Dr Strangelove and despite only seeing it once while flicking through channels liked The Shining too. Anyway back on target, Paths of Glory was brilliant in my opinion!

Winston Churchill famously claimed that it was this movie that was closest to evoking the atmosphere of WW1 and the military mind. And you know what, he is right. For one thing, Paths of Glory is gorgeously filmed, with relentlessly beautiful cinematography and nice costumes and scenery. The screenplay is sometimes humorous, sometimes moving and sometimes even haunting, either way it was some fine writing. The efficiency of Kubrick's direction is proof of a great man at work.

The performances were superb. As the general who orders the hopeless attack on the German position, Adolphe Menjou's character is perceived as a villain not because of being an officer adhering to the letter, but that he is seen as "the arrogant aristocrat" because of his fear of the working classes than his hatred of the enemy. Among the cast, Timothy Carey and Kirk Douglas especially were outstanding. And the music? That is one rousing score I can tell you. Great movie. 10/10 Bethany Cox

General Paul Mireau demands that a group of soldiers are executes after they refuse to attack an enemy's strongly held position, only Captain Dax tries to seek justice for the men.

The more I watch Stanley Kubrick's films, the more I am genuine blown away and captivated by his incredible film making. He captures the claustrophobia and futility of trench warfare, what a ghastly piece of history The First World War was.

It shows the true depravity of some men, as well as the extraordinary humanity some have inside. Definitely dramatic and full of some impressive sequences, it also boasts and ending that may just

It's so twisted, Mireau is one of those characters that manages to get under your skin, he burrows away into the unit like a termite, it's a terrific performance from George Macready, he's so twisted and full of malice.

Kirk Douglas is incredible, it's performances such as this that make it clear he was a great, that scene where turns down the promotion was fantastic.

It truly is a brilliant film.

9/10.

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. 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, superbly acted by Adolphe Menjou and George Macready. The message here is that the enemy lurks much closer to home. In most war films, whether they glorify or condemn the carnage, there is rarely any venturing at all into the darker side of the politics. This film is a tour de force in its unabashed depiction of just how misguided is the quest for glory as an end in itself; and in the portrayal of the leaders who would shamelessly sacrifice others for their own self aggrandizement. Truly, one of my all time favourite movies.

How well I remember the audience of 1958 sitting in stunned silence as the daring iconoclasm of the film washed over us like a bucket of cold water at a snoozer's convention. Post-war generations had seen nothing like its brutal honesty before. Instead, Hollywood had taught us that soldiers don't bawl like babies before being shot, that chaplains aren't part of a murderous war machine, that military justice really is about justice, and that generals however far removed are ultimately good and honorable men, (and that cameras always look away from execution scenes). Sure, the movie was not about our army, but the power of its message could not be missed, and no one from that era, having seen it, could again accept Hollywood's platitudes at face value.

Now, fifty years later, the film is still timely, having lost none of its power to illuminate. Thanks be to Kirk Douglas for taking a chance on an unproven Stanley Kubrick and getting Allied Artists to finance what was so clearly a non-commercial project. I suspect too, that it was at AA's insistence that Hollywood veterans be cast, even though the movie was shot to great advantage amidst the majestic settings of old Europe. Given the film's message, I think Kubrick would have preferred no-name principals, but then, who could have surpassed the oily charm of Adolphe Menjou's diabolical general, or the pathetic repulsiveness of Timothy Carey's sacrificial dog-face. (It's ironic that the part of the cowardly lieutenant went to an authentic war-hero, naval air-ace Wayne Morris, then only two years away from an untimely death.) This many decades later, I still have mixed feelings about the celebrated final scene. On one hand, it's so clearly manipulative (someone once called it a "male weepie"), that I try to steel myself against its undeniable force; on the other, it's so superbly well done that the humming chorus of universal brotherhood never fails to move me, even after this many viewings.

Researchers digging into origins of 60's counter-culture should check out themes and characterizations of the screen-play, particularly Timothy Carey's social outcast and Fred Bell's absolutely stunning thirty seconds of emotional break-down. For this is one of the few films from the conformist Eisenhower era to cast a shadow forward in time and serve as a reference point for future generations. The film's abundant cynicism may no longer be as revealing as it once was, thanks to Vietnam. Yet the emotional honesty remains as fresh and compelling as ever in its search for a gut-level depiction of real human anguish. Above all, Kubrick's anti-war classic points toward a more civilized potential amidst the barbarities and passions of combat, whether French or American, and given present political realities, still has many lessons to offer.