Criterion | 1957 | 88 mins. | NR
1957’s Paths of Glory was Stanley Kubrick’s fourth film, and the first one to bring him a taste of notoriety. The then 28-year-old director and co-writer (with Carlder Willingham and help from novelist Jim Thompson) delivered a masterful, unsentimental, classic anti-war film about World War I. This stark 87-minute black and white film, shot on location in Germany with crisp photography (by George Krause) with a budget less than $1 million, is as compelling and harsh an indictment of war as Lewis Milestone’s award-winning, anti-war classic All Quiet On The Western Front (1930), adapted from Erich Maria Remarque’s novel.
Loosely based on the novel by Howard Cobb, Kirk Douglas stars as Colonel Dax, an officer in the French army who fights alongside his troops in the trenches and who approaches his job with reason. Much of the story revolves around an attack on a German stronghold referred to as “the Anthill.” It’s an impossible task, one that even Dax’s glory-hungry superior, General Paul Mireau (George Macready), knows is hopeless, but the promise of another star on his uniform makes the risk worth taking. Dax attempts to refuse, but goes along. rather than be relieved of his command; thus leaving his men unprotected.
Paths of Glory follows three fairly well defined acts; the first deals with the preparation for the siege on the Anthill and then the disastrous run into No Man’s Land. Colonel Dax’ worst fears are realized, as the French prove no match for the German stronghold. So overmatched, the men can barely make out of their trenches, let alone to their own wire fences. Mireau’s orders to shell thier own trenches in order to push the grunts forward are ignored. The second act deals with Mireau’s attempts to deal with the embarrassment of being disobeyed. As such, the General calls on one man from each regiment to be brought up on court martial, charged with cowardice.
Colonel Dax, an accomplished criminal lawyer before the war, volunteers to defend the three charged soldiers. Despite the Colonel’s best efforts, the three men are convicted. The last act concerns what happens before they face the firing squad.
Coming in at a tight, concise 88 minutes, Paths of Glory wastes no time with excess verbiage. The dialogue is spot on and every scene seems to move with a sense of precision and purpose. There are several memorable sequences in the movie, most famous of which is the charge on the Anthill. Kubrick and his d.p. George Krause and camera operator Hannes Staudinger take the audience down into the trenches, and then they haul us over the top, racing through the bombs, carnage and the bodies. The audience is made to feel a part of this dirty, treacherous action. In contrast, we dance with officers a short time later, when the Generals throw a party for themselves. This allows us to see both sides of the proverbial coin.
It is because of that process, Paths of Glory is such a strong film. Sometimes you don’t need a lot of words or time to show the differences between two groups of people, and that’s what Kubrick did so well here—there’s no mistaking the grunts from the generals. Yet, while there’s no doubt that Kubrick’s overriding message is anti-war, he maintains a very measured point of view. Exonerating the soldiers who do the fighting, while they may be flawed, they are doing the best they can in the face of utter absurdity. I think the final scene of the film—which I will not describe in any detail here, in case you have never seen it—is perfect. It’s a strong reminder that, men (and women) will always find their way back to some kind of common ground, no matter their disagreements.
Criterion’s 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer shows no major quality concerns, particularly in light of its age. The black and white picture is clean and sharp, suffering from nothing greater than a rare flicker. The visuals are consistent and consistently pleasing. I didn’t notice any, hair, dust or digital anomalies on the film.
The monaural soundtrack is surprisingly potent for a single-channel mix of a 50-year-old film. It delivers dialogue, effects, and music cleanly and without any major sign of age. There is real impact to the mix. This is a very satisfying DVD mix.
Paths of Glory – Criterion Collection is packaged in a standard case, with a 16-page booklet containing photos, credits, a chapter listing, and a new essay by James Naremore.
The disc itself leads with a new audio commentary by critic Gary Giddins, which covers all aspects of the production and the story’s historical origins.
Other special features mainly focus on collecting archival materials and interviews featuring people involved with the movie. From the vaults are a 1966 audio excerpt with Stanley Kubrick (2:15) and a 1979 television interview with Kirk Douglas (29:30), whereas new interviews with Kubrick’s regular producer Jan Harlan (just over 9 minutes), his Paths of Glory producer James B. Harris (just over 21 minutes), and actress Christiane Kubrick (just under 7 minutes), credited as Susan Christian for her important appearance in the final scene, add the perspective of time.
History buffs will also like a short piece from French TV that looks at an actual case in WWI that partly inspired Paths of Glory.
Finally, there is a theatrical trailer.
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