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The Killing propelled the young Stanley Kubrick into the top echelon of film directors of his generation, and in many respects Paths of Glory thrust him into the position of the leading commercial filmmaker of the time, and a world-class talent as well. Based on a novel by Humphrey Cobb, Paths of Glory is a tragic World War I tale revolving around the fate of three French soldiers involved in a suicidal offensive on a German base, the duplicity of their superior officers, and the heroics of one Colonel Dax, played by Kirk Douglas.
Again, as with nearly all Kubrick films, the plot is as simple as can be. The conniving but equally ambitious General Mireau is informed early in the film by his superior General Broulard that the French high command has chosen to advance on a German 'ant-hill', an impregnable bunker situated nearby French trenches. Ignoring all advice from fellow officers and troops that the mission would surely be disastrous, Mireau orders his troops to march forward from the safety of their trench and attempt an occupation of the ant-hill, knowing that if his soldiers succeed, a top promotion will be his. The offensive is little more than an escapade and turns out to be an utter disaster. Mireau, knowing of the dangerous position he is in, demands a court-martial the very next day - the charge: cowardice. From each of the three squadrons, one man is selected and put on trial. They are represented by Colonel Dax, who himself fought in the battle, and despite being a skilled lawyer in civilian life, cannot prevent an outcome which was really planned from the beginning. The men go to their deaths by firing squad - despite Dax happening upon a piece of evidence that undoes the scandalous Mireau at the last moment.
Upon its release in cinemas in 1958, Paths of Glory was compared to other war classics of the time, such as The Big Parade and All Quiet on the Western Front. However, when looked into in close detail, it has a number of major differences to not only these two films but also any other war film of its' kind. Although, like every other war film, it focuses on the pure insanity of war, it also portrays a war fought not only in the trenches but in the boardroom as well. It offers a full investigation of the two most contrasting terms in warfare, 'bravery' and 'cowardice', and more than just spelling out a clear anti-war message, it goes further by digging deep into the pure treachery that is the inner workings of the war machine.
Dax, played by Douglas in another sterling performance, is clearly made the hero of the film by Kubrick, the lion-hearted 'good' officer who stands up for his men and battles the higher order and his own superiors. However, despite it being abundantly clear that he is by far the most sincere of all the men in the film, with perhaps the exception of the victims themselves, the soldiers, Kubrick again raises an element of doubt in the viewers' mind. Is Dax really the man of integrity that he his made out to be, or does he also have the cold heart of his higher officers? Is it not juvenile of him to think that any form of justice or truth can be salvaged from the planned madness of war?
This madness is portrayed with the aid of Kubrick's cool, refined images, every one of which are so realistic that they could be compared to a newsreel showing. Some scenes, such as the journey through the trench itself, the staging of the actual attack, and the execution ceremony during which the soldiers walk down their own 'Path of Glory' are among the most famous in movie history and comparable to the workings of any Welles or Coppola. The elegant chateau in which the court-martial is held, and the horror and vulgarity of the trench scenes are so beautifully contrasted that they disguise the fact that each setting, one savage, the other civilised, are on the inside the same; both with there own aura of insanity and corruption. As we know, Kubrick would go on to investigate this insanity further in Dr. Strangelove, Barry Lyndon and Full Metal Jacket, but nearly 40 years on and Paths of Glory remains one of his most respected and recognisable films.