View source for Paths of Glory

{{Short description|1957 film by Stanley Kubrick}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Paths of Glory
| image          = Paths of Glory (1957 poster).jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Stanley Kubrick]]
| producer       = [[James B. Harris]]
| screenplay     = {{Plain list|
* Stanley Kubrick
* [[Calder Willingham]]
* [[Jim Thompson (writer)|Jim Thompson]]
}}
| based_on       = {{Based on|''[[Paths of Glory (Cobb novel)|Paths of Glory]]''<br>(1935 novel)|[[Humphrey Cobb]]}}
| starring       = {{Plain list|
* [[Kirk Douglas]]
* [[Ralph Meeker]]
* [[Adolphe Menjou]]
* [[George Macready]]
* [[Wayne Morris]]
* [[Richard Anderson]]
}}
| music          = [[Gerald Fried]]
| cinematography = [[Georg Krause]]
| editing        = Eva Kroll
| studio         = {{Plain list|
* [[Bryna Productions]]
* Harris-Kubrick Pictures Corporation<ref name="motionpictureher204quig">{{Cite book|last1=Quigley Publishing Co.|url=http://archive.org/details/motionpictureher204quig|title=Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Sep 1956)|last2=Quigley Publishing Co.|date=1956|publisher=New York, Quigley Publishing Co.|others=Media History Digital Library}}</ref><ref name="variety203-1956-08">{{Cite book|last=Variety|url=http://archive.org/details/variety203-1956-08|title=Variety (August 1956)|date=1956|publisher=New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company|others=Media History Digital Library}}</ref>
}}
| distributor    = [[United Artists]]
| released       = {{Film date|1957|11|1|Munich premiere|1957|12|20|United States}}
| runtime        = 88 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| gross          = $1.2 million<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/variety213-1959-01/page/n46/mode/1up?q=%22top+grossers%22|magazine=Variety|title=Top Grossers of 1958|date=7 January 1959|page=48}} Please note figures are for US and Canada only and are domestic rentals accruing to distributors as opposed to theatre gross</ref>
| budget         = $900,000<ref>{{cite web |last1=McGee |first1=Scott |last2=Steffen |first2=James |title=Paths of Glory (1958) - Articles |website=[[Turner Classic Movies]] |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/19285/paths-of-glory#articles-reviews |access-date=December 15, 2014 |archive-date=December 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220192036/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/19285/Paths-of-Glory/articles.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>–1 million<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|title=Blockbusters jam LA at year end for Oscar's sake|page=1|date=4 December 1957|url=https://archive.org/details/variety209-1957-12/mode/2up?}}</ref>
}}
'''''Paths of Glory''''' is a 1957 American [[list of anti-war films|anti-war film]]<ref name="tcm.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/191157|title=The Big Idea - Paths of Glory|website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=February 25, 2019|archive-date=October 31, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031052316/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/191157%7C0/The-Big-Idea-Paths-of-Glory.html|url-status=live}}</ref> directed by [[Stanley Kubrick]], from a screenplay he co-wrote with [[Calder Willingham]] and [[Jim Thompson (writer)|Jim Thompson]]. It is adapted from the [[Paths of Glory (Cobb novel)|1935 novel of the same name]] by [[Humphrey Cobb]],<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117793903?refcatid=31 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20120914085518/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117793903?refcatid=31 |url-status= dead |archive-date= September 14, 2012 |title=Paths of Glory, Film Reviews|work= Variety|access-date= November 15, 2007}}</ref> which in turn was based on the [[Souain corporals affair]] during [[World War I]]. The film stars [[Kirk Douglas]] as Colonel Dax, the commanding officer of French soldiers who refuse to continue a suicidal attack, after which Dax defends them against charges of cowardice in a [[court-martial]]. It also features [[Ralph Meeker]], [[Adolphe Menjou]], [[George Macready]], [[Timothy Carey]], [[Joe Turkel]], [[Wayne Morris]] and [[Richard Anderson]].

The film was co-produced through Douglas' film production company, [[Bryna Productions]], and a joint venture between Stanley Kubrick and [[James B. Harris]], Harris-Kubrick Pictures.<ref name="motionpictureher204quig"/><ref name="variety203-1956-08"/><ref>{{Cite book|last=Variety|url=http://archive.org/details/variety205-1957-02|title=Variety (February 1957)|date=1957|publisher=New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company|others=Media History Digital Library}}</ref> Due to the film's negative depiction of the French military, it could not be filmed there, and was instead shot in [[West Germany]]. It was likewise not released in France until 1972.<ref name="NRobertson" />

''Paths of Glory'' was released by [[United Artists]] on December 20, 1957. It received critical acclaim and several international accolades, including a [[BAFTA Award]] nomination for [[BAFTA Award for Best Film|Best Film]], and is considered one of the [[List of films considered the best|greatest war films ever made]]. In 1992, the film was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the [[Library of Congress]] and selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]].<ref name=":0" />

==Plot==
In 1916, during [[World War I]] in Northern France, French Major General Georges Broulard orders his subordinate, Brigadier General Paul Mireau, to take "the Anthill", a well-defended German position. Mireau initially refuses, citing the impossibility of success. When Broulard mentions a potential promotion, Mireau convinces himself the attack will succeed. In the trenches, Mireau throws a private out of the regiment for showing signs of [[shell shock]]. Mireau leaves the planning of the attack to Colonel Dax, despite Dax's protests.

Before the attack, drunken Lieutenant Roget leads a night-time scouting mission, sending one of his two men ahead. Overcome by fear while waiting for the man's return, Roget lobs a grenade, accidentally killing the scout. Corporal Paris, the surviving scout, confronts Roget, who denies wrongdoing and falsifies his report to Colonel Dax.

The daylight attack on the Anthill is a failure. Dax leads the first wave of soldiers into [[no man's land]] under heavy rifle and machine gun fire but none of them reach the German trenches and the follow up waves refuse to attack. Mireau orders his artillery to fire on them to force them onto the battlefield. The artillery commander refuses without written confirmation of the order.

To deflect blame for the attack's failure, Mireau decides to [[court-martial]] a hundred soldiers for cowardice. Broulard orders Mireau to reduce the number and Mireau asks each company in the attacking wave to select one man. Roget picks Corporal Paris to keep him from testifying about the scouting mission. Private Ferol is deemed a "social undesirable" by his commander. Private Arnaud is [[Drawing lots (decision making)|chosen at random by lots]], despite being decorated twice for heroism.

Dax, a criminal defense lawyer in civilian life, volunteers to defend the men at their court-martial. The trial, however, is a farce. There is no formal written indictment, a [[Court reporter|court stenographer]] is not present, and the court refuses to admit evidence that would support acquittal. In his closing statement, Dax angrily denounces the proceedings. Dax later informs Broulard that Mireau had ordered their artillery to fire onto French soldiers. Despite Dax's efforts to save his men, the sentence of death is confirmed and the condemned men are eventually shot by [[firing squad]].

Following the executions, Broulard tells Mireau that he will be investigated for shelling his own men. Mireau denounces this as a betrayal by his commanding officer.  Broulard offers Mireau's vacant command to Dax, assuming Dax's attempts to stop the executions were a ploy to gain Mireau's job. Disgusted at Broulard's assumption, Dax lashes out at him. Discovering Dax was sincere, Broulard rebukes him for his [[idealism]], and Dax in turn denounces Broulard's [[nihilism]].

Shortly afterwards, Dax notices some of his soldiers carousing loudly at an inn and jeering at a captive German girl, but they grow more subdued as she sings a sentimental German folk song, "[[The Faithful Hussar]]". Dax is informed by Boulanger that they have new orders to return to the trenches immediately, but Dax instead allows the men to stay in the bar for a while longer before returning to his office.

==Cast==
{{castlist|
* [[Kirk Douglas]] as Colonel Dax, commanding officer, 701st Infantry Regiment
* [[Ralph Meeker]] as Corporal Philippe Paris, 701st Infantry Regiment
* [[Adolphe Menjou]] as Major General Georges Broulard, corps commander
* [[George Macready]] as Brigadier General Paul Mireau, divisional commander
* [[Wayne Morris]] as Lieutenant Roget, company commander, 701st Infantry Regiment
* [[Richard Anderson]] as Major Saint-Auban, Mireau's [[aide de camp]]
* [[Joe Turkel]] as Private Pierre Arnaud, 701st Infantry Regiment (credited as Joseph Turkel)
* [[Christiane Kubrick]] as German singer (credited as Susanne Christian)
* [[Jerry Hausner]] as café proprietor
* [[Peter Capell]] as president of the court martial (and narrator)
* [[Emile Meyer]] as Father Duprée
* [[Bert Freed]] as Staff Sergeant Boulanger, 701st Infantry Regiment
* [[Kem Dibbs]] as Private Lejeune, 701st Infantry Regiment
* [[Timothy Carey]] as Private Maurice Ferol, 701st Infantry Regiment
* Fred Bell as shell-shocked soldier
* John Stein as Captain Rousseau, artillery battery commander
* Harold Benedict as Captain Nichols, artillery liaison officer
* [[James B. Harris]] as soldier in attack (uncredited)
}}

==Production==

===Background===
The title of Cobb's novel came from the ninth stanza of [[Thomas Gray]]'s poem "[[Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard]]" (1751).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.filmsite.org/path.html|title=Paths of Glory (1957)|last=Dirks|first=Tim|website=AMC Filmsite|access-date=16 February 2019|archive-date=February 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217030108/https://www.filmsite.org/path.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

<blockquote><poem>The boast of heraldry, the pomp of pow'r,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
Awaits alike th'inevitable hour.
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.</poem></blockquote>

The book was a minor success when published in 1935, retelling the true-life affair of four French soldiers who were executed to set an example to the rest of the troops. The novel was adapted to the stage the same year by [[Sidney Howard]], World War I veteran and scriptwriter of ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]''.<ref name=mcardle/> The play was a flop on Broadway because of its harsh anti-war scenes that alienated the audience. Nonetheless, Howard continued to believe in the relevance of the subject matter and thought it should be made into a film, writing, "It seems to me that our motion picture industry must feel something of a sacred obligation to make the picture."<ref name=mcardle>Phil McArdle. [http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2007-12-18/article/28760 "Sidney Howard: From Berkeley to Broadway and Hollywood"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220211351/http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2007-12-18/article/28760 |date=December 20, 2014 }}, ''The Berkeley Daily Planet'', December 18, 2007</ref> Fulfilling Howard's "sacred obligation", [[Stanley Kubrick]] decided to adapt it to the screen after he remembered reading the book when he was younger. Kubrick and his partners purchased the film rights from Cobb's widow for $10,000.<ref>{{cite web |title='Paths of Glory': Stanley Kubrick's First Step Towards Cinema Immortality |url=https://cinephiliabeyond.org/paths-glory-stanley-kubricks-first-step-towards-cinema-immortality/ |website=cinephiliabeyond |access-date=15 February 2019 |archive-date=February 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035130/https://cinephiliabeyond.org/paths-glory-stanley-kubricks-first-step-towards-cinema-immortality/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Gray's stanza reflects Kubrick's feelings about war as well, and that becomes clear in the narrative of the film – a long battle for something with such an unimportant name as the "Ant Hill". Some of Kubrick's unrealized projects contained themes of war as well. Kubrick once told a ''New York Times'' journalist;
<blockquote>Man isn't a noble savage, he's an ignoble savage. He is irrational, brutal, weak, silly, unable to be objective about anything where his own interests are involved – that about sums it up. I'm interested in the brutal and violent nature of man because it's a true picture of him. And any attempt to create social institutions on a false view of the nature of man is probably doomed to failure.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/013072kubrick-profile.html|title=Nice Boy From the Bronx?|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-02-17|archive-date=August 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825110333/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/013072kubrick-profile.html|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

''Paths of Glory'' is based loosely on the true story of the [[Souain corporals affair]] when four French soldiers were executed in 1915 during [[World War I]] under General [[Géraud Réveilhac]] for failure to follow orders. The soldiers were exonerated posthumously in 1934.<ref name=kufr>{{Cite web
 | first = Philippe
 | last = Huneman
 | title = Les Sentiers de la gloire
 | website = kubrick.fr
 | date = November 2003
 | url = http://www2.cndp.fr/TICE/teledoc/dossiers/dossier_sentiers.htm
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071203014203/http://www.kubrick.fr/sentiers5.htm
 | archive-date = 2007-12-03
}}</ref> The novel is about the French execution of innocent men to strengthen others' resolve to fight. The French Army did carry out military executions for cowardice, as did most of the other major participants, excluding the United States of America and Australia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/desertion|title=Desertion and the death penalty|date=23 October 2017|website=Australian War Memorial|access-date=16 February 2019|archive-date=February 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217031727/https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/desertion|url-status=live}}</ref> The United States sentenced 24 soldiers to death for cowardice, but the sentences were never carried out.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web |author=Rob Ruggenberg |url=http://www.greatwar.nl/frames/default-shotatdawn.html |title=The Heritage of the Great War / First World War 1914 - 1918 |publisher=Greatwar.nl |access-date=2014-03-17 |archive-date=September 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905105830/http://www.greatwar.nl/frames/default-shotatdawn.html |url-status=live }}</ref> However, a significant point in the film is the practice of selecting individuals at random and executing them as a punishment for the sins of the whole group. This is similar to the Roman practice of [[Decimation (Roman Army)|decimation]], which was rarely used by the French Army in [[World War I]].

===Development===
Kubrick said of his decision to make a war film: "One of the attractions of a war or crime story is that it provides an almost unique opportunity to contrast an individual or our contemporary society with a solid framework of accepted value, which the audience becomes fully aware of, and which can be used as a counterpoint to a human, individual, emotional situation. Further, war acts as a kind of hothouse for forced, quick breeding of attitudes and feelings. Attitudes crystallise and come out into the open. Conflict is natural, when it would in a less critical situation have to be introduced almost as a contrivance, and would thus appear forced or, even worse, false."<ref>{{cite book |last=Duncan |first=Paul |year=2003 |title=Stanley Kubrick: The Complete Films |location=Köln |publisher=Taschen GmbH |isbn=978-3836527750 |oclc=51839483 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XBQi4cCEYNIC |page=11 |access-date=December 20, 2014 |archive-date=August 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826091619/https://books.google.com/books?id=XBQi4cCEYNIC |url-status=live }} Alternately titled ''Stanley Kubrick: Visual Poet, 1928–1999''.</ref>

Although Kubrick's previous film ''[[The Killing (film)|The Killing]]'' had failed at the box office, it had managed to land on several critical top-ten lists for the year. [[Dore Schary]], then head of production at [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], liked the film and hired Kubrick and Harris to develop film stories from MGM's pile of scripts and purchased novels. Finding nothing they liked, Kubrick remembered reading Cobb's book at the age of 14 and the "great impact" it had upon him and suggested it as their next project.<ref name="auto">Kelly, A. (2011). Cinema and the Great War. London: Routledge, p.129. {{ISBN|0826404227}}</ref> Schary strongly doubted the commercial success of the story, which had already been turned down by every other major studio.

After Schary was fired by MGM in a major shake-up, Kubrick and Harris managed to interest Kirk Douglas in a script version that Kubrick had done with Calder Willingham. After reading the script, Kirk Douglas was impressed and managed to get an advance for a $1 million budget from United Artists to help produce the film.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite book|last=Kagan|first=Norman|date=2000|title=The Cinema of Stanley Kubrick|doi=10.5040/9781501340277|isbn=9781501340277}}</ref> Of the roughly $1 million budget, more than a third was allocated to Kirk Douglas' salary.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1633-paths-of-glory-we-have-met-the-enemy|title=Paths of Glory: "We Have Met the Enemy . . ."|last=Naremore|first=James|website=The Criterion Collection|language=en|access-date=2019-02-17|archive-date=March 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304134941/https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1633-paths-of-glory-we-have-met-the-enemy|url-status=live}}</ref> Prior to the involvement of Douglas and his Bryna Production Company, no studio had shown interest in the seemingly noncommercial subject matter and filming in black and white.<ref name="auto3">{{Cite journal|last=Kelly|first=Andrew|date=1993|title=The brutality of military incompetence: 'Paths of Glory' (1957)|journal=Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television|language=en|volume=13|issue=2|pages=215–227|doi=10.1080/01439689300260221|issn=0143-9685}}</ref> MGM rejected the idea of the film based on fears that the film would be unfavourable to European distributors and audiences.<ref name="auto2"/> United Artists agreed to back it with Douglas as the star.<ref name=Alpert>{{cite news|last=Alpert|first=Hollis|title='2001': Offbeat Director In Outer Space|url=http://partners.nytimes.com/library/film/011666kubrick-2001.html|access-date=August 1, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 16, 1966|archive-date=November 6, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111106072414/http://partners.nytimes.com/library/film/011666kubrick-2001.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Writing===
Kubrick eventually hired [[Calder Willingham]] to work on the script of ''Paths of Glory'' (1957), of which [[Jim Thompson (writer)|Jim Thompson]] had written earlier drafts. The specific contributions by Kubrick, Thompson, and Willingham to the final script were disputed, and the matter went to arbitration with the Writers' Guild.<ref name=Polito>{{cite book|last1=Polito|first1=Robert|title=Savage Art: A Biography of Jim Thompson|date=1996|publisher=Vintage|location=New York|isbn=978-0679733522|pages=403–409}}</ref><ref name=Baxter>{{cite book|last1=Baxter|first1=John|title=Stanley Kubrick: A Biography|date=1997|publisher=Basic Books|location=New York|isbn=978-0786704859|pages=88–89|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PKMZ4_i60LYC&q=stanley%20kubrick&pg=PA88|access-date=19 August 2015}}</ref><ref name=LoBrutto>{{cite book|last1=LoBrutto|first1=Vincent|title=Stanley Kubrick: A Biography|date=1999|publisher=Da Capo Press|isbn=978-0306809064|pages=88–89, 91, 94–95}}</ref> Willingham claimed that Thompson had minimal involvement in the final script of the film, claiming responsibility for 99 percent of ''Paths of Glory'' for himself and that Thompson had not written any of the dialogue. When Thompson's draft screenplay was compared to the final film, it was clear that Thompson had written seven scenes, including the reconnaissance mission and the scene with soldiers the night before their executions by firing squad. In the end, the Writers' Guild attributed the script in the order of Kubrick, Willingham and then Thompson.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Miller|first=Cynthia J.|date=2006|title=Depth of Field: Stanley Kubrick, Film, and the Uses of History|journal=History: Reviews of New Books|volume=35|issue=1|pages=24–25|doi=10.1080/03612759.2006.10526982|s2cid=142729219|issn=0361-2759}}</ref>

Parts of the screenplay were taken from Cobb's work verbatim. However, Kubrick made several changes to the narrative of the novel in his adaptation, most notably his shift of focus to Colonel Dax, as opposed to Paris, Ferol and Arnaud as in the novel.<ref>Kagan, N. (2003). The Cinema of Stanley Kubrick. New York: Continuum, p.63. {{ISBN|0415514827}}</ref> One speculated addition is when General Mireau says "show me a patriot, and I'll show you an honest man", and Colonel Dax responds that [[Samuel Johnson]] once said: "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://thefilmspectrum.com/?p=21740|title=Paths of Glory (1957) {{!}} The Film Spectrum|last=Fraley|first=Jason|date=January 27, 2014 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-17|archive-date=February 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218021209/http://thefilmspectrum.com/?p=21740|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://americanfilm.afi.com/issue/2014/7/screen-test|title=American Film|website=americanfilm.afi.com|access-date=2019-02-17|archive-date=February 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218021528/https://americanfilm.afi.com/issue/2014/7/screen-test|url-status=live}}</ref>

Primarily, Kubrick and Thompson had added a happy ending to the film to make the film more commercial to the general public, where the men's lives are saved from execution at the last minute by the general. However, these changes were reversed back more closely to the original novel at the demand of Kirk Douglas.<ref name="auto3"/><ref name="auto4">{{Cite web|url=https://cinephiliabeyond.org/paths-glory-stanley-kubricks-first-step-towards-cinema-immortality/|title='Paths of Glory': Stanley Kubrick's First Step Towards Cinema Immortality • Cinephilia & Beyond|date=2017-03-25|website=Cinephilia & Beyond|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-17|archive-date=February 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035130/https://cinephiliabeyond.org/paths-glory-stanley-kubricks-first-step-towards-cinema-immortality/|url-status=live}}</ref> It led to a first major argument between director and star, who thought Kubrick had been rewriting the script behind his back: "I called Stanley to my room ... I hit the ceiling. I called him every four-letter word I could think of ... 'I got the money, based on ''that'' [original] script. Not this shit!' I threw the script across the room. 'We're going back to the original script, or we're not making the picture.' Stanley never blinked an eye. We shot the original script. I think the movie is a classic, one of the most important pictures—possibly the ''most'' important picture—Stanley Kubrick has ever made."<ref name=LoBrutto/> On the Criterion Collection Blu-ray, James B. Harris claims to have gotten this ending past distributors by sending the entire script instead of just the reversed ending, in the knowledge that those distributors would not read through the whole script again. After viewing the film, United Artists was happy with the changes and left the ending as it is.<ref>Kubrick, S. (Director). (2010, August 26). ''Paths of Glory (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]'' [Blu-ray, NTSC, Special Edition, Black & White, Widescreen].  Criterion Collection (Direct).</ref>

===Filming===
[[File:Kubrick on the set of Paths of Glory (1957 publicity photo).jpg|thumb|244x244px|Kubrick on the set of ''Paths of Glory'' (1957 publicity photo)]]
Production took place entirely in [[Bavaria]], [[Germany]], especially at the [[Schleissheim Palace]] near [[Munich]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Brutality of Military Incompetence: Paths of Glory and King and Country |url=https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/2016/09/24/brutality-military-incompetence-paths-glory-king-country/ |website=scrapsfromtheloft |date=September 24, 2016 |access-date=15 February 2019 |archive-date=June 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190615064123/https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/2016/09/24/brutality-military-incompetence-paths-glory-king-country/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Timothy Carey]] was fired during production. He was reportedly extremely difficult to work with, even to the extent of faking his own kidnapping, holding up the whole production.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.absolutefilms.net/tim_carey/unomas.html|title=Uno Mas "The Wonderful Horrible Life Of Timothy Carey"|website=www.absolutefilms.net|access-date=2019-02-17|archive-date=September 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914034252/http://www.absolutefilms.net/tim_carey/unomas.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He was replaced in the scenes remaining to be shot with a double.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Beyl |first1=Cameron |title=Stanley Kubrick's Pathe of Glory (1957) |url=https://directorsseries.net/2016/02/11/stanley-kubricks-paths-of-glory-1957/ |website=directorsseries |date=February 11, 2016 |access-date=15 February 2019 |archive-date=February 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035228/https://directorsseries.net/2016/02/11/stanley-kubricks-paths-of-glory-1957/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The film cost slightly less than $1 million and just about broke even.<ref name="Gritten2019">{{cite web |last1=Gritten |first1=David |title=Paths of Glory: Stanley Kubrick's greatest war film? |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/classic-movies/10804982/Paths-of-Glory-Stanley-Kubricks-greatest-war-film.html |website=The Telegraph |date=May 3, 2014 |access-date=15 February 2019 |archive-date=February 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215215849/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/classic-movies/10804982/Paths-of-Glory-Stanley-Kubricks-greatest-war-film.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Due to having three years' military training, around 600 German police officers were used as extras for soldiers. The last scenes filmed were those that take place on the battlefield. For the construction of the battlefield, Kubrick hired 5,000 square yards (0.4 hectares) of land from a local farmer.<ref name="auto"/> It took Kubrick a month to set up the filming of the assault, arranging props and tearing up the field to look like a war zone. For the filming of the battle sequence, the battlefield was divided into five regions where explosive charges were specifically placed. This made it easier for Kubrick to film the dying of extras as he split the extras into five groups, one for each of the regions, and each man would die in his own zone by an explosion that was near him.<ref name="auto1"/>

An early critical test of Kubrick's obsession with control on the set came during the making of ''Paths of Glory''. Douglas recalled that,
{{blockquote|[Kubrick] made the veteran actor Adolphe Menjou do the same scene 17 times. "That was my best reading." Menjou announced. "I think we can break for lunch now." It was well past the usual lunch time but Kubrick said he wanted another take. Menjou went into an absolute fury. In front of Douglas and the entire crew he blasted off on what he claimed was Kubrick's dubious parentage and made several other unprintable references to Kubrick's relative greenness in the art of directing actors. Kubrick merely listened calmly and after Menjou had spluttered to an uncomplimentary conclusion said quietly: "All right, let's try the scene once more." With utter docility, Menjou went back to work. "Stanley instinctively knew what to do," Douglas says.<ref name=Alpert/>}}

The only female character in the film, the woman who sings "[[The Faithful Hussar]]", is portrayed by German actress [[Christiane Kubrick|Christiane Harlan]] (credited in the film as Susanne Christian). She and Kubrick later married; the couple remained together until his death in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kcet.org/shows/artbound/falling-in-love-with-a-story-christiane-kubrick-on-the-legacy-of-stanley-kubrick|title=Falling In Love With A Story: Christiane Kubrick on the Legacy of Stanley Kubrick|website=kcet|date=October 30, 2012|access-date=15 February 2019|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215220210/https://www.kcet.org/shows/artbound/falling-in-love-with-a-story-christiane-kubrick-on-the-legacy-of-stanley-kubrick|url-status=live}}</ref> It was on set that they originally had met.<ref name="auto4"/>

====Cinematography====

''Paths of Glory'' employs both camera-work and audio cues to create a sense of realism, thus making it easier for the audience to sympathize with the plight of the accused soldiers. In the beginning of the film a snare drum plays, and the music is reminiscent of war era newsreels. During the battle sequences, the camera keeps pace with the soldiers but in other ways, the shots look like old trench warfare footage from World War I. The film's choice of black and white further emphasizes its similarity to the actual newsreels of the conflict.

Richard Anderson, who played the acerbic prosecutor, recalled of Kubrick: "As soon as we started shooting, I knew immediately what Stanley was interested in: The shot. Always the shot. He worked with George Krause, the German cinematographer, to make sure that everything looked like a newsreel of World War I. Kubrick had studied many photographs of the war in the library. The film was low keyed and had a grainy look to it. That's what Stanley was interested in."<ref>{{Cite web |title=American Legends - Paths of Glory |url=https://americanlegends.com/Interviews/paths_of_glory.html#:~:text=This%20anti-war%20theme%20was,(who%20remained%20safely%20behind). |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=americanlegends.com}}</ref>

Kubrick's vision of war was far bleaker than that of some other films of the era, which also influenced the director's choice to shoot the picture in black and white. The visuals also allow the audience to see the difference between "life in the trenches" and "life in the command". From the opulent mansion of the high-ranking officers, the audience notices wide shots from the exterior and the interior. The viewer misses nothing; every decadent piece of furniture, jewelry or bauble that the senior officers have, in sharp contrast to the trenches where the shots are much tighter. Close ups and point-of-view shots (e.g. from Colonel Dax's perspective) are cramped and tight, suffocating for the audience. Switching to a shot in front of Dax's person, e.g. a walking shot, the audience becomes much like the other soldiers accompanying him in the trenches, feeling stuck and trapped in the confined and dangerous space.<ref>{{Citation|last=Indie Film Hustle|title=Stanley Kubrick: Paths of Glory & Kirk Douglas Years (The Directors Series) – Indie Film Hustle|date=2018-01-16|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XohngVy9cho| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109023545/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XohngVy9cho| archive-date=2020-11-09 | url-status=dead|access-date=2019-02-17}}</ref>

===Sound design===
The musical score by [[Gerald Fried]] makes extensive use of [[percussion]] instruments, specifically [[military drums]].<ref>Hischak, Thomas S. (2015), ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Xz99CAAAQBAJ&q=paths+&pg=PA242 The Encyclopedia of Film Composers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209180024/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Xz99CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA242&lpg=PA242&dq=paths+of+glory+score+only+percussion&source=bl&ots=54n6niRjqr&sig=ACfU3U16vru2m1UtujXwfvn59D0s7Uu89w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjQhOOei6zgAhUyrHEKHW4zBWgQ6AEwCXoECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=paths%20 |date=February 9, 2019 }}.'' Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, Pg. 242</ref>

Kubrick used sound, or the lack thereof, to build tension and suspense in the film, particularly towards the beginning when the three soldiers are given orders to check on the Anthill. This scene is in silence, with no use of diegetic/non-diegetic sound, working well to add depth and rawness. Much of what the viewer can hear throughout the film is explosions in the distance and the sound of a whistle being blown, further adding to the overall documentary style of the film. The lack of a big bold score gives no suggestion of heroism to the plot of the film, and the sounds of people dying are a common trope associated with Stanley Kubrick's films. The song towards the ending happens within the narrative.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xz99CAAAQBAJ&q=paths+&pg=PA242|title=The Encyclopedia of Film Composers|last=Hischak|first=Thomas S.|date=2015-04-16|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9781442245501|language=ar|access-date=October 5, 2020|archive-date=April 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415222244/https://books.google.com/books?id=Xz99CAAAQBAJ&q=paths+&pg=PA242|url-status=live}}</ref> In the tavern with the French soldiers of Dax's regiment, a young woman sings a traditional German folk song of that era, [[The Faithful Hussar|"Der treue Husar"]]. With Kubrick's use of mise-en-scene, the audience is able to see the German woman's performance bring the men to tears through various close-ups and angles. The troopers begin to hum and eventually sing along to the tune in an expression of their basic humanity. ''Paths of Glory'' later ends in the same way it began with the familiar snare/drum roll used in the opening, indicative of a lack of change throughout the film. Kubrick's use of sounds and song functions as a kind of narration for the audience, linking each sound to a later or earlier scene in the film.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.academia.edu/20223220 |title=Similarities and differences on Paths of Glory and Full Metal Jacket |last=Haft |first=Nima |date=2016-01-13 |website=[[Academia.edu]] |language=en |access-date=August 15, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719035629/https://www.academia.edu/20223220 |archive-date=July 19, 2022}}</ref>

==Release==
The film had its "world premiere" in [[Munich]], Germany, on November 1, 1957.<ref name="MPDnov4">[https://archive.org/details/motionpicturedai82unse_0/page/n206/mode/1up? "'Paths' Opens Dec. 20"], ''Motion Picture Daily'', November 4, 1957, p. 3. Retrieved via Internet Archive, July 23, 2022.</ref> A month and a half before that event, on September 18, a special screening of Kubrick's production was also presented in Munich, but then to a very select audience.<ref name="Gordon57">Gordon, Frank (1957). [https://archive.org/details/variety208-1957-09/page/2/mode/1up  "'Vikings' $1,000,000 Over Its Budget; VIP Turnout for 'Paths'"], ''Variety'' (New York, N.Y.), September 27, 1957, p. 2. Retrieved via Internet Archive, August 5, 2022.</ref> Frank Gordon, reporting from the Bavarian capital for the widely read New York [[Trade magazine|trade paper]] ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', describes the earlier presentation in the paper's September 27 issue:{{Blockquote|Munich, Sept. 18.<br>Three hundred specially invited local [[Very important person|VIP]]s, [[Officer (armed forces)|Army brass]], [[Radio Free Europe]] staffers, German stage and film luminaries mingled with Kirk Douglas, [[Janet Leigh]], [[Tony Curtis]] and [[Ernest Borgnine]] to see a "not for review" showing of Jim Harris' Munich-filmed "Paths of Glory."...Douglas, who stars in "Paths," is presently shooting his own Bryna-produced "[[The Vikings (film)|Vikings]]" in this city's [[Bavaria Studios|Geiselgasteig studios]]. "Vikings" co-stars Curtis, Borgnine, and Leigh....A World War I action story, ["Paths"] will be released through United Artists. Also a Bryna production, it was directed by Stanley ("[[The Killing (film)|The Killing]]") Kubrick.<ref name="Gordon57"/>}}

In the United States, the picture was not officially released nationwide until January 1958, although it was shown in two major cities prior to that: in [[Los Angeles, California]] at the Fine Arts Theatre on December 20, 1957, and then five days later, on Christmas Day, in New York City at the [[Victoria Theater (New York City)|Victoria Theatre]].<ref name="MPDnov4"/><ref name="NYT">Crowther, Bosley (1957). "Screen: Shameful Incident of War / 'Paths of Glory' Has Premiere at Victoria", review, ''The New York Times'', December 26, 1957, p. 23. {{ProQuest|<!--ProQuest data goes here  --> }}</ref> The American trade journal ''[[Motion Picture Daily]]'' explained at the time that "Paths" was being shown in those cities before the end of 1957 to ensure the film would qualify for nominations for the next [[30th Academy Awards|Academy Award]] ceremonies, which were to be held on March 26, 1958.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/motionpicturedai82unse_0/page/n284/mode/1up? "Four in First Three Months"], ''Motion Picture Daily'', November 19, 1957, p. 7. Retrieved via Internet Archive, July 23, 2022.</ref>

===Box office===
Assessments vary with regard to the film's ultimate success at the [[box office]], with some sources citing it as a modest financial success and others noting that it only managed to recoup most, if not all, of its production costs.<ref name="Gritten2019"/><ref>[http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9903/08/kubrick.obit/index.html Kubrick remembered as filmmaker who transcended the medium, CNN News, Accessed November 2007] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112171121/http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9903/08/kubrick.obit/index.html |date=November 12, 2007 }}.</ref> The film did, however, earn Kubrick widespread critical acclaim, while it also generated widespread controversy, especially in Europe.<ref name="s116">{{cite web | title=A film ‘highly offensive to our nation’: Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory (1957), Censorship, and Militaristic Representations of Post-War Europe | url=https://shura.shu.ac.uk/28862/3/Fenwick-FilmHighlyOffensive%28AM%29.pdf | publisher=Sheffield Hallam University |access-date=2025-10-23}}</ref>

==Reception and influence==
[[File:Paths of Glory (1957) - Trailer.webm|thumb|Original trailer (1957)]]
Although the film did not receive a single nomination for the [[30th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]] of 1958, it was nominated for and collected several international awards. Those awards and many positive reviews from film critics further enhanced Kubrick's already growing reputation. The film was nominated for a [[BAFTA Award]] under the category [[BAFTA Award for Best Film|Best Film]] but lost to ''[[The Bridge on the River Kwai]]''. The production also received in Finland the [[Jussi Award]]s' Diploma of Merit, was nominated for a [[Writers' Guild of America Award]] in 1959, and won the prestigious [[Grand Prix (Belgian Film Critics Association)|Grand Prix]] of the [[Belgian Film Critics Association]].<ref>[http://www.ambidextrouspics.com/html/paths_of_glory.html The Gods of Filmmaking, Paths of Glory] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112042311/http://www.ambidextrouspics.com/html/paths_of_glory.html |date=November 12, 2007 }} Accessed November 2007.</ref> Kubrick himself received on February 17, 1959, in [[Rome, Italy|Rome]] the Italian critics' Silver Ribbon, an award recognizing him as "the best foreign director of 1958 for his movie 'Paths of Glory'."<ref>[https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1959-02-17/ed-1/seq-13/#date1=1957&index=9&rows=20&words=Kubrick&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1959&proxtext=Kubrick&y=18&x=28&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 "Italians Cite Director of 'Paths of Glory'"], news item, ''The Evening Star'' (Washington, D.C.), February 17, 1959, p. A-13. "Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers", database with images, sponsored jointly by the [[National Endowment for the Humanities]] and the [[Library of Congress]]. Retrieved July 24, 2022.</ref>

===Controversy===
On its release, the film's anti-military tone was subject to severe public criticism and governmental censorship.<ref name="s116"/>
* In France, both active and retired personnel from the French military vehemently criticized the film{{emdash}}and its portrayal of the French Army{{emdash}}after it was released in Belgium. The French government placed enormous pressure on [[United Artists]] (the European distributor) not to release the film in France. The film was eventually shown in France in 1975 when anti-war attitudes were more acceptable.<ref name="NRobertson">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/15/archives/french-delay-showing-films-on-touchy-topics.html|title=French Delay Showing Films on Touchy Topics|last=Robertson|first=Nan|date=15 March 1975|work=New York Times|access-date=16 February 2019|archive-date=July 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719035639/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/15/archives/french-delay-showing-films-on-touchy-topics.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The film was withdrawn from the [[Berlin Film Festival]] to avoid straining relations with France.<ref name="Taschen">{{cite book|first=Paul |last=Duncan|title=Stanley Kubrick: Visual Poet 1928-1999|year=2003|publisher=Taschen|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=XBQi4cCEYNIC&dq=paths+of+glory+banned+in+france&pg=PA50 50]|isbn=9783822815922}}</ref> It was then not shown in Germany until two years after its theatrical release in the United States.
* In Spain, the [[fascist]] government of [[Francisco Franco]] objected to the film. It was not shown there until 1986, 11 years after Franco's death.<ref>{{cite web |title=Movie you should have seen: Paths of Glory |url=https://thefulcrum.ca/arts/movie-seen-paths-glory/ |website=thefulcrum |date=September 25, 2014 |access-date=15 February 2019 |archive-date=February 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215215900/https://thefulcrum.ca/arts/movie-seen-paths-glory/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The [[Switzerland|Swiss]] government banned any presentations of the film until 1970 on the grounds that it was "incontestably offensive" to France, its judicial system, and its army.<ref name="NRobertson"/>
* The film was banned in all United States military establishments, both at home and overseas, due to its content.<ref name="auto"/>

===Reviews in the United States, 1957{{endash}}1958===
Despite the film's harsh reception in Europe by various governments, French war veterans, and media outlets, in the months after the motion picture's initial screenings in the United States, reactions to Kubrick's production featured in American newspapers and [[Trade magazine|trade publications]] were generally positive. Nevertheless, perceived deficiencies in the film's structure and content were expressed by some of the nation's leading reviewers in 1957 and 1958.

====Issues with "colloquial English" dialogue====
In his December 26, 1957, review for ''The New York Times'', [[Bosley Crowther]] credits Kubrick for creating a visually "terrific", highly intense picture. In particular, Crowther draws attention to the story's execution scene, which he describes as "one of the most craftily directed and emotionally lacerating that we have ever seen." He does, though, also identify two "troubling flaws" that he saw in the film, one being within the "realm of technique", the other within the "realm of significance":<ref name="NYT"/>{{blockquote|We feel that Mr. Kubrick{{snd}}and Mr. Douglas{{snd}}have made a damaging mistake in playing it in [[wikt:Special:Search/conversational|colloquial]] English, with American accents and attitudes, while studiously making it look as much as possible like a document of the French Army in World War I. The illusion of reality is blown completely whenever anyone talks....<br>As for the picture's significance, it comes to an inconclusive point. Its demonstration of injustice is like an exhibit in a bottle in a medical museum. It is grotesque, appalling, nauseating{{snd}}but so framed and isolated that, when you come away, you are left with the feeling that you have been witness to nothing more than a horribly freakish incident.<ref name="NYT"/>}}

The absence of any spoken French or suitably accented English dialogue in a highly focused portrayal of French soldiers continued to be a point of debate in American critical analysis of ''Paths of Glory''. Philip K. Scheuer, who wrote about films for the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' from the 1920s to 1967, was another reviewer who addressed the issue again in the newspaper's January 16, 1958, edition.<ref>[https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8w37zj1/entire_text/ "Philip K. Scheuer papers"], Special Collections, [[Margaret Herrick Library]], Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills, California. Retrieved archive profile July 24, 2022.</ref><ref name="Scheuer">Scheuer, Philip (1958). "Views Diverge on War Film: Question of Foreign Accents Raised by 'Paths of Glory'", ''Los Angeles Times'', January 16, 1958, p. B11.</ref> In a follow-up discussion about the "controversial war picture", in a commentary subtitled "Question of Foreign Accents Raised by 'Paths of Glory{{' "}}, Scheuer cites the style of speech used in the film and the screenplay's "weak" ending as two reasons he omitted the production from his "selection of 1957's best".<ref name="Scheuer"/> Like Bosley Crowther, he found the "[[linguistic]]" aspects of the dialogue wholly distracting. "In 'Paths{{' "}}, Scheuer writes, "the actors all...employ ordinary colloquial English{{snd}}much of it, I felt, delivered badly{{snd}}although Adolph Menjou, being of French descent, did convey a certain quality of Frenchness," adding, "The others were simply Hollywood types."<ref name="Scheuer"/>

====The film's "grim" plot====
The overriding tone of the motion picture also evoked comments about the picture's marketability, namely its scant appeal to a very large segment of moviegoers. "Grim" is the word that frequently appears in contemporary reviews of the film, an adjective understandably applied given the story's brutal subject matter, and a word still commonly used even in complimentary assessments by critics. In its March 18, 1958 edition, the ''[[Chicago Daily Tribune]]'' summarizes the release as "a grim, forceful story, presented in blunt, unvarnished fashion, entirely lacking in the customary cliches, deftly directed."<ref>Tinee, Mae (1958). "Film Indicts 2 Soldiers of World War I", ''Chicago Daily Tribune'', March 18, 1958, p. a5. The name of this reviewer, "Mae Tinee", was a [[pen name]] used over the years by a series of film critics working at the ''Chicago Daily Tribune'', a name derived as a humorous reconfiguration from the word "[[wikt:Special:Search/matinee|matinee]]".</ref> Whitney Williams, a critic for ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', previewed the film six weeks before it opened at the Fine Arts Theatre in Los Angeles. In his review, which was published on November 20, 1957, Williams anticipates limited interest as well as limited box-office revenue for the picture:{{blockquote|"Paths of Glory" is a starkly realistic recital of French army politics in 1916 during World War I. While the subject is well handled and enacted in a series of outstanding characterizations, it seems dated and makes for grim screen fare. Even with the Kirk Douglas star name to spark its chances, outlook is spotty at best and will need all the hard selling United Artists, which is distributing the Bryna production, can muster.<ref name="Variety57a">"Whit." [Whitney Williams] (1957). [https://archive.org/details/variety208-1957-11/page/n169/mode/2up "Paths of Glory"], ''Variety'' (New York and Los Angeles), November 20, 1957, p. 6. Retrieved via Internet Archives, July 25, 2022. Within the film-crew credits that Whitney Williams provides with his review, he states that he previewed the motion picture on "Nov. 12, '57".</ref>}}
''[[Harrison's Reports]]'', an independent and advertisement-free film review journal in 1957, agreed with ''Variety'''s critic and in November expressed doubts too that the "World War I melodrama" would be successful commercially after its general release in January 1958.<ref name="HR57">[https://archive.org/details/harrisonsreports39harr/page/n219/mode/2up "'Paths of Glory' with Kirk Douglas, Adolphe Menjou and Ralph Meeker"], review, ''Harrison's Reports'' (New York, N.Y.), November 23, 1957, p. 188. Retrieved via Internet Archive, July 30, 2022.</ref><ref name="AFIa">[https://catalog.afi.com/Film/52321-PATHS-OFGLORY?sid=225103ca-2d02-437e-ab6c-3af952b60f25&sr=10.723185&cp=1&pos=0 "Paths of Glory (1958)"], production details, catalog of the American Film Institute (AFI), Los Angeles California. Retrieved July 26, 2022.</ref> "Just how it will fare at the box-office is a matter of conjecture", ''Harrison's'' stated, characterizing its central theme as "a grim and unpleasant study of man's inhumanity toward man".<ref name="HR57"/>

====Views on the screenplay's ending====
Edwin S. Schallert, a fellow critic of Philip Scheuer at the ''Los Angeles Times'', also attended the film's first screening in Los Angeles on December 20, 1957. The following day the newspaper published Schallert's evaluation, which begins by classifying ''Paths of Glory'' as "A minor contribution but an interesting one to the war effort on the screen".<ref name="Schallert57">Schallert, Philip (1957). "'Paths Of Glory Evidences Power In Its Court-Martial", ''Los Angeles Times'', December 21, 1957, p. B3.</ref> Next he describes the drama's storyline in some detail before addressing specifically the film's final scene, which he found odd and disconnected in its presentation so soon after "the grim gray execution". "Susanne Christian", Schallert writes, "is seen as the German girl forced to sing to a huge body of [French] troops right at the end of the picture{{snd}}a peculiar sort of payoff for the miscarriage of justice to which the whole gathering of men seems to be oblivious."<ref name="Schallert57"/> He then concludes, {{" '}}Paths of Glory' is a commendably sincere picture, very well told for the most part, though it does not fulfill itself in the best screen and entertainment terms. It is practically like a documentary."<ref name="Schallert57"/>

The review in ''Harrison's Reports'' addressed the ending as well, maintaining that it was the "picture's one weak spot", was "difficult to understand", and "leaves one with a feeling that it is inconclusive".<ref name="HR57"/> The journal then offered its own interpretation of the final scenes. From ''Harrison's'' perspective, as Colonel Dax is returning to his quarters after his confrontations with his superior officers, "he notices his soldiers enjoying themselves in a cafe. It disgusts him to think that they had so quickly forgotten their executed comrades, but he compassionately realizes that life must go on."<ref name="HR57"/> Whitney Williams in ''Variety'' also commented about the film's finale, noting that it "ends so abruptly [the] audience is left with a feeling of incompletion."<ref name="Variety57a"/>

Other assorted critics in newspapers and trade publications viewed the film's ending and the production's significance cinematically far differently than the cited critics at the ''Los Angeles Times'' or the reviewers for ''Harrison's Reports'' and ''Variety''. Richard Gertner of the New York-based trade paper ''[[Motion Picture Daily]]'' was one of them. He, unlike Edwin Schallert, did not see ''Paths of Glory'' as a "minor contribution" to the genre of wartime portrayals. Nor did he find its closing scenes "peculiar"; but instead, "poignant".<ref name="Gertner57">Gertner, Richard (1957). [https://archive.org/details/motionpicturedai82unse_0/page/n269/mode/2up "REVIEW: Paths of Glory"], ''Motion Picture Daily'' (New York, N.Y.), November 18, 1957, pp. 1, 7. Retrieved via Internet Archive, July 28, 2022.</ref> After viewing what he termed "a brilliant and arresting film" only a few weeks after its world premiere in Munich, Gertner highly recommended it to his readers, many of whom were theater owners.<ref name="Gertner57"/> He then advised those motion picture "exhibitors" not to misjudge the film's content in advance:{{blockquote|Technically, this is a war picture, but any exhibitor who promotes it as just another action film will be making a serious mistake. Its exciting battle scenes and the suspense of a subsequent court martial assure it of appeal in that market. But it also has deeper and stronger elements under the surface that will attract customers who like strong drama....Just as exciting as the physical events are the ideas about war and men that Kubrick trenchantly puts across{{snd}}about military discipline, the [fallibility] of those who carry it out and the futility of attempting to fight [it]. These are timeless ideas{{snd}}relevant to any war. Let us hasten to add, however, that this is no "message" picture. The theme is implicit to the story and the characters.<ref name="Gertner57"/>}}
Finally, in contrast to Philip Scheuer's omission of the production from his "selection of 1957's best",<ref name="Scheuer"/> Gertner ends his appraisal emphatically: "No doubt about it{{snd}}'Paths of Glory' is one of the strongest dramas of the year."<ref name="Gertner57"/>

====Opinions regarding Kubrick's direction and editing====
In spite of issues being raised in various reviews about the film's manner of dialogue, its anticipated marketing challenges, and its ending, in the United States in 1957 and 1958 there was near universal admiration expressed for the directorial abilities and technical expertise that the 29-year-old Kubrick exhibited in the production. Jay Carmody{{snd}}the drama critic for ''[[The Washington Star|The Evening Star]]'' in Washington, D.C., and winner of the [[Directors Guild of America|Screen Directors Guild]]'s "Critic of the Year" award for 1956{{snd}}commended Kubrick for directing a "film with sting" and doing so with "chilling [[wikt:Special:Search/incisive|incisiveness]]".<ref>Carmody, Jay (1958). [https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1958-02-27/ed-1/seq-18/#date1=1957&index=2&rows=20&words=Kubrick&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1959&proxtext=Kubrick&y=18&x=28&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 "Keith's Film Takes a Wry Look at War"], ''The Evening Star'' (Washington, D.C.), February 27, 1958, p. A-18. Retrieved via Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, July 25, 2022.</ref><ref>Hailey, Jean R. (1973). "Jay Carmody, Longtime Drama Critic", obituary, ''The Washington Post'', June 20, 1973, p. C9.</ref> At the ''[[New York Herald Tribune]]'', critic [[William Zinsser]] judges the film to be "outstanding" in his December 26, 1957 review and describes Kubrick's direction and editing as first-rate. "His scenes", Zinsser observes, "are vivid and well composed, and he knows the art of cutting{{snd}}the scenes make their point, with economy and bite, and move on."<ref>Zinsser, William K. (1957). "'Paths of Glory'", ''New York Herald Tribune'', December 26, 1957, p. 14.</ref> Even at this relatively early stage in Kubrick's career directing feature films, he had already gained a reputation in the motion picture industry for commanding all aspects of his projects and being, as one colleague described him, "'meticulous with everything, from scripting to editing'".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Baxter |first=John |url=http://archive.org/details/stanleykubrickbi00baxt |title=Stanley Kubrick |date=1997 |publisher=Carroll & Graf Publishers |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-7867-0485-9 |pages=37}}</ref> What is notably missing, however, from Zinsser's comments or in other contemporary reviews about the quality of the production's "cutting" are any allusions to Eva Kroll, the film's credited editor, and to her contributions in helping to construct or at least refine the end product.<ref name="AFIa"/>

===Later reactions and references to the film===
More than three decades after the release of ''Paths of Glory'', American director [[Robert Zemeckis]] paid homage to the film with the 1991 ''[[Tales from the Crypt (TV series)|Tales from the Crypt]]'' episode "Yellow".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rhodes|first1=Joe|title=Tales From the Douglas' 'Crypt'|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-08-25-tv-1672-story.html|access-date=3 July 2017|work=Los Angeles Times|date=25 August 1991|quote=Kirk Douglas is 75 years old and "Yellow" marks the first time he's shared a stage with either of his acting sons... . .."There are really only two movies I wanted to make--one with Michael and one with Eric. I just didn't think I'd be working with Eric first." He might not have gotten the chance if Robert Zemeckis, best known for directing the "Back to the Future" films, hadn't come across "Yellow" in the 1950s E.C. Comics from which all "Tales From the Crypt" stories are drawn. Zemeckis immediately saw the story--with its World War I setting and a plot line involving cowardice, betrayal and firing squads--as a chance to pay homage to Stanley Kubrick's "Paths of Glory," the 1957 anti-war film that featured one of Kirk Douglas' most compelling performances.|archive-date=October 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021081231/http://articles.latimes.com/1991-08-25/news/tv-1672_1_kirk-douglas|url-status=live}}</ref> The episode was an adaptation of the 1952 ''[[Shock SuspenStories]]'' story, "Yellow!", about a U.S. Army colonel whose son, a lieutenant, exhibits cowardice and is sentenced to face the firing squad. The father makes the son falsely believe that the firing squad will be firing blanks, so that the son will not exhibit cowardice before his execution.<ref>{{cite web|title=Shock SuspenStories #1 (February-March 1952)|url=https://www.comics.org/issue/9421/|website=[[Grand Comics Database]]|access-date=3 July 2017|archive-date=August 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801085731/https://www.comics.org/issue/9421/|url-status=live}}</ref> Zemeckis cast Kirk Douglas and his son [[Eric Douglas]] in the father and son roles.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Science Fiction Film Directors, 1895-1998|last=Fischer|first=David|publisher=McFarland|year=2011|isbn=9780786485055|location=Jefferson|pages=670}}</ref>

[[David Simon]], creator of the critically acclaimed television series ''[[The Wire]]'' (2002{{emdash}}2008), has said that ''Paths of Glory'' was a key influence on the [[HBO]] crime drama. The influence of the film comes in its depiction of the tribulations of "middle management", in the form of Dax's unsuccessful attempt to protect his troops against the inhumane ambitions of his superiors, which in turn influenced ''The Wire''{{hsp}}'s depiction of various institutions acting against individuals.<ref name="blog.nj.com">{{cite web |url=http://blog.nj.com/alltv/2008/03/the_wire_david_simon_q_a.html |title=The Wire: David Simon Q & A, NJ |website=[[NJ.com|Blog.nj.com]] |date=March 9, 2008 |access-date=2013-09-25 |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716031827/http://blog.nj.com/alltv/2008/03/the_wire_david_simon_q_a.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' critic [[Roger Ebert]] added the film to his "Great Movies" list on February 25, 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-paths-of-glory-1957|title=Paths of Glory|last=Ebert|first=Roger|date=25 February 2005|website=RogerEbert.com|access-date=15 February 2019|archive-date=February 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035209/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-paths-of-glory-1957|url-status=live}}</ref> Years earlier, on a 1987 episode of the televised film review series ''[[At the Movies (1982 TV program)|At the Movies]]'', critic [[Gene Siskel]] of the ''Chicago Tribune'' debated with co-host Ebert about the respective merits of several Kubrick productions. Siskel in their discussions declared ''Paths of Glory'' to be "a near perfect film," one that in his opinion was surpassed in overall quality only by Kubrick's [[Black comedy|dark comedy]] ''[[Dr. Strangelove]].''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePAuxrQaoMs "Siskel & Ebert review Dr Strangelove and Paths of Glory and part 2 of their Full Metal Jacket debate"], segment from 1987 televised episode of ''At the Movies'' co-hosted by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert; video uploaded by "Kubrick's Tube" onto [[YouTube]] and freely available on that streaming service. Retrieved July 29, 2022.</ref>

An indication of the film's enduring popularity can be found on the American [[review aggregator|review-aggregation]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]]. As of March 2025, the film holds a 96% rating based on 77 reviews with an average rating of 9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "''Paths of Glory'' is a transcendentally humane war movie from Stanley Kubrick, with impressive, protracted battle sequences and a knock-out ending."<ref name="RT2022">{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paths_of_glory/|title=Paths of Glory|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=23 July 2022|archive-date=November 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127040530/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paths_of_glory/|url-status=live}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a score of 90 out of 100 based on reviews from 18 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/paths-of-glory|title=Paths of Glory Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=July 29, 2022|archive-date=April 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415221218/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/paths-of-glory|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Preservation and restoration==
In 1992, the film was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the [[Library of Congress]] and selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/ |website=loc |access-date=15 February 2019 |archive-date=December 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141217172059/http://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In October and November 2004 the film was shown at the [[London Film Festival]] by the [[British Film Institute]].<ref name="Timeout">[http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/70863/paths-of-glory.html Timeout London, Paths of Glory] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112041120/http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/70863/paths-of-glory.html |date=November 12, 2007 }}, Accessed November 2007</ref> It was carefully remastered over a period of several years; the original film elements were found to be damaged. However, with the aid of several modern digital studios in [[Los Angeles]] the film was completely restored and remastered for modern cinema. In addition, [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s widow Christiane (who also appears in the closing scene as the German singer) made a guest appearance at the start of the performance.<ref>"Paths of Glory", BFI London Film Festival, viewers information leaflet, October 2004.</ref>

==Home media==
''Paths of Glory'' was released on [[VHS]] on July 21, 1997, followed by the [[DVD]] version on June 29, 1999. [[The Criterion Collection]]'s first release of the film was for a [[LaserDisc|Laserdisc]] release in 1989.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Stanley Kubrick Collection Heading for June DVD Release |url=https://www.soundandvision.com/content/ithe-stanley-kubrick-collectioni-heading-june-dvd-release |website=soundandvision |date=April 25, 1999 |access-date=17 February 2019 |archive-date=February 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218081941/https://www.soundandvision.com/content/ithe-stanley-kubrick-collectioni-heading-june-dvd-release |url-status=live }}</ref> The film was released on DVD and [[Blu-ray]] by The Criterion Collection with a high-definition digital transfer on October 26, 2010.<ref>{{cite web |title=STANLEY KUBRICK Paths of Glory |url=https://www.criterion.com/films/27522-paths-of-glory |website=criterion |access-date=17 February 2019 |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106203546/https://www.criterion.com/films/27522-paths-of-glory |url-status=live }}</ref>
Eureka released a UK Region B Blu-Ray in 2016 as part of its Masters of Cinema line.

In 2022, [[Kino Lorber]] detailed their upcoming [[Ultra HD Blu-ray|4K Blu-ray]] release of the film, restored from the [[original camera negative]]. This release also features an audio commentary by critic [[Tim Lucas]]. This edition was released on August 23, 2022.<ref>{{Citation |title=Paths of Glory 4K Blu-ray |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=30796 |access-date=2022-07-23}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[1917 French Army mutinies]]
* [[List of American films of 1957]]
* [[List of films considered the best]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite news |last1=Stang |first1=JoAnne |author1-link=JoAnne Stang |title=Film Fan to Film Maker |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/121258kubrick-profile.html |type= Stanley Kubrick profile and film review <!-- |access-date=5 September 2023 --> |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 12, 1958}}
* {{cite web |last= Huneman |first= Philippe |title= Les Sentiers de la gloire |trans-title= The paths of glory |language= fr |date= November 2003 |type= film review |website= [[Réseau Canopé|Centre National de Documentation Pédagogique]] |url= http://www2.cndp.fr/TICE/teledoc/dossiers/dossier_sentiers.htm |access-date= 2017-01-08 |archive-date= December 3, 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071203014203/http://www.kubrick.fr/sentiers5.htm |url-status= dead }}
* {{cite web|title= Path of glory ou les sentiers de la gloire |trans-title= Path of glory or the paths of glory |language= fr |date= 2013-10-01 |type= film review |url= http://elpresse.eklablog.com/path-of-glory-ou-les-sentiers-de-la-gloire-a100384891 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150402151132/http://elpresse.eklablog.com/path-of-glory-ou-les-sentiers-de-la-gloire-a100384891 |archive-date= 2015-04-02}}
* [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1633-paths-of-glory-we-have-met-the-enemy ''Paths of Glory: "We Have Met the Enemy . . ."''] an essay by [[James Naremore]] at the [[Criterion Collection]]
* Hadrien Buclin, « Stanley Kubrick entre la France et la Suisse : le film Les Sentiers de la gloire interdit », Guerres mondiales et conflits contemporains, no 253, 2014, p. 101-113.

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons category}}
* {{IMDb title|0050825}}
* {{TCMDb title|19285}}
* {{AFI film|52321}}
* ''{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20050315031100/http://www.gonemovies.com/WWW/MyWebFilms/Oorlog/EnglischPathsGlory.asp Paths of Glory]}}'' at gonemovies.com (includes images) (archived)
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|paths_of_glory}}

{{Stanley Kubrick}}
{{James B. Harris}}
{{Jim Thompson}}
{{Bryna Productions}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paths Of Glory}}
[[Category:1957 drama films]]
[[Category:1957 films]]
[[Category:1957 war films]]
[[Category:1957 English-language films]]
[[Category:1950s political films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:American World War I films]]
[[Category:Anti-war films about World War I]]
[[Category:Bryna Productions films]]
[[Category:Censored films]]
[[Category:Films about capital punishment]]
[[Category:Films about mutinies]]
[[Category:Films based on American novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by Stanley Kubrick]]
[[Category:Films produced by Kirk Douglas]]
[[Category:Films scored by Gerald Fried]]
[[Category:Films set in 1916]]
[[Category:Films set in France]]
[[Category:Films shot in Bavaria]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Stanley Kubrick]]
[[Category:Military courtroom films]]
[[Category:United Artists films]]
[[Category:United States National Film Registry films]]
[[Category:World War I films set on the Western Front]]
[[Category:World War I films based on actual events]]
[[Category:1957 American films]]
[[Category:English-language war films]]