Paths of Glory

Stanley Kubrick had displayed talent with the outstanding racetrack heist thriller The Killing, but it was this 1957 antiwar masterpiece based on the novel by Humphrey Cobb that catapulted the filmmaker to international acclaim. In one of his finest roles, Kirk Douglas stars as Colonel Dax, commander of a battle-worn regiment of the French army along the western front during World War I. Pinned in their trenches under the threat of German artillery, the regiment is ordered on a suicidal mission to capture an enemy stronghold, an operation that inevitably fails, after which three soldiers are selected to be tried and executed on the charge of cowardice, with Dax appointed as defense attorney for the chosen scapegoats. Featuring some of the most authentic and devastating battle sequences ever filmed, Paths of Glory is unflinching in its condemnation of war and the self-indulgence of military leaders who orchestrate the deaths of thousands from the comfort of their luxurious headquarters. For many years, the film was banned in France—considered a slanderous attack on French honor—but it's clear that Kubrick's intense drama is universal in intent. Released on DVD and Blu-ray in newly remastered editions, extras include audio commentary by critic Gary Giddins, archival interviews with Kubrick and Douglas, a French TV segment on an actual World War I execution that partially inspired the film, and a booklet with an essay by film scholar James Naremore. Highly recommended. (J. Shannon)