Paths of Glory
| Paths of Glory | |
|---|---|
| File:PathsOfGloryPoster.jpg | |
| Directed by | Stanley Kubrick |
| Written by | Stanley Kubrick, Jim Thompson, Calder Willingham, Humphrey Cobb (novel) |
| Produced by | James B. Harris |
| Starring | Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready Joe Turkel |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release dates | December 25, 1957 |
Running time | 86 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $935,000 |
Paths of Glory (1957) is an anti-war film by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel of the same name by Humphrey Cobb. Kubrick and his partners purchased the film rights from Cobb's widow for $10,000.
The book had no title when it was finished, so the publisher held a contest. The winning entry comes from the ninth stanza of the famous Thomas Gray poem Elegy Written in a Country Church-yard:
- 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.
The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
Plot Summary
Paths of Glory is based loosely on the true story of five French soldiers, under General Géraud Réveilhac, executed for mutiny during World War I; their families sued, and while the executions were ruled unfair, two of the families received one franc each (roughly equivalent to 15 American cents in today's currency), while the other three received nothing.
The movie begins with an expository scene on a World War I battlefield with French General Mireau (George Macready) going through the trench addressing his men. He asks several soldiers (most of whom become major characters) the question, "Are you ready to kill more Germans?" He throws one soldier out of the regiment for showing signs of shell shock.
Mireau, seeking a promotion, orders a regiment on a suicidal mission to take a hill, a common occurrence during World War I. He had at first advised against the attack, citing the low probability of success and the danger to his beloved soldiers, but when his superior officer, General George Broulard, (Adolphe Menjou) mentioned the possibility of a promotion to the French General Staff, Mireau's words were proven to be a sham and he quickly convinces himself the attack will succeed. He leaves the plannning to Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) despite Dax's protests that the only result of the attack will be to weaken the French army with heavy losses for no benefit. Mireau will not relent.
During a scouting mission prior to the attack, a drunken lieutenant sees movement in the direction of the enemy and throws a grenade. The lieutenant had sent one of his two men to scout out ahead, and the other soldier realizes that the movement was the scout returning. He accuses the lieutenant of killing his own comrade and then running in cowardice, but the lieutenant denies it.
The mission is a complete failure. None of the men who attack reach the German stronghold, and one-third of the soldiers refuse to even leave the trench (or are unable to, due to heavy enemy fire). The general, enraged, is convinced that his troops who remained in the trench are cowardly, and orders his own artillery to open fire on them. The artillery commander refuses to fire on his own men without a confirmation of written orders.
As a result of the failure of the attack, General Mireau tries to transfer blame from himself to the soldiers, so he decides to publicly execute 100 of them as an example. General Broulard convinces Mireau to reduce the number to three, one from each company. Corporal Paris (Ralph Meeker) is chosen because his commanding officer has a personal vendetta against him; the lieutenant was the same one who had thrown a grenade at his own man earlier in the film and Corporal Paris was the survivor who accused him. Private Ferol (Timothy Carey) is picked by his peers because he is a social outcast. The last man, Private Arnaud (Joe Turkel), is chosen randomly, despite being one of the best and most courageous soldiers.
Colonel Dax defends the men who will be court-martialed for cowardice. He inevitably loses the trial, despite protesting the court's authenticity. Dax cites being prevented from introducing evidence that would have been vital for the defence, that the prosecution presented no witnesses, that no written indictment was ever made against the accused and that no stenographic record of the trial was kept. In his final summation to the court he requests mercy, saying "Gentlemen of the court, to find these men guilty would be a crime that will haunt each of you until the day you die." The court acknowledges that to execute the men as an example is acceptable policy within the French army.
Although Dax reveals the general's treachery to his higher-ups, complete with witnesses about Mireau's attempt to fire on his own men, no action is taken. The condemned men are imprisoned and given a last meal. When visited by the priest Ferol is willing to have his confession heard, Paris agrees after initially admitting to not being religious, while Arnaud is drunkenly angry and tries to attack the priest. Finally, Paris punches Arnaud to keep him from attacking the priest. Arnaud falls backward against the wall and fractures his skull.
With great pomp and ceremony, the three men are led out into a courtyard, where the soldiers from all three companies are present and at attention. Arnaud is carried out on a stretcher and tied to the execution post. Ferol is blindfolded and remains accompanied by the priest to the end. Paris takes no blindfold. All three men are then shot by firing squad.
Following the execution, General Broulard invites Dax to a breakfast with General Mireau. He makes it clear that Mireau will be investigated for the order to fire artillery on his own men. Mireau leaves angrily, realising that he has been made a scapegoat. General Broulard then offers Dax Mireau's position, insinuating that Dax had been angling for promotion all along. Dax responds angrily, asking if he can suggest where the general can put his promotion. He is more concerned with his innocent soldiers than with his own career, and Broulard does not understand his idealism. The cynical General Broulard disdains Dax for being an idealist, saying he pities him as he would the villiage idiot. Colonel Dax replies that he pities the general for his inability to see the wrongs he has done. Broulard maintains a clear conscience.
After the execution, the rest of the battalion is in a bar, carrousing, when a captured German waif is forced to entertain the French troops on its small stage. When she comes on stage, the soldiers begin to howl wolfishly at her attractiveness, encouraged by the bar manager. After she is acclaimed to sing with a 'golden throat', the waif starts softly singing the German folk song, "The Faithful Hussar", then with prompting, sings louder to the quieting crowd. While she sings in German, the soldiers become emotionally touched by the song, with many eventually humming along its melancholic and hauntingly beautiful melody. Some know the song in French, and join in, while others weep silently, possibly knowing its theme of the loss of a loved one while a soldier is away at war. Outside of the bar's entrance, and within earshot of the singing inside, Dax gets word that they are returning to the front, and leaves his men for a moment of pleasure before they go back into combat.
Trivia
- The original 1935 novel by Humphrey Cobb was a minor success at the time, with a film planned. However, it was soon forgotten until Stanley Kubrick decided to adapt it to the screen, remembering the book from his childhood.
- In Kirk Douglas' memoirs, he tells how Kubrick considered a traditional "Hollywood Happy Ending", with the three men getting a last minute reprieve. It was Douglas who insisted on the more realistic (and now famous) ending (which had been in the original script co-written by Kubrick). This account has been corroborated by other accounts as well.
- In October and November of 2004 the movie was shown at the London Film Festival by the British Film Institute. 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 wife made a guest appearance at the start of the performance.
- The only female character in the film, the waif who sings "The Faithful Hussar," was portrayed by German actress Susanne Christian. She later married director Stanley Kubrick, and the couple remained married until his death in 1999.
- Production took place entirely in Bavaria, Federal Republic of Germany.
- The French authorities considered the film an offense to the honor of their army and prohibited its exhibition in France until 1975.
- The French Army did certainly carry out military executions for cowardice as did all the other major participants. However the central plank of the film is the practise of selecting individuals at random and executing them as a punishment for the sins of the whole group. This is similar to Decimation, and while it was employed by the Romans there is no evidence that the French Army in WWI ever used it. Executions were also carried out in private as in the British Army and the mass spectacle shown in the film would never have taken place.
- In Germany the film wasn't allowed to be shown for 2 years after its release to avoid any strain in relations with France.
- The movie was officially censored in Spain by the government of Francisco Franco for its anti-military content, and was not released in that country until 1986, 11 years after Franco's death.
- Paths of Glory is also the name of a card-driven strategy game covering World War I in Europe and the Near East, developed by game designer Ted Raicer and published by GMT Games.
- "Paths of Glory" is also the name of the tenth track in Faith No More's "Album of the Year" (lyrics). Mike Patton (songwriter/singer of Faith No More) is a huge fan of Stanley Kubrick, and a few of the band's songs/videos have Kubrick-inspired themes in them. (FAQ; Scroll to question 26)
- The British series Blackadder Goes Forth (set in the British trenches during World War I) appears to have taken some inspiration from "Paths of Glory". The character of General Melchett differs wildly from the actor's previous roles in the Black Adder, being portrayed as a sociopath with a complete detachment from both the practical capacities of his officership as well as any rapport with the other officers, let alone with the men under him--a direct parallel to George Macready's role. At one point in the series, the famous scene of the French General touring the trenches is recreated with the story's counterparts.
See also
- All Quiet on the Western Front, a novel and film with similar themes
External links
- Paths of Glory at IMDb
- Paths of Glory at gonemovies.com. Some very nice stills and other info.
- The Origins of Paths of Glory from TCM
