Paths of Glory

1957 / USA / 88 min. / B&W

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready, Wayne Morris, Richard Anderson

One of the most impressive, controversial, uncompromising and compelling anti-war films. It is set in the trenches during WWI where Colonel Dax (Douglas) is the commanding officer of French soldiers who refuse to continue a suicidal attack. Dax then attempts to defend them against a charge of cowardice in a court-martial. Though Kubrick was only 27 on its release, it became his first significant commercial success and established him as an up-and-coming young filmmaker. Critics praised the film’s unsentimental, spare, and unvarnished combat scenes and its raw, black-and-white cinematography. The film demonstrates the fascination of watching the early work of Directors who go onto greatness.