On P List of Movie Reviews
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Paths of Glory (1957)
Rate:
10
Viewed:
9/13
9/13:
Now, I have seen everything by Stanley Kubrick except for The Killing and
Fear and Desire.
Because of films like 2001: A Space Odyssey,
Spartacus, and Barry Lyndon, I consider him as one of the
best directors. Yet because of films like Dr. Strangelove,
A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and
Full Metal Jacket, Stanley Kubrick is among the worst directors.
Paths of Glory has solidified his place more in my Best Directors list. The three reasons why it works are: Kirk Douglas'
performance, story, and cinematography.
It's nice to see the lack of political correctness through soldiers' actions, and the outcome is well-done and anti-Hollywood. As
for the cinematography, there's nothing like black-and-white images of trenches and stately buildings and rooms.
Of course, it had to be the French given the fact that the country suffered defeat in just about every war there was in
history since 1648. Paris was almost conquered by the Germans in WWI and, without any effort, was finally capitulated to
the Nazis in a matter of days in the next war.
As a matter of fact, WWII was made possible by France because of the harsh terms as dictated in the Versailles Treaty.
While at it, the French installed a shameful Vichy government as a means to collaborate with the Nazis which helped to
facilitate the deportation of 75,000 Jewish residents, and most were killed in the Holocaust.
After the war, France was defeated by Algeria and Vietnam, and Charles De Gaulle refused to have a working relationship
with some countries, pushing for the buildup of atomic weapons. It is true that every time France established a foreign
policy, it proved a blunder, forcing other countries to clean up its mess.
Oh, hey, how about the Dreyfus affair? I don't think France had ever gotten over the shameful fiasco. When the national
soccer team was falling apart during the 2010 World Cup, the government officials declared an emergency meeting to discuss
what to do. Now, that's a joke of a country.
All in all, Paths of Glory is a remarkable film by highlighting everything that's wrong with France.