Paths of Glory
Directed by	Stanley Kubrick
Produced by	James B. Harris
Written by	Stanley Kubrick, Jim Thompson, Calder Willingham, Humphrey Cobb (novel)
Starring	Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready Joe Turkel Timothy Carey
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	December 25, 1957
Running time	86 min.
Language	English
Budget	$935,000
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Paths of Glory (1957) is a debatedly anti-war black and white 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. Image File history File links PathsOfGloryPoster. ... “Kubrick” redirects here. ... James B. Harris (b. ... “Kubrick” redirects here. ... James Myers Thompson (September 27, 1906, Anadarko, Oklahoma Territory–April 7, 1977, Los Angeles, California) was an American writer of short stories, screenplays and novels, largely of the pulp fiction kind. ... Calder Willingham was an American, novelist and screenwriter. ... Humphrey Cobb (September 5, 1899 - April 25, 1944) was a screenwriter and novelist. ... Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch Demsky December 9, 1916) is an American actor and film producer known for his gravelly voice and his recurring roles as the kinds of characters Douglas himself once described as sons of bitches. He is also father to Hollywood actor and producer Michael Douglas. ... Meeker as Mike Hammer in Kiss Me Deadly Ralph Meeker (November 21, 1920 - August 5, 1988) was a film actor who appeared as Mike Hammer in Kiss Me Deadly. ... Adolphe Menjou Adolphe Jean Menjou (February 18, 1890 – October 29, 1963) was an American actor of French and Irish descent. ... Actor George Macready in A Kiss Before Dying George Macready (August 29, 1908 - July 2, 1973) was a movie actor with a distintive scar (from an auto accident) that helped him land roles as aristocratic villians. ... Joe Turkel as Lloyd the Bartender in Stanley Kubricks The Shining (1980) Joe Turkel (15 July 1927, in Brooklyn, New York) is a prolific American character actor. ... Timothy Carey (b. ... The current United Artists logo (a variant was used during the 1980s). ... December 25 is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 6 days remaining in the year. ... // October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens. ... // October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens. ... Anti war protest in Melbourne, Australia, 2003 Anti_war is a name that is widely adopted by any social movement or person that seeks to end or oppose a future or current war. ... Black-and-white is a broad adjectival term used to describe a number of monochrome forms of visual arts. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... “Kubrick” redirects here. ... Humphrey Cobb (September 5, 1899 - April 25, 1944) was a screenwriter and novelist. ...

The book had no title when it was finished, so the publisher held a contest. The winning entry came from the ninth stanza of the famous Thomas Gray poem Elegy Written in a Country Church-yard: Thomas Gray Thomas Gray (December 26, 1716 – July 30, 1771), was an English poet, classical scholar and professor of history at Cambridge University. ...

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. The Library of Congress is the de facto national library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress. ... The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress. ...

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. General Réveilhac presenting the Médaille militaire to soldier Derrien who saved the life of an officer (published in Review Le pays de France[1] N°27 - April 22, 1915 Géraud François Gustave Réveilhac (16 February 1851 in Aurillac (France)- 1937[2] ) - was a French career... Mutiny is the act of conspiring to disobey an order that a group of similarly-situated individuals (typically members of the military; or the crew of any ship, even if they are civilians) is legally obliged to obey. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ...

The movie begins with a voiceover describing the trench warfare situation of World War I up to 1916; then there's a scene in which French General George Broulard (Adolphe Menjou) of the French General Staff asks his subordinate, General Mireau (George Macready), to send his division on a suicidal mission to take a well-defended hill. Mireau initially advises against the attack, citing the low probability of success and the danger to his beloved soldiers, but when General Broulard mentions the possibility of a promotion, Mireau quickly convinces himself the attack will succeed. “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Adolphe Menjou Adolphe Jean Menjou (February 18, 1890 – October 29, 1963) was an American actor of French and Irish descent. ... Actor George Macready in A Kiss Before Dying George Macready (August 29, 1908 - July 2, 1973) was a movie actor with a distintive scar (from an auto accident) that helped him land roles as aristocratic villians. ...

Mireau proceeds to walk through the trenches, addressing his men. He asks several soldiers (some of whom later become major characters) the question, "Ready to kill more Germans?" He throws one soldier out of the regiment for showing signs of shell shock. The military term combat stress reaction (CSR) comprises the range of adverse behaviours in reaction to the stress of combat and combat related activities. ...

Mireau leaves the detailed planning of the attack 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. Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch Demsky December 9, 1916) is an American actor and film producer known for his gravelly voice and his recurring roles as the kinds of characters Douglas himself once described as sons of bitches. He is also father to Hollywood actor and producer Michael Douglas. ...

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--Corporal Paris (Ralph Meeker)--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. Meeker as Mike Hammer in Kiss Me Deadly Ralph Meeker (November 21, 1920 - August 5, 1988) was a film actor who appeared as Mike Hammer in Kiss Me Deadly. ...

The attack on the German position proceeds, but ends in 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 written confirmation of the 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 is chosen because his commanding officer (the one who had thrown a grenade earlier) has a personal vendetta against him. Private Ferol (Timothy Carey) is picked by his commanding officer because he is a "social undesirable." The last man, Private Arnaud (Joe Turkel), is chosen randomly, despite being one of the best and most courageous soldiers. Timothy Carey (b. ... Joe Turkel as Lloyd the Bartender in Stanley Kubricks The Shining (1980) Joe Turkel (15 July 1927, in Brooklyn, New York) is a prolific American character actor. ...

Colonel Dax defends the men at their court-martial 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 to haunt each of you till the day you die."

Although Dax reveals Mireau's treachery (regarding the artillery) to Broulard, complete with sworn statements by witnesses, Broulard takes no immediate action. The condemned men are imprisoned and given a last meal. When visited by a priest, Ferol is willing to have his confession heard, and Paris agrees after initially admitting to not being religious, but 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, along with senior officers and members of the press. 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 and killed by the 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, but claiming to the end to be a true soldier. 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. The cynical General Broulard disdains Dax for being an idealist, saying he pities him as he would the villiage idiot; Broulard adds that he's done no wrong. Colonel Dax replies that he pities the general for his inability to see the wrongs he has done.

After the execution, the rest of the battalion is in a bar, carrousing, when a young captured German woman is forced to entertain the French troops on its small stage. When she comes on stage, the soldiers begin to howl and whistle wolfishly at her attractiveness, encouraged by the bar manager. After the manager says she can sing and has a "throat of gold," the woman starts softly singing the German folk song "The Faithful Hussar". The soldiers become emotionally touched by the song, with many eventually humming along. 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 he and his men are to return to the front, and leaves his men to their moment of pleasure before they go back into combat. The faithful Hussar — in German, Der treue Husar – is a folk song, presumed to be from 1825. ...

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.
• Kubrick has been quoted as saying that he never interpreted the movie as "anti-war". He instead characterized Paths of Glory as "anti-authoritarian ignorance".
• 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 practice 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 World War I ever used it. On the other hand, the Decimation was used by the Italian Army in World War One. 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 two 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, eleven 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 One) 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.

1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... The British Film Institute (BFI) is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education about film, television and... The faithful Hussar — in German, Der treue Husar – is a folk song, presumed to be from 1825. ... Christiane Kubrick (http://www. ... For other uses, see Bavaria (disambiguation). ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... General Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde (4 December 1892–20 November[1] 1975), commonly abbreviated to Francisco Franco (pron. ... Paths of Glory: The First World War, 1914-1918 is a strategy board wargame, designed in 1999 by the six-time Charles S. Roberts Awards winner Ted Raicer and published by GMT Games. ... A strategy is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal, most often winning. Strategy is differentiated from tactics or immediate actions with resources at hand. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... The Near East is a term commonly used by archaeologists, geographers and historians, less commonly by journalists and commentators, to refer to the region encompassing the Levant (modern Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon), Turkey, Mesopotamia (Iraq and eastern Syria). ... GMT Games, probably the most prolific of the wargame companies in the 1990s and 2000s, was founded in 1990. ... Faith No More was an experimental alternative rock group that formed in San Francisco, California in 1982 and disbanded in 1998. ... Album of the Year, released in 1997 (see 1997 in music), was the sixth and final studio album by Faith No More. ... Michael Allen Patton (born January 27, 1968, in Eureka, California) is a Grammy nominated musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Faith No More from 1988 to 1998. ... Blackadder Goes Forth was the fourth and final series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 28 September to 2 November 1989. ...

See also

• All Quiet on the Western Front, a novel and film with similar themes

For the films, see All Quiet on the Western Front (1930 film) and All Quiet on the Western Front (1979 film). ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Paths of Glory

• Paths of Glory at the Internet Movie Database
• Paths of Glory at gonemovies.com. Some very nice stills and other info.
• The Origins of Paths of Glory from TCM