Paths of Glory

The 1957 black-and-white film Paths of Glory stars Kirk Douglas as French army Colonel Dax. The script is based on a novel with the same name by Humphrey Cobb; the text was revised for the film by director/writer Stanley Kubick, and screenplay writers Calder Willingham and Jim Thompson. This film has been toted as "One of the greatest anti-war films ever made."

It focuses on Colonel Dax's regiment of soldiers stationed near Ant Hill. They have informed by the generals that they are to attack the Germans and take over Ant Hill the next morning. This mission looms as an impossible task for the tired soldiers, weary from all of their other battles. The generals also inform the regiment that they will not be able to have any back-up support until the night after they are supposed to take Ant Hill. Colonel Dax tells the general that it is not possible; that it is a suicide mission. Dax asks what the mortality expectancy is and the General is very non-chalant when he answers that they expect over 50% of the soldiers to die on this mission. The general also threatens to remove Dax from his position and put him on mandatory rest because of his negative attitude, but Dax apologizes, and tries to rally the troops' spirits.

When the mission goes poorly, and the men are forced to retreat or stay and die in the field, the watching General orders that the artillary open fire on their own soldiers. He says that they are cowards and will either die from German bullets, or they will die from French ones. The battery commander refuses to do so without written consent from the General. Instead, the general has three men selected at random to act as example to the regiment. The three men are sentenced to be killed by firing squad for their cowardice and refusal to follow orders. Dax tries to defend the men, but gets shut down by the people sitting over the court marshal.

The men end up being killed, and the general is fired for trying to fire artillery on his own troops. Colonel Dax is offered a promotion, but he refuses to take it. The movie is truly an anti-war film; it shows examples of stupidity in battle. The men have been forced on a suicide mission by generals that were unwilling to see their immenent failure. They show some of the leading officers for the hipocrites that they are. I think that it was interesting that the film opened with the French national anthem, and ended with a female German POW singing a German song.

It was a good, but depressing, movie.