Not So Glorious War Cries...

 

Paths of Glory (1957, US) is a knockout film on the absurdities of war and imperialism that would stay relevant for centuries. Stanley Kubrick's cinematic adaptation of Humphrey Cobb's novel is set during the First World War and is ambitious in its scale and political scope. It is about a French army colonel being asked to carry out an impossible advance mission which he refuses due to the outnumbered regiments at his disposal. The resulting court-martial leads to orders of execution against randomly chosen soldiers under the colonel for showing cowardice and he fights tooth and nail for their rights. 

The film unravels a grim world of imperial ruling interests, subordination through patriotic indoctrination in armies, clashes of the human ego, and the ruling class's repressive maintenance of the class divide. Kubrick has created a universe of rotten repressive machinery that otherwise is projected as a set of disciplined patriots who fight glorious battles for the nation.  He dissects these bogus glittering claims around nationhood, obedience, loyalty, bravery, and bureaucratic integrity with a pinch of dark humour at moments.

All of these are achieved in Kubrick's quirky cinematic narration and realistic character sketches. Use of natural lighting, careful construction of atmosphere- both aristocratic army quarters and claustrophobic trenches-, rhythmic editing, deep focus, fluid camera movements, wide-angle phallic shots, idiosyncratic use of music, meticulously done mise-en-scene and immaculate framing elevate the film to an extraordinary experience. Kirk Douglas as the colonel stuck in this Kafkaesque mess is electrifying along with all the other cast members who bring a tense historical period to life.

Extraordinary. There is no other word to describe "Paths of Glory'' for the political questions it raises and the prowess of its visual narration. The film would leave you heavy-hearted with remorse for witnessing a historical injustice. And the heartbreaking climax sequence would be talked of forever for its intensity and philosophical weight. In short, "Paths of Glory '' is a great cinematic statement against imperial wars fought over fake narratives of patriotism, national supremacy, and cultural sophistication and it would stay relevant as long as this exploitative social system exists.