HiT Paths of Glory

Paths of Glory

Paths of Glory is an anti war movie released in 1957, directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Kirk Douglas. Who does take his shirt off. It’s based a novel but on a real case of French soldiers who refuse to continue a suicidal attack.

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2 thoughts on “HiT Paths of Glory

  1. Hi David and Wolf, long time listener / first time clearing my throat… Great work as always, but there is a “but,” namely, what would 27yr old Stan have to have done (in 1957) to make a film that would earn a higher accuracy score in 2019? You gave it a 6, whereas clearly, according to the precedent set by the Master and Commander episode, I would object that the fictionalization of events within a very realistic context of historical background (corrected for the 1957 choreography limitations of men falling down bloodlessly near explosions in predictable ways) merits a higher score. According to wikipedia, “For the construction of the battlefield, Kubrick hired 5,000 square yards of land from a local farmer. It took Kubrick a month to set-up the filming of the assault, arranging props and tearing up the field to look like a war zone. For the filming of the battle sequence, the battlefield was divided into five regions where explosive charges were specifically placed. This made it easier for Kubrick to film the dying of extras as he split the extras into five groups, one for each of the regions, and each man would die in his own zone by an explosion that was near him.” Is there a clause in your score guidelines adjusting for maniacal commitment to accuracy above and beyond the standards of the industry at the time? Bridge on the river Kwai is great, but it does not transport the viewer into the jungle/camp in the same way that Kubrick puts you in the place of the characters, not only during the trench scene, but also with the view through the periscope binoculars, or the camera tracking for the night patrol through no-man’s land. These techniques hint at the 1st person point of view maintained throughout the submarine for Das Boot 20+ years later. As a viewer, the fatigue grows in parallel (though not in magnitude) with that of the characters in the film, largely due to the commitment to make it all feel real. I watched this film and they revisited the trailer for They Shall Not Grow Old and was stunned by how well Kubrick captured a realistic level of disheveled scruff for most of the extras. Master & Commander is one of my all time faves, but I feel like if it had been made in 1957, Peter Weir might not have been able to make his world seem so accurate as Kubrick did for Paths of Glory (8 overall accuracy for me, 9 adj. for when it was made). Just my humble opinion. Thank you for countless hours of enjoyment!

    1. Hi Vince, and I loved your comment, fascinating detail, thank you! And I am more than convinced ! How could I not be? Reminds me that we also need to do Bridge on the River Kwai…
      I will pass your comment to Wolf too, and hopefully on the next but one podcast we can discuss your comment. Thanks for listening!

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