81: Paths of Glory (1957)

About this episode

This episode discusses Stanley Kubrick's anti-war film 'Paths of Glory' and its portrayal of the harsh realities of war.

Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory (1957) is one of the most powerful anti-war films ever made. It doesn’t show war as heroic or noble—it shows it for what it really is: cruel, unfair, and driven by prideful men far from the front lines. The story takes place during World War I and follows Colonel Dax, played by Kirk Douglas. He’s ordered to lead his soldiers in a hopeless attack on a German stronghold called the “Anthill.” The mission is doomed from the start, and when it fails—as Dax knew it ...

Topics covered

• anti-war films
• Stanley Kubrick
• World War I
• film analysis
• military ethics

Keywords

• Paths of Glory
• Stanley Kubrick
• anti-war
• Kirk Douglas
• World War I
• film critique
• military
• cinema

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Paths of Glory

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