Paths of Glory (1957)

Second viewing (first: February 21, 1991).

Based on the novel by Humphrey Cobb, first published in 1935.

During World War One, an unfeasible operation ordered by power-greedy generals ends in failure, and to save face a few soldiers are sentenced to death as an example for the others.

Splendid military drama, of topical relevance in this centennial year of the beginning of the First World War. There is a surplus of critical opinion about this movie, which makes my contribution really unnecessary. Perhaps the most interesting analysis is contained in this sentence from Christopher Mulrooney's brief review: "The point, which rather escaped young Truffaut the critic, is that cowardice and contempt and cant sort well together indeed and make a blinding apparatus that is only with difficulty seen through, especially under wartime conditions." Col. Dax stands out as the moral axis of the movie; you can't really argue for or against his plausibility as a character: he serves a dramatic purpose, and that is all. Should the film have Col. Dax accept the promotion in the end, the "blinding apparatus" would have been perfect. But the box office would suffer, perhaps.

Rating: 87 (up from 74)