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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Paths of Glory


cooky

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I have recently watched the Kirk Douglas movie 'Paths of Glory' in which the order to assault a German strongpoint is refused after several disasterous attempts earlier the same day.Is this based on a true story and where exactly was the strongpoint in real life ?

Cooky.

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It was based on a novel by Humphrey Cobb who fought as a private with the Canadians.

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Check out the movie on Wickie , i know its not always to be trusted but, the film will give the orginal book 1935 , the play ,and the orginal incedent ,there is a link to the general involved in the excution of the 4 soldiers.

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where exactly was the strongpoint in real life ?

Cooky.

In Souain apparently.

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I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with actor Joe Turkel some years ago, who was in the film. Been a fan of his work for quite a long time, even before he was in The Shining.

-Daniel

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Banned in France until the 1970s - it showed the Army in a bad light.

Only one of two WW1 movies to make The Guardian's Top 10 war movie list. See: http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/oct/28/top-10-war-movies

A Kubrick masterpiece.

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I've always thought a lot of the film. I'm particularly affected by the almost matter of fact bravery displayed by Colonle Dax as he takes the men over the top, ensuring that he is on the parapet, urging them forward, precisely on zero hour. And yet. And yet..General Mireau orders his artillery to shell his own positions, an order that is refused. However, the only artillery we see in action is the French, and during the attack, there is no real sign that the Anthill is being shelled at all. All the fire seems to be falling on the attackers, so it appears that the French artillery is already shelling its own men. Or am I missing the point about keeping close to the barrage, at the risk of taking casualties?

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Well, you live and learn. I've seen Paths of Glory innumerable times, and I have it on DVD, but I didn't know until I read the IMDB resumé that it was filmed in Bavaria. As Hedley says, a Kubrick masterpiece .... and made before he was even 30. Kirk Douglas is still with us at the grand old age of 97, but sadly I think he is probably too frail for a gala screening of the film in the centenary year of the events it depicts.

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Paul,

If you read accounts of how the movie was made, funding was a problem throughout. Douglas ended up putting his own cash into it. Lack of money limited what Kubrick could do in terms of special effects - hence lots of shots in trenches, chateaux and the stagey nature of some of the sets. He used hand-held cameras for the battle scenes, which ended up adding to the 'realism'.

Having said that the technical quality of what he did do is superb, particularly the tracking shots in the trenches.

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  • 3 months later...

Apparently 'Paths of Glory' is to be re-released this year. There was a piece in yesterday's 'The Guardian'.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/apr/28/stanley-kubrick-paths-of-glory

Some of the comments are very interesting especially on Kubrick's relationship with Douglas, and one or two from people who worked with Kubrick.

I thought the comments on the quality of the battle scenes were proof that you don't need pots of money and digital technology to create high quality action. In fact simpler technologies such as hand-held cameras and black and white film are often far more effective. BBC please note.

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Well, you live and learn. I've seen Paths of Glory innumerable times, and I have it on DVD, but I didn't know until I read the IMDB resumé that it was filmed in Bavaria. As Hedley says, a Kubrick masterpiece ....

Most of the extras were Bavarian Police officers.

This is the real incident believed to have inspired the book and film

http://www.executedtoday.com/2008/03/17/1915-french-corporals-maupas-lefoulon-girard-lechat/

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Apparently 'Paths of Glory' is to be re-released this year. There was a piece in yesterday's 'The Guardian'.

I'm not sure what 're-released' actually means, as Paths of Glory was already readily available on DVD, and the Guardian piece doesn't mention any kind of technical enhancement or reprocessing of the 'print'.

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I'm not sure what 're-released' actually means, as Paths of Glory was already readily available on DVD, and the Guardian piece doesn't mention any kind of technical enhancement or reprocessing of the 'print'.

A new, maybe not restored, print is being shown at the National Film Theatre from May 2-16. I think it's the BFI's token nod to the centenary. As much as it may be historically questionable, I'd rather they'd bring back Joseph Losey's "King and Country", now hardly seen.

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I'm not sure what 're-released' actually means ...

Quite. Maybe it means a screening in cinemas?

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