Paths of Glory
Out of the Past 2019 / Paths of Glory / USA 1957
The abomination that is war as experienced by ordinary soldiers is quite at odds with the notion of battle entertained by cynical generals, for whom military “business” is merely a game of gestures. Based on the eponymous anti-war novel, the picture stands out for its opulent visuals, moments of caustic irony, and an excellent performance by Kirk Douglas.
Synopsis
Kirk Douglas excels in the role of Colonel Dax, who tries to save a group of ordinary soldiers from a senseless execution used to set an example. The abomination that is war as experienced by the unit is quite at odds with the notion of battle entertained by cynical generals, for whom military “business” is merely a game of gilded gestures. In his adaptation of Humphrey Cobb’s eponymous anti-war novel, Stanley Kubrick employs a grand visual style that combines long tracking shots with striking compositions. Spectacular scenes leave room for bitterly ironic moments that eloquently capture the senseless cruelty of the war machine both on the battlefield and before a military tribunal held in a Baroque hall.
Vít Kořínek
About the film
88 min / Black & white, DCP
Director Stanley Kubrick
/ Screenplay Stanley Kubrick, Calder Willingham, Jim Thompson podle stejnojmenného románu / based on the novel of the same name by Humphrey Cobb
/ Dir. of Photography Georg Krause
/ Editor Eva Kroll
/ Art Director Ludwig Reiber
/ Producer James B. Harris
/ Production Bryna Productions
/ Cast Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready
/ Sales Park Circus Group
About the director
Stanley Kubrick (1928, New York, USA – 1999, Hertfordshire, UK). Selected filmography: The Killing (1956), Paths of Glory (1957), Spartacus (1960), Lolita (1962), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Barry Lyndon (1975), The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987), Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Contacts
Park Circus Group
15 Woodside Crescent, G37UL, Glasgow
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 141 332 2175
E-mail: info@parkcircus.com
Guests
Meher Tatna
Journalist
