Must-watchWorld War I · Film · 1957
Paths of Glory
When an ambitious French general's suicidal attack collapses, three soldiers are picked to be tried for cowardice, and Colonel Dax, a lawyer in civilian life, sets out to defend them.
Where it happened
Follow the story across 1 places.
Stop 1: The Anthill, Champagne front
Key location
Dax leads the doomed assault on the Anthill; when it fails, three men are chosen for a court-martial held in an elegant château behind the lines.
What really happened
Kubrick adapted Humphrey Cobb's 1935 novel, which was based on the Souain corporals affair: in March 1915, after a failed attack near Souain in Champagne, four French corporals were executed by firing squad for refusing to leave their trench. They were posthumously exonerated in 1934.
The French army executed around 600 of its own soldiers during the war, many after the 1917 mutinies. The film was not shown in France until 1975 because of its portrayal of the French high command, and the 'Anthill' it depicts is invented rather than a real position.
Where to watch
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Full details
- Original title
- Paths of Glory
- Directed by
- Stanley Kubrick
- Countries
- United States
- Languages
- English, German
- Released
- 1957
- Period
- –
- Theaters of war
- Western Europe
- Themes
- Combat
- Politics
