Paths of Glory

This harrowing World War I drama was Kubrick’s first and perhaps most scathing indictment of war and military politics. Safe in their picturesque chateau behind the front lines, the French General Staff passes down a direct order to Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas): take the Ant Hill at any cost. The attack is doomed to failure.

Paths of Glory is based on an actual 1916 incident when five enlisted men were unfairly executed for mutiny. The film was banned in France until 1975. It remains an extraordinary cinematic achievement nearly fifty years after it was made and as relevant now as ever.

Filmography: Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Full Metal Jacket (1987), The Shining (1980), Barry Lyndon (1975), A Clockwork Orange (1971), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), Spartacus (1960).