Depictions of battles and wars were a theme in many of the films directed by Stanley Kurbick
(e.g. Fear and Desire, Paths of Glory, Spartacus, Dr. Stangelove, 2001 - A Space Odyssey, Barry Lyndon, Full Metal Jacket).
"Paths of Glory" [1957] is being shown tonight (Sat 12 Nov 2011) on ABC 2 at 8:32pm AEST.
A fictional account of a court martial during Wold War I, this is one of the finest films
ever made.
The black and white cinematography during the battle sequence is stunning.
Watch for the long dolly shot of Colonel Dax (played by Kirk Douglas) as the
camera follows him through the the trenches, the men looking like war memorial
statues. Then the incredible tracking shot of Dax as he leads the men 'over the
top' of the trenches and across the battle field. No CGI here - shot in camera
as a single take. Winston Churchill himself commented on the authenticity of this
battle sequence.
Banned for many years in France, Paths of Glory is a must see.
Paths of Glory is then followed at 9:58pm by "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to
Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" - as good as black comedy gets and one of
the greatest films ever made.
Gary this is a cinematic masterpiece. Yes the scenes in the trenches are brilliant! I'll definately sit down to this one, once again. And Dr Strangelove after this? Nice night to sit in front of the telly. Thanks for the heads up.
Thanks for your synopsis Gary. I've just watched it and can't believe that I'd never seen it before. It belies it's age in both cinematography and dialogue. What a great film.
Thanks for your synopsis Gary. I've just watched it and can't believe that I'd never seen it before. It belies it's age in both cinematography and dialogue. What a great film.
Hi Chris,
Great to hear you caught it! It is one of personal my all-time favourites.
The German woman who sings at the end Stanley Kubrick went onto marry and Christiane
Kubrick remained his wife until Stanley's death in 1999.
ABC2 tonight 12/11/11 20:32 AEST - Paths of Glory
