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Paths Of Glory Essay

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Paths of Glory is a film based on the novel by Humphrey Cobb and was directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1957, however, was not released in France until 1974. This film is based in France in the early 1900s depicting the French army in their war against Germany during World War I. This was a very controversial film of the time due to its portrayal of the French army. The French government halted the release of this film for many years because of the lack of empathy it shows towards the country. This film takes you through the hard times of the war touching on betrayal, disease, and the true meaning of patriotism, however, unlike most films about WWI Kubrick did not solely focus on the effects of the war creating this to be like so many anti-war films. Kubrick took this film to a new level by showing the hierarchy of the French military and more behind the scenes government work than most other war films. The choice Kubrick made to produce this film in black-and-white stands out on its own. This choice conveys to the audience that this is not a time of happiness and color rather one of dreariness and devastation. This paper will examine …show more content…

This film touched on the hard realization that most men when going to war would not return home. One of the biggest steps this film took was showing the behind the scenes of the war through the hierarchy of the military power system and how much power they actually held. Through watching the film, one question that was brought to attention was the accuracy of the film. One answer found was to this was to some extent there had to be at least some truth behind this film or else the French government would not have waited almost twenty years before releasing the film in the country. (Keegan 1998)This film was an eye opener for the time and gave viewers a harsher look at the realities and consequences of going to

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