When watching movies of this era it’s always the over the top music that draws me out. Perhaps it’s because I wasn’t Alive for this era but the sounds of war makes it much more authentic and entertaining
@T T this scene shows why technique is not everything and how much influence a director has. For me, 1917 lacked the intensity of a scene like kubrick's. Doing a (fake) one-shot movie is a disadvantage and actually took away drama and tension from some scenes.
It's a hint to the future of his career. 1968: The Beatles were still on tour when 2001: Space Odyssey was being screened. It's mind-boggling how much of a genius Kubrick was.
They spent a lot of money on this movie to make it as real as possible since they took the world war very seriously and wanted people to know what some of them went through.
I feel this was better than 1917. 1917 had its cliches. We barely saw any combat. You didn’t want the men to die but that’s all. It felt too much like saving private Ryan but in one shot.
As well filmed as 1917 was, I felt it still fell short in comparison to Paths of Glory. You can really feel the intensity of the tension in this series of shot.
@@syjiang Story wise it felt cliche and ordinary at best. Like saving private Ryan in world war 1 with long take cinematography. The story in Paths of glory was far more complex
Kirk Douglas was really responsible for getting this film made. He used all of his Hollywood clout to see that it happened. Based on an actual series of events in France during the First World War, it is still considered by many to be the greatest anti-war film ever made. I remember watching it alone one night on television when I was fifteen years old and it had a great effect upon me.
Ok so shelling could go on for days. Then a short respite, and then days again. Even going to barracks is difficult because the whole earth is shaking for days. Can't sleep or do anything.
This is probably one of the most accurate depictions of what an attack looks like in WW1. Sure, we don't see gore, but the tactics and the way the soldiers advance (trying to find some cover, not just running careless against machine gun fire), plus the fact they don't ever see the enemy, the constant barrage of enemy artillery, the destroyed field. And after the end of this clip, the discover that a big part of the battalion don't even left the trenches because of the casualties they suffered from enemy artillery. Great movie.
Yeah they’re not exactly allowed because of the hays censorship code if there wasn’t any censorship knowing how Stanley is like he would’ve went as far as making it almost as if a documentary crew were there
I think you're spot on. There's a smiliar scene in "Un long dimanche de fiançailles" (aka "A Very Long Engagement" starring Audrey Tatou). That movie was made in 204 but I wouldn't be surprised if the director, Jean-Pierre Jeunot hadn't seen this film prior to making his.
The bit where a shell hits a rotting carcass of a soldier spraying human shrapnel around was quite disturbing. Imagine receiving one of these filthy bits of debris into your gut - no antibiotics. Your only hope of recovery - the quality of the care at the aid station and hospital, your moral strength, and youthful vigour. You know darned well this was a very common occurrence.
Colonel Dax walking amongst his men is one of the best shot scenes in motion picture history. Truly shows the (sometimes) pointlessness of war. All those men dying for the pride of one mad man
Given how well this film has held up, it kind of amazes me that this movie is closer in time to World War I than we are to when this movie was released.
Modern filmmakers take note. You can actually see what you're meant to be looking at. Not so with movies of today. They just spin the camera around, point it at the sky, point it at the ground so you can't tell if you're looking at an arse or elbow. The camera doesn't need to be constantly in motion to make a great action movie....
I really don’t understand the whole shaky cam technique. It’s more of a gimmick or shortcut to enhance a shitty movie. Well filmed scenes and well made sets can be shown without all the extra unnecessary flare.
@@KevAlberta Shaky cam in moderation can be an excellent way to portray chaos and disorientation. It is when it is being used excessively that it becomes irritating...
Kev Saving Private Ryan dabbled in it a bit but I personally feel Spielberg found the perfect medium for how shaky it should be while a lot of films after that tried to copy it and failed
And they knew where to get tripods from in those days. I detest the wobbly hand-held camera technique, which has the impression of a spotty teenage dork playing with his new camcorder!
"All quiet on Western Front (1930!)" is on same level, at least. Both are real anti-war monuments that don't hold back with the cruelty of war. And both are not contaminated by the effort to glorify war or to end up in an indian-shooter-western as "Private Ryan".
varelion see also "the wood crosses"by raymond Bernard.french film made in 1931. scenario is the same than milestone's film.But french side.a young student happy to join front.and day after day happiness converts To fear and horror.at the end...i let you see this french film if you can find it on the Net.
After Sam Peckinpah's CROSS OF IRON, Stanley Kubrick's PATHS OF GLORY is the best war picture ever made. One frame of either of these films is worth ten whole SAVING PRIVATE RYANS.
Stanley Kubrick was a master at putting the audience into the scene almost. He was a genius at giving the audience full POV. It's like you're in the middle of everything along with the soldiers.
Older men resignated, with some of them nodding and greeting their commander. Younger men hyped up and withdrawn into themselves. Some men scared or nervous, others with an icy calmness. But all knowing; this is going to be a hard and bloody day. This is where Ridley Scott got the opening scene of Gladiator from.
Sortir de la tranchée au coup de sifflet et traverser le "No man's land" devait être effroyable. Tout cela dans le manque de sommeil, le froid, l' humidité, et le fracas du bombardement. La peur et l' effroi était les compagnons de tous les jours....Merci Kirk Douglas d' incarner de chef au milieu de ses hommes.
Cette guerre ne me laisse en paix car une partie de ma famille vient de l'assistance publique à cause de cette guerre. Mais aujourd'hui devenu père de famille, je m'imagine mal ceux qui sont rentrés de ce désastre voir leurs propres garçons partir dans la même guerre, même ennemie même contexte géographique. Insupportable.
That's one hell of a set. Just compare the trench on its own, let alone flanders field, to most other WW1 films. Other films spend ages in the trenches but don't bother to dig them so deep or so well, this is Kubrick's longest shot of the trenches outside dax's dugout yet he still bothered to do it right and believably.
I love a lot of older movies because they don’t rely on so many cuts. It’s amazing how much more is conveyed when they do long takes and let the scene breathe.
Absolutely correct. Reality is not a cluster of quick-cuts. The worst mistake of many modern filmmakers who were raised on video games is trying to depict everything at jerky hyper speed. Real life isn't anything like that. There are many classic movies like this one, made by great directors who knew how to make it look realistic.
It is almost,unbelievable that they could get men to voluntarily "go over the top". I had three great uncles that fought in WWI. But I was little and they died before I ever got to talk to them about it. My Grandma told stories that she heard and they were horrendous.I read a book in college about Verdun......a French Officer,was later quoted as saying "There are no heroes,just bullets". This 5 minutes and 7 seconds is the best scene I've every seen it any movie ever. Kubrick was a master.
Tad Coder insubordination and cowardice were punishable by death by firing squad. They stood a better chance of surviving going over the top than refusing.
Which is exactly what Paths of Glory is about. do yourselves a favor and watch this movie asap, you're in for a treat. Like all Kubrick's features, Paths of Glory is a masterpiece
To Tad Coder. There was nothing volentary about forced conscription or about going over the top. The last man out of the British trench was usally an officer with a pistol. The pistol was to shoot dead any weak kneed soldiers refusing to go. After the first Christmas Truce (Peace) the British goverment made making peace a criminal offence punishable by death.
Tad Coder They don't know when they volunteered, because so many volunteered in one go they were all going in blindly,expecting to return in a few moths time, not to be dug in for 4 years
I have often thought about it. It must have been sheer terror. The thought that your life may very well soon be ended and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it.
Towards the end there’s a glimpse of a headless soldier which really shocked me at first for a 50s film. Great movie, impressive production value, revolutionary director
Les sentiers de la gloire. Magnifique film sur la folie des hommes . l' absurdité du sacrifice de ce que nos soldat ont vécu dans les tranchées et dans la boue. Un réquisitoire sur la guerre. Je crois l' un des meilleurs film que KIRK DOUGLAS est fait.🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷
What I love about this is just how long the shot is. It's uncomfortably long, but it pulls you into the idea of how awful a WW1 trench must have been for those poor souls. The constant barrages, and sounds of shells raining down on you. The horrible anticipation of the whistle and your CO yelling for you to climb up and attack the enemy. You just want the shot to end, but you're quite literally entrenched in the shot.
I bet for its day in 1957 this was as shocking and relentless as the first 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan was in 1998. But it still holds up and is just as moving.
I actually found this film better than Saving Private Ryan. It didn't need to utilise blood to be scary and, in my opinion, the emotional scenes in the film are much more touching. I also think this film is actually anti-war in its message. While Saving Private Ryan claims to be anti-war, it has a lot of features in common with those old WWII propaganda movies made to further war effort. There's a lot of flag waving which, to be fair, might've been more noticeable to me because I'm not from America. I just can't shake a part of me that feels the films message fit more in line with 'they died for a heroic cause and we need to salute the military' than 'they shouldn't have died at all', which I suppose is fine message to say so long as you believe it, but I don't.
What a coincidence. I see this clip about a week ago and look up Kirk Douglas and to see him still alive at 103 years of age...and now I find out this legend has just passed away. R.I.P.
@@jurtra9090 I didn't say it was. When I posted this, the centenary of Passchendaele was driving content like this up the YT algo, prompting my comment.
I think of my grandfather, a machine gunner in the 109th Ri who made Verdun, the Somme, who was taken prisoner at the end of 17, his regiment which was constantly reorganized with young recruits lost in 24 hours 800 men killed while defending a river mouth on the vesle, these men lived in inhuman conditions in the cold and mud in winter, in suffocating heat with the terrible smell of the dead in summer, covered in vermin, among rats. I envy their courage
Whenever I’m having a crappy day at work I remember that look on Kirks face as he’s walking the trenches and then I get on with the job… goddamn amazing acting.
This is easily one of the ten greatest black and white movies ever made. Brutal sounds and visuals, staggering and relentless, creating dreadfully ominous haunting aura. Intensely written and acted, perfectly lighted and photographed. This emotionally shattering cinematic war experience is possibly the best film Stanley Kubrick ever made. No Academy Awards, no nominations, too damn close to the horrible truth.
Have loved Col Dax's walk through the trenches ever since I first saw this movie as a college freshman in 1972. You see all the reactions, fear, resignation, disgust, and bravery knowing what they al have to face.
I watched a ww1 film in history class and my teacher said "This is a war movie and if it gets too intense for you feel free to wait outside" but we all just stared at it like zombies
Douglas's expression while walking down the trench line; not a professional soldier, but calm, determined and totally willing to face death along with his men. And : Encouraging the men as best he could.
This film scene influenced the opening scene of Gladiator where Maximus walks down the Roman picket line before the battle. We see how the minor characters react to Kirk Douglas's character. They fear him more than the enemy artillery. When he advances they do too. The character of the protagonist is developed in one take.
this has been one of my favorite movies since I first saw it in my early 20s.... certainly my favorite Kubrick film.... fantastic camerawork and some of the best dialogue I've heard in any film
I watched this movie for the first time last night, and it was the first time in a long while that I've actually had that "glued to the screen" feeling during a film. It's still hard for me to comprehend that the man who made this was the same man who made The Shining and Full Metal Jacket.
Love the way Kirk Douglas moves in this scene, the best actors know that the way someone moves adds to your understanding of the character, that acting goes beyond getting the facial expressions right and your lines out. RIP
Watching this on the day that Kirk Douglas left us. This is my favorite film he’s ever been in and definitely my pick for the best film Stanley Kubrick ever released.
“show me a patriot, and I’ll show you an honest man” - General Mireau “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel” - Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) Rest in peace!
One of my all time favourite war movies . A great film superbly acted and directed and the battle scenes first class and all the more effective in black and White . The closing scene in the bar with a frightened young woman singing to a room of tearful and emotional French soldiers about to return to the horrors of the front line is moving and touching especially . A great film and a classic .
Love how the scene begins with the walk through the trenches as a symbolic motif that while they must live buried in the ground in trenches, they will be buried in the ground in death.
"The film doesn´t shows any message. In any case is a film in favour or against the army. It´s a film against the war, which can lead men to such conflicts of conscience" Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999) American fim director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor and photographer. Greetings from Venezuela.
The walk through the trenches, the dirty faces of those men, not beeing especially keen to go out, the intensifying shelling, the countdown, the whistle. Perfection!
The thing I notice is how the officer leading the charge must know that there's literally nothing he can do to protect his men's lives. Other wars allowed for tactics and maneuvering, WW2, Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, and just about every other war on every continent in the 20th century. An officer from any time, on any side could plan and plot how to keep him men alive, his friends. Not here, they literally march into death and that one man was the one "leading" them.
the scarier thing to remember is that trenches saved lives. On Aug. 22, 1914 - during the opening mobile phase of the war - the French lost 27,000 dead in one day
