Paths of Glory (4/11) Movie CLIP - A Controversial Order (1957) HD 

Fun fact : James Doohan, who played Scotty on Star Trek, served in the Canadian armed forces as an artillery officer. Once on an exercise a visiting officer ordered him to fire live rounds on a grid reference which Doohan knew was occupied by his own men. He refused. The officer raged at him, threatened to court martial him, and Doohan simply said "No, sir. I will not." The man did try to get Doohan court martialled, but the inquiry cleared him of all charges.

The battery commander had good sense and major balls!

The easiest way to distinguish a bad war movie from a good one: do the artillery pieces recoil when they are firing? -This is a good one.

"I must have a written order, signed by the General." Ah, the fine art of being insubordinate without being charged with insubordination. Whether in war or peace gentleman, the value of practicing and perfecting this skill will be invaluable in whatever you do. Know the rules, remember the rules, and when something comes along that you don't want to, use a rule that says you don't have to do what you don't want to do. That's a tip. Write it down.

If the General wants so badly for the attack to take place, perhaps he should LEAD it.

Damn you missed the best part..."if those little sweethearts won't face German bullets they'll face French ones!"

George Macready plays his role absolutely outstanding!!

"Alright, we'll do it sir." "Thank you captain!" "Lieutenant?" "Yes captain?" "Get me command's coordinates, would you?"

I grew up in northern France and I was a kid , each time there were public works in my city,we found unexploded ww1 shells or grenades moved by construction's cranes. Me and my friends we played with.When I think about it,I do not understand why I am still alive. It's a miracle because we were more unconscious than fearless.

One of the great villains in cinema.

This film was banned in France until 1975

By this general's very own definition he is himself a coward, as he has survived combat.

The real-life scar on George Macready's right cheek appeared rather more noticeable in "Paths of Glory" than in others (Gilda, 1946, for example); perhaps the more prominent scar fit his role even better....

"The film doesn´t transmit 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. 🇻🇪

I love the way the two gaurd's look at each other when he gives the order

Just for precision's sake, this scene is totally realistic. In the context of WWI French Army's regulations, such an order was illegal and was different from the execution of soldiers for desertion or cowardice (that had still to be sanctioned by a military court). The battery commander asked for a written order knowing very well he would get none. Also, the order had been transmitted through a subaltern, so the general couldn't invoke a "misunderstanding". Having to choose between a demotion or a transfer and facing court-martial for having fired on its own troops under a verbal order, the choice for the battery commander was clear. It must be added that there have been anecdotes of commanders ordering to fire on their own positions to "encourage" an attack, but none have been ever confirmed. On the other hand, there have been few documented cases of commanders ordering summary executions without trial of soldiers for alleged "insubordination" during both WWII and WWI, but, at least in western European armies, these were almost always followed by investigations and in some case by court-martial of the officer.

“You’ll be in front of a firing squad tomorrow morning.” LOLs

I would've like for an epilogue about Mireau's trail and sentencing. He strikes a very sensitive nerve I have towards authoritarian figures who balk at the idea of following the same rules as everyone else. He tries to get his own men killed. He has no response for the "written signature" rule other than threatening the battery captain with an arrest and execution. And when faced with the charges, he lies through his teeth and says he's a soldier. Except that same captain he threatened will be testifying against him in court. Like ex-police officer Michael Sleger, he'll probably say that he "forgot" what happened. The film is just such a stark reminder of "reality" vs. the delusions of these authoritarian figures. You can make all the threats you want. You can arrest and execute all the people you want. It does nothing to change your own legal obligations. It does absolutely nothing to change the fact that the Anthill is still there, still heavily fortified by the enemy, and infantry charges through a killing field with no cover STILL won't work.

One the best movies ever made

This is why we have an XO beside a CO. This kind of order to gun down your own men on whatever basis must absolutely be made jointly in a general sense, but because war is unpredictable, sometimes a devastating order maybe made by one of the two officers in charge, and it better be absolutely totally unequivocally justified and where allowed, signed, unsealed and delivered.

The General knows this is an unlawful order so he doesn't want any written orders with his signature on it. He was probably hoping he could blame it the artillery commander missing the target if word of this got back to command.

A poignant point in the movie a General ordering his artillery to fire on his own troops totally insane!🤨😠

...One hour later... " The General has been shot and killed ! No idea from which direction.... "

These guys thought they were medieval knights commanding high-powered weaponry that no one had ever seen before.

"¡Ah! ¡Los generales! Muchos, pero no buenos para mucho" Aristófanes (446 A.C - 386 A.C) Poeta y comediógrafo griego.

I love me some George Macready !

Reminds me of Uvalde Police Department on 05/24/2022

That general is a nasty piece of work

McCready almost sounds like Peter Sellers getting irate during the attempted phone call from Burpelson airbase in Dr. Strangelove...

Oh George!

Some further fun facts about this movie: Kirk Douglas played not only the lead role, but served also as producer of the movie thru his own production company, Bryna-Productions. The movie was completely shot on a pretty tight budget at the Bavaria Studios, Munich-Geiselgasteig and some nearby surroundings in Germany. The trenches were built and the battle scenes filmed on a field near Munich-Pullach. The "New Castle Schleißheim" in Oberschleißheim is the location, where the execution scene was filmed in front of, and also the trial scenes were filmed inside that same castle. The specialist providing the (then still solely ) practical pyrotech effects was the famed German FX-man, Karl "Charlie Boom Boom" Baumgartner, who'd provide the pyrotech effects for some thirty years for many international movies, among them "The Longest Day" (USA 1962), "Dunkirk 1940" ( France 1964), "The Bridge at Remagen" (USA 1968), "Waterloo" ( Italy/USSR 1970), "A Bridge too Far" (GB 1977), "Steiner - The Iron Cross" ( Germany 1977) and "Das Boot" (Germany 1979/80/81) The accomplished director of photography of the movie, Georg Krause, was from Germany too. Shortly before this movie he had also photographed two parts of the classic trilogy of the "o8 / 15" - movies, which were among the first movies made in Germany about WW2 in 1954/55. To save the production same money ironically all the ( non-speaking ! ) extras playing French soldiers were actually German policemen recruited from the state police of Bavaria, because they got payed by the Bavarian federal state and were by law not allowed to earn some extra money, because, as said, they were state officials. There really lies some irony in the fact, that all the extras playing French soldiers were actually Germans, doesn't it !? ;) This was a rather cheap method for the Bavarian goverment to promote the movie production facilities in Munich to foreign producers and attract them to produce their movies there. The policemen would be sent to the movie set during their official work hours and got paid by the state. Another advantage of hiring policemen as extras was, that they were naturally used to handle arms, so the production had not to spend considerable time in give unexperienced extras some training lessons in it. ( Five years later another classic American war movie would be produced here as well : "The Great Escape" with an all star cast. And in 1979/80 another classic, "Das Boot", this time as a complete German production.) But it is pretty likely, that most of these men had also actually fought as soldiers, the older ones in WW1 ( and maybe they were even forced to fight again in the "Volksturm" during the last months of WW2 ) and the younger men probably in WW2. So most of the non-speaking extras certainly knew the song and could fully understand the lyrics. So it was probably no big acting deal for them to tear up, when Christiane Kubrick had sung it in front of them so movingly and in such plain fashion like a German mother from a hundred years ago would have sung it to her little child. There lies so much "innocence" in the unpretentious way she sings this simple tune, that you can't help but being deeply touched by it.

When your commander is deliberately trying to get you and your men killed, you have an obligation to end him.

Your team after you fail to clutch a 1v5

"if they won't face German bullets they'll face French bullets"

I don't know if it's true or not, but the movie "Breaker Morant" deals with an alleged verbal order by British General Kitcher passed down through the ranks to shoot any Boers suspected as insurgents shooting British troops. When several British or Aussie soldiers are killed in a Boer ambush, the unit commander has the Boers rounded up shot, as well as a travelling Boer preacher suspected of spying on British camps. Three of the Aussie soldiers involved are brought to trial, and when they mention Kitcher's general order, it is denied as being false because it was never written down, so they pay the price to be executed for the General's verbal order.

key segment of the film and also of Kubrick filmography

Not a single German soldier is visible during the attack. Quite common during that war.

Really tense and well filmed. Color woukd have made the mud too.pretty

That’s the same SOB that screamed he was a innocent man and pleaded ignorance about his order to murder his own troops with French artillery.This movie was controversial back when it was released and even banned in some countries because it was all too true and many who gave the orders for men to basically commit suicide in a sinful human meat grinder where still alive and some in positions of power.

The acting in this movie is superb. Im not sure how Kubrik does it. Because he literally just tells them to act. He doesent give specific instructions or ask for specific emotions etc. as far as i know

One of the greatest scenes in the history of film

And this is why fragging was instituted.

He could have make a fine bond villain.

No sane person would carry out such an order.

Also legally correct. All military orders involving close combat where life is in peril, require written orders. He is not ordering his orderly to polish his boots

I’ve never seen this movie did the French general ( the bad guy ) finally buy it at the end ?

The French 75mm field gun was a fine piece of light artillery but not very useful against entrenched fortifications.. the French lacked heavy artillery at the beginning of WW1 Needed to yield to reality that siege warfare needed heavier guns and motars..

There missing out the bit the artillery officer tells of the order to fire on own men that’s the crunch of of film

Kubrick best movie

French troops who speak English: If that isn't Cultural Barbarism !

The whole operation in my opinion is a tragedy but if space alone is the factor & if that spaced occupied by the Germans & are . coming so closed to your lines then considering the situation of a defeat then the general sent down the order of the bombardment of the own French positions in order perhaps to minimaze the coming defeat or perhaps to succeed to some point to separate the two lines & somehow even to turned things around that is one way to look at it then on the other hand the general perhaps is not all the way correct of course is easy for him to give the order. Of the shooting of his own men positions but is difficult for the simple soldier to grab the meaning behind the order & the understanding of its execution because of the fact of so many men are going to died & it's hurts now things are changing the moment when their own French position was confirmed that it was correct then for a second time the general sent the order down for the shooting it's not clear to me in my mind it's very difficult decision because the general here can be considered as weak personality & characterises because he may feels that if he failed he won't be able to assume later on of a higher command & therefore to advance in prestige .

Cpt. Rousseau was as much a hero as Col. Dax.

someone should dub over battery commander, now go home and get your f-ing shoe shine box.

I'd tell them where to GO-!!

French man with perfect English accent lol

The general is gleeful and satisfied with himself about the order...

I always find the acting in Kubric's films to be strained.

And these were the kind of movies made in Hollywood leading up to Vietnam. No wonder it ended the way it did.

Wouldn't surprise me if generals today pull off things like this.

This was the most harrowing scene in the entire movie for me

War is a RACKET!

So did Capt. Russeau get a lead the next day?

And the funny thing is: war is never funny.

Sounds like modern western generals. I guess some things don’t change

Half of them won't go huh? As you can see im not a general , i didn't went to academy, i don't know how army works, i don't know the rules here. I don't know i should write the order n sign it , so u do it. But sir , you are general, u did go to academy , u do know the rules n how it's ahhh💀 Shut up, thanos is talking.

A lot of Yanks in the French army.

Can you really shoot down your own men on the order of your commanding officer? The difficult answer is, yes. In combat condition if your general orders you to fire battery volleys at your own men on the basis they disobey a valid combat order or exhibit mutiny, yes, the battlefield commanding officer can issue such a devastating order and it must be, well, executed because it is "justified".

Am I the only one who found general ridiculous ?

George Mcready was always the best villan

Un autentico suicidio di intere generazioni😢😢😢

there's no "sir" in french army, "sir" is anglo american usage..

First

One million French soldiers died directly or indirectly from ‘friendly fire’ from French Artillery. Les Massacre De Notre Infanterie.

у антанты аэропланы танки броневики пулеметы станковые и переносные минометы автоматы карабины воздушные шары дирижабли а у немцев из вундервафлей только газ иприт и все и антанта от страха четыре с лищним года по окопам пряталась пока не сообразила что намного сильнее немцев и за один день окончила войну разбив 16армий немцев

2.00 - not the best acting

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