To commemorate 100 years since the start of The Great War Louis and I watched 'Paths of Glory.' Once again I am reminded of the assault for the Anthill and the bitter court scene that follows and the defeated authority in Kirk Douglas' voice as he utters the immortal line:
'Gentlemen of the court, there are times when I'm ashamed to be a member of the human race and this is one such occasion.'
There is such a profound and focused quality that permeates throughout the entire 85 minutes of the film. Most shockingly, it manages to present a war film with good people and bad people without ever showing you who the soldiers are fighting against, depicting a hardened, almost inhuman military we scarcely ever see in lesser movies. Everytime I see it, I always find something new to appreciate and I will never fail to marvel at the sense of injustice presented.
It's films like 'Paths of Glory' that remind me why I love watching films. When I first put the DVD in two years ago to watch it I didn't know what to expect (obviously there was some quality assurance since it was Kubrick) but it's once of those very, very rare films that I instantly fall in love with and the kind of film I am forever on the lookout for.
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