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Paths of Glory (1957)
Paths of Glory is a 1957 American anti-war film directed by Stanley Kubrick, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Calder Willingham and Jim Thompson. It is adapted from the 1935 novel of the same name by Humphrey Cobb, which in turn was based on the Souain corporals affair during World War I. The film stars Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax, the commanding officer of French soldiers who refuse to continue a suicidal…
Directed by Stanley Kubrick · Shot by Georg Krause · Cut by Eva Kroll · Music by Gerald Fried · 88 min
How it was made
- Kubrick and producer James Harris purchased the film rights to Humphrey Cobb's novel from Cobb's widow for $10,000.
- A Writers Guild arbitration found that writer Jim Thompson had contributed seven scenes, including the reconnaissance mission and the night-before-the-execution scene, contradicting co-writer Calder Willingham's claim to have written 99 percent of the script himself.
- Kirk Douglas forced Kubrick to restore the film's bleak ending after discovering the director had quietly rewritten it with a last-minute reprieve, reverting it to match the original novel.
- For the final assault, Kubrick rented 5,000 square yards of farmland, spent a month tearing it up to resemble a battlefield, and split it into five zones with pre-placed explosive charges so each of five groups of extras would fall within their own designated area.
- Around 600 German police officers, chosen for their prior military training, were used as extras to play soldiers.
Behind the scenes
Elsewhere
More by Stanley Kubrick
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