The film Paths of Glory is based on a 1935 book by Humphrey Cobb. Cobb (1899-1944) an Italian-born, Canadian-American screenwriter and novelist had served in the World War I Canadian army at the age of 17. Cobb kept a wartime diary and utilized his recollections when writing Paths of Glory.[1] His disgust and disillusion are heavily reflected in the work. The title of the novel comes from Thomas Gray’s 1751 poem Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. Paths of Glory is based on the Souain corporal’s affair that occurred on March 17, 1915. The choice to set the novel within the French army was purposefully done by Cobb as he felt they had been “poorly led” by commanders and were needlessly slaughtered in futile quests for small patches of territory.[2] The “ant-hill” mentioned in the film is called “the pimple” in the novel.
Kirk Douglas gives a stellar performance in the 1957 film as Colonel Dax. Stanley Kubrick, who would go on to become an acclaimed director of such films as “The Shining”, directs. Douglas’ 1988 bestselling autobiography, The Ragman’s Son, tells how he felt so moved by Cobb’s book that he provided thousands of dollars out of his own pocket to support the project. Kubrick, Jim Thompson, and Calder Willingham were all screenwriters working on the project which re-wrote the character of Colonel Dax with Douglas in mind. The novel has Dax as a minor character that equivocates in his support of the men but the film does not. The novel also includes Colonel Etienne, who is the legal representative for the accused. Kubrick’s script eliminates him entirely. Another interesting fact is that Kubrick and his writers instigated further changes that had the film ending happily. The “happy-ending” script was vehemently rejected by Kirk Douglas which caused conflict with Kubrick. Douglas is said to have yelled: “I got the money based on the original script. Not this shit. We’re going to do the original script or we’re not making the picture.”[3] Douglas’ determination to portray the harsh reality of an injustice pays off in the emotionally charged finale which evokes tremendous empathy.
Adolf Menjou, the actor who plays General Broulard, was himself a World War I veteran and had misgivings about portraying the effete officer. George Macready, playing the part of the sinister General Mireau, actually had a severe facial scar from an automobile accident while still in college. Macready’s badly damaged face was stitched by the only available medical practitioner, a veterinarian. The only female actress in the film is Christiane Harlan, a German singer and dancer who later became the third wife of Stanley Kubrick. They remained married for 40 years until his death in 1999.
The film was shot in Munich in just 64 days and cost less than one million dollars to make. The choice to shoot this film in black and white enhances the main themes of despair and desolation. Paths of Glory was released in October of 1957 and enjoyed only moderate success in the United States. The most interesting thing about this film is its enduring message. The film has become a classic in its depiction of the ineptitude of French high command and the sacrifice enlisted men were expected to make without question. The mutinies of French soldiers in May of 1917 after the disastrous Nivelle Offensive are an example of the average soldier’s response to the incompetent military bureaucracy that was French high command. The film would be almost comical if it were not historically accurate. Instead Paths of Glory is heartbreaking.
Works Cited
Cobb, Humphrey. Paths of Glory. London, Penguin, 2011.
FOOTNOTES
[1] Humphrey Cobb, Paths of Glory (New York: The Penguin Group, 2010), xxv.
[2] Cobb, Paths of Glory, xx.
[3] https://www.military-history.org/articles/war-on-film-paths-of-glory.htm
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