The soldiers' volte face reminds Dax that humanity is not built on greed and contempt – only that part of it which, in his experience, wears the gold-braided képis. Simply enter your email address in the box below, 'Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel': Kirk Douglas in 'Paths of Glory', The depiction of the French advance across no man's land under bombardment is a testament to the lunacy of attritional warfare. Yet despite their different personal moral values, all three yield to the tyranny of utilitarianism. Drama. | Broulard realizes that executing an officer would be admitting the incompetence of the officer corps, a politically unacceptable solution. Mobile site. Patriotism - Despite the apparent dangers and the futility of an attack upon an impregnable fortress called "Ant Hill" set during the 1916 Battle of Verdun, a colonel leads his men patriotically into the virtual "valley of death." Paths of Glory begins at an opulent chateau where, in 1916, the urbane, devious General Broulard (Adolphe Menjou, pictured right) and his ambitious subordinate, General Mireau (George Macready), are secluded from the squalor of the trenches. Paris assumes that the immorality of Roget's act will be revealed, and that Roget will be punished, but Roget smugly explains how the system really works – the officers will protect their own unless the accusation threatens them directly, and since the loss of a soldier like Lejeune doesn't involve an officer's death, Paris's complaint will be ignored. Both Mireau and Dax make this argument, Mireau in his initial discussion with Broulard, and later Dax with Mireau. He shares neither Mireau's rigid, romantic patriotism nor Dax's humane, tempered idealism. I like the approach that you are taking to this film however I foresee it as being a very hard position to argue. Yet each of these perspectives, though sometimes conflicting with each other or represented by despicable characters, has a legitimate moral claim, either on its own or within the context of utilitarian necessity. Although Mireau is contemptible and pathetic in his motivation and lack of self-knowledge, he is in effect only doing what all commanders are expected to do: motivate their men to kill and, if necessary, die. However, in. The story is gripping from beginning to end, shot beautifully, and acted with intensity and passion. When Dax resorts to blackmail and extortion by implying he might reveal Mireau's shelling of his own men to the press, he shifts his own moral center from faith in the ability of the system to guarantee justice towards a pragmatic utilitarianism willing to step outside the bounds of legal and ethical conduct to satisfy a greater good. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. He used his power as producer later on when they worked together on Spartacus which turned out to be their final collaboration together. It's rare that a movie has the ability to really get me angry or evoke any strong emotion in me but Paths of Glory managed to do so. The battle scenes are immaculate and touching. Paths of Glory takes some inspiration from actual events within the French army during WWI, when around 30,000 troops mutinied, resulting in courts-martial and 49 executions. Connections | Mireau, somewhat disconcerted, replies that an inquiry would simply demoralize the men, and that a ‘shelving’ of Rousseau would be more appropriate. Broulard also makes procedural arguments, pointing out that there is no specific legal nexus between the failure of the men to attack and Mireau's order to fire on his own troops. "Film Development" is what we at filmtank.org are calling the process of thinking about films with the idea that the films themselves are thinking. According to Robert Osbourne, this film was said to be the favorite war film of John McCain. Paths of Glory examines the cost of conflict between nations, specifically the human cost to political decision-making. The sacred atmosphere was possibly intended as an ironic backdrop for the spiritually empty prayers offered to the condemned men by the unfeeling priest (Emile Meyer) who visits them in their cell. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paths_of_Glory. A nocturnal foray by Lieutenant Roget (Wayne Morris), Corporal Paris (Ralph Meeker), and a private (Kem Dibbs) ends with the latter being killed by a grenade thrown by the panicking Roget. The scene mirrors Paris's earlier threat to expose Roget for killing Lejeune during the reconnaissance mission. In a Wall Street Journal's review of this 1957 film, it is written. If Paths of Glory is ultimately about the perfidiousness and self-seeking of generals that turns men into cannon fodder, it concludes with a glimmer of hope. Paths Of Glory. His order to fire on his own troops was refused. Four were executed. The only completely innocent man in this whole affair. 25, Author. The scar on Mireau's right cheek indicates he is not a coward personally, but – claiming concern for his 8,000 men – he is reluctant to follow Broulard's order to direct his division against a formidable German position called the Anthill. This film was selected into the National Film Registry in 1992 for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". For Broulard, the execution is therefore simply an expedient device for achieving bureaucratic goals and protecting his position in the system. When the book was published in 1935, notable screenwriter, Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by. Individuals have unique moral sensibilities, and often act in keeping with those ideals, sometimes to their personal detriment. Berube declined to do so without written orders and when they were not forthcoming, refused to give the order to fire. Fittingly, reporters and a cameraman from the newspapers are there to capture the moment and sustain the impression of a general in command – a sure morale booster for the people back home, and certain to redound to Broulard's credit. For Kubrick, moments of individual moral experience are just that – moments. Apr The legal basis for justifying the execution, and the execution itself, will have been Mireau's responsibility, not Broulard's. In Paths of Glory (Stanley Kubrick, 1957) the individual's moral intent is distorted, compromised, and eventually co-opted by the overriding utilitarian ethic of ensuring the survival of the system – the ultimate ‘greater good’ – at all costs. You bring charges against General Mireau, so I insist he answer them. We provide an important avenue for publication in the field of film and philosophy. Learn more. Thus, by moving Rousseau out of the regiment, Mireau would put distance between himself and the witnesses, reducing the likelihood that any of them would talk. pasture rented from a German farmer. Thus, when the opportunity arises to eliminate the threat posed by Paris, Roget chooses him as the representative from his unit to be executed. Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox each Thursday! This shift requires Dax to replace the greater good of protecting the system with his own alternative of the greater good, namely justice for the individual.
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