| Overall Grade: |
A- |
|
| Story: |
B+ |
|
|
| Acting: |
A- |
|
|
| Direction: |
A- |
|
|
| Visuals: |
B+ |
|
|
Paths to brilliance
by TonyM (movies profile)
Jul 22, 2008
Calder Willingham and Stanley Kubrick wrote the screenplay for this anti war classic and Kubrick brought it to the screen; even in his early film knew he needed talent to make a film great. Kirk Douglas plays the sick to the stomach Colonel Dax, who has seen to many senseless deaths, he is proud to be fighting for his country and will continue to do so until someone recognizes sense.
The film is set in the WWI ‘The Great War’ where the generals sit miles from the front making elaborate plans to defeat the enemy and the recent introduction of machinery and newer guns have left the high command with no ideas. Adolphe Menjou plays the aging clueless General George Broulard, trying to show Dax (Douglas) that he is not alone in the knowledge that they are fighting a stupid war.
After a particularly stupid battle plan fails Dax talks down, the Generals in command, from executing a whole squadron to just three random men, there will be a show trial and on express orders a firing squad to kill three soldiers.
The three men chosen are Cpl. Philippe Paris played with deep-rooted hatred by Ralph Meeker, Pvt. Maurice Ferol played with superb indifference by Timothy Carey and lastly Fred Bell who plays the youngest and openly scariest of the trio, he has to tied to a board because he is suffering from shell shock.
The story, the chats about murdering their own men around a luxurious meal show the true colors of the men in command who are all miles from danger literally playing war on a board and using toys as mannequins as they moan about not killing enough of their own men in the firing squad.
A must see |
My Public Profile 
