Paths of Glory

Paths of Glory (1957)

Kubrick's next film, set during World War I, is based on Humphrey Cobb's 1935 antiwar novel and stars Kirk Douglas. It follows a French army unit ordered on an impossible mission by their superiors — and the court-martial that follows when three soldiers refuse to advance.

The film was his first significant commercial success, and established Kubrick as an up-and-coming young filmmaker. Critics praised its unsentimental, spare, and unvarnished combat scenes and its raw, black-and-white cinematography.

The film was banned in both France and Germany for many years for its fictionalized depictions of the French military. In France, the ban held until 1975 — nearly two decades after its release.

Colonel Dax's march through his soldiers' trench in a single, unbroken reverse-tracking shot has become a classic cinematic trope cited in film schools worldwide. Director Steven Spielberg once named this his favourite film of all time.