10 Most Important War Films Ever Made

10. Paths of Glory

Banned in Switzerland, France, and across all American military bases for its unapologetically anti-war themes, 1957's Paths of Glory is an early cinematic expression of the intense anti-conflict sentiment which became widespread in the wake of post-World War II global devastation.

Sparse and tragic, this early Kubrick dropped viewers into the trenches and made manifest the glory-less tragic folly of war for the filmgoing public.

As cinema was no longer content with glorifying violence and conflict, the film followed a set of soldiers who refused to undertake a suicidal mission and starred Kirk Douglas as the fearless commanding officer who defends the men against claims of cowardice levelled at their unit.

Even before loosened censorship laws ensured that directors could portray the visceral horrors of war, Kubrick's unsparing depiction of the conflict forced viewers to contend with the sacrifices expected of their soldiers and left audiences with no choice but to sympathise with the men, deconstructing the heroic soldier archetype once and for all.