10 Gut-Wrenching Moments In War Films
6. Paths Of Glory - Shot At The Firing Line
Muddled bureaucracy and moral hypocrisy abound, Stanley Kubrick's WWI film Paths Of Glory is a remarkable film about the cognitive dissonance of politics and dehumanization of men in war.
In the film, a group of 100 men ordered to undertake a suicidal mission refused to continue forth, aware of the futility of the campaign and sure death. Potentially compromising the entire operation for the failed attack, General Mireau selects 3 out of the 100 men to be executed for treason and made an example of to their fellow comrades. When the time comes, a priest accompanies the men reassuring and giving their last rights.
The priest tells one of the begging soldiers to not question the will of God, using the will of God as a means of justifying their death by the orders of. Forced to perform the execution, Lt. Roget expresses remorse to his own soldiers. Right when the men are executed, the scene cuts to a quaint meal between Generals Broulard and Mireau as the latter gloats over the success of events in scapegoating his own men for preserving his status.
Human life summed up procedurally and the supposed higher morality of cultured civilization nulled - violence perpetuated by ego. No matter the reason, it's dangerous to be proven wrong. The machine continues forth while the men at bay propel it forward, indifferent to their suffering and plight as long as it trudges on.