15 Most Dehumanizing Moments In Stanley Kubrick's Films

10. "Do You Fail To Comprehend The Meaning Of My Order?" €“ Paths Of Glory (1957)

Before laughing at the apocalypse in Dr. Strangelove, or venturing into the Vietnam War in Full Metal Jacket, Kubrick's first anti-war film is often called his first masterpiece. Paths Of Glory is set during World War I, and sees Colonel Dax defending his men from charges of cowardice. The inciting incident in this case was a refusal to obey a direct order from General Mireau, who - tempted by a promotion - had instructed Dax to capture an enemy stronghold. When the men realize how suicidal the mission is, they are unwilling to leave the trenches. Mireau, watching them from a safe distance, gives a direct order to another squad to start firing at the men, in order to force them into moving. This motif of pitting the same team against each other is one that Kubrick will come back to, but in this example it effectively shows how hubris distorts a man's rational mind, making him order the death of his own men for the sake of a promotion.