8. Paths of Glory (1957) - Trench Warfare - The Horror
The Film: According to an interview on the Eyes Wide Shut DVD, when Stanley Kubrick died in his sleep in 1999, Steven Spielberg had some friends round not long after and the discussion came to Stanley and his work. The conversation went the way it does with a lot of fans of cinema; suggesting that Kubrick, whilst a master of his craft, had no emotional engagement with his audience and often sacrificed it for the cold hearted perfection of iconic shots and forced over acting. Spielberg replied to these dinner party critics by playing them the end of Paths of Glory. Before the rest of that story, a heads up for those who don't know; Paths of Glory was made during a time when Stanley was still very much bound by the shackles of producers and the Hollywood machine, in this case MGM. Although Paths of Glory is very, very much an anti-war film (quite ground breaking for its time but by no means the first), it is still a film that displays all the traits of your typical war film. Kirk Douglas stars as Col. Dax, a man in the middle of World War I charged with the responsibility of three men in his command who refused to head out of their trench into certain death. The film highlights the contradiction of war, as the powers that be deem it necessary that Col. Dax lead these men to face a firing squad in retaliation of their insolence and refusal to follow orders. Back to Spielberg's dinner party now, he showed them a scene at the end of the film where all is said and done, the aforementioned three men are dead and the war continues. During a respite in a bar, a meek young German girl (played by Kubrick's future wife) is forced to sing in order to entertain a group of rambunctious, hot blooded male soldiers. There obnoxious cheers, racist sneers and leering shouts soon turn to silence, appreciation and tear filled eyes as her hypnotically beautiful voice stops them all in their tracks as they hum along in unison. It's an incredibly emotional moment that serves to remind the men what they are fighting for and the beauty of human life, during a time when they do nothing but seek to destroy it. The most sentimental film maker in the world reminded his dinner guests (and all those have seen the interview) that the supposed cold hearted Kubrick was anything but.
The Scene: Although the above description sheds light on Kubrick's emotional side, that accolade is reserved for the number one on this list. Technically speaking, the greatest shot in Paths of Glory is one that comes at the very beginning as Col. Dax walks down the trench and the credits roll beside him. Explosions and stirring shell firing fall around him as we pass soldiers who are a leg up away from looking their death in the face. We as an audience feel as if we are there, we are a part of the torment and pure horror of war, all this despite the thankful fact most of won't ever have to experience it, Kubrick does his best to make us feel in the moment by keeping breaks, cuts or music to a minimum (or none in the case of music). Shell fire, albeit present, is far off. Explosions bass a thunderous tone somewhere in the distance, we flip between POV of Dax, jumpy soldiers respectfully parting on either side of the trench to let him past, to a mid shot of his torso and intentional face. The confusion and madness of war is physically close, but seemingly a world away considering the stark difference between the calm anxiousness of the trench and the world away brutality over the lip. Dax walks with purpose and integrity, despite the fear he himself must possess. And then, after a nerve racking countdown by a portly man next to a ladder, it comes; the moment that captures the brutality and confusion of those first few minutes of battle. It is done in a manner not replicated or matched by any film since - with the noteworthy and admirable exception of the opening 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan. A dolly shot screams through explosions, death, pain and anguish as hundreds of soldiers are cut down by machine gun fire as they attempt to navigate their way through the sheer madness of no mans land. The scene carries on until most of the men are dead or bewilderingly wondering amongst the fog of war. Dax, with whistle still in mouth, lies on the ground surrounded by much less back up than what he started with and assesses the situation ahead with the help of a classic Kubrick crash zoom. This is war, Kubrick style.