Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Bambi B (A) on September 17, 2018 at 16:14:44

In Reply to: RE: I'm bamboozled, no 'Paths of Glory'? posted by Billy Wonka on September 17, 2018 at 13:51:33

Billy Wonka,

See my reply to pictureguy in which I list a few more recent viewings.

I think actually that Paths of Glory is one of Kubrick's best. It's not a high concept movie; it's a realistic story of the real casualties of war- ordinary people. WWI stars as the greatest, senseless waste of humanity in Human history (with the American Civil War a close second).

The casting was in my view terrific; Adolphe Menjou as the arrogant, uncaring general living in luxury away from the front in contrast to the randomly selected soldiers from the muddy, disease ridden tranches that were executed so poignantly expressed the fear and outrage of their fate.

And, the interesting quality of writing and directing is that it's so quiet and matter of fact as to make it seem as surreal as war must be in reality. My nephew is a Marine Major a few years stationed in Fallujah for 15 months, was wounded 4 times and saw some horrific stuff. His descriptions of war is similar to PoG, it's quiet and sort of ordinary until a bomb goes off sixty feet away and then it's quiet and ordinary again, but with fewer people. S u r r e a l

Bambi B