$8 · Stanley Kubricks Paths of Glory

After working with Stanley Kubrick on this film, Kirk Douglas picked him to direct his blockbuster Spartacus. But this film is a rare Kubrick masterpiece. One of the greatest anti-war films ever made. Safe in their pictureque chateau behind the front lines, the French General Staff passes down a direct order to Colonel Dax (Douglas): take the Ant Hill at any cost. A blatant suicide mission, the attack is doomed to failure. Covering up their fatal blunder, the Generals order the arrest of the three innocent soldiers, charging them with cowardice and mutiny. Dax, a lawyer in civilian life, rises to the men`s defense but soon realizes that, unless he can prove that the Generals were to blame, nothing less than a miracle will save his clients from the firing squad. Paths of Glory is a blistering indictment of military politics and "an unforgettable movie experience" (Newsweek).