Project of the Day: A Documentary Analysis of Kubrick's 'Paths of Glory'

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• Not exactly | October 22, 2012 11:16 AMReply

  "Paths of Glory" isn't an anti-war masterpiece.
  
  It is an anti-authoritarian masterpiece.
  
  The distinction is not one that I alone am making. Kurbrick himself made the distinction repeatedly in interviews. He said he had not made an anti-war film, correcting the interviewer. His film is an attack on institutional authoritarianism.

• David Spodak | October 23, 2012 10:45 PM

  I totally agree with you, but the nuanced perception that you're expressing does not work in a fund-raising pitch since most people consider POG strictly an anti-war film. Here is a passage from my film's narration in discussing the scene where the officers sit around the palace deciding on the court-martial:
  
  "We have been given a seat at this table but can only watch in mute bewilderment as a matter of life and death is decided in a tone not much different than a business conference in the civilian world. Though the film certainly depicts war as an abomination, to simply label it an anti-war statement oversimplifies its full import. War seems to be accepted by everyone as an unavoidable, even normal condition. No character ever speaks against war in general or the utterly senseless WWI in particular. Even the attack is mounted with a certain bloodless grandeur. The film’s very judgmental stance is grounded rather, in its acute depiction of authority and power abused. The savage bargain struck in this most civilized of settings highlights the gulf between the classes as well as the cruel absurdity of war."
  
  I hope you will consider supporting this project, which I can assure does justice to its magnificent subject. In any case, thank you for your thoughtful comment.