The Moral Landscape of Kubrick’s Paths of Glory

Information Conveyed in the First Minutes of Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory Before the Battle Begins 

Against a black background we see the United Artists logo in blue with the name in white in a sans serif font. This fades and then the words Bryna Productions present in a serif font appear. The name Kirk Douglas replaces that, with a very large font, followed then by Paths of Glory, with a fine line of print beneath that reads: 
© COPYRIGHT MCMLVII HARRIS-KUBRICK PICTURES CORPORATION.

Co-stars and other featured stars are listed, followed by other staff, art director, screenwriters and the novel it is based on, "Paths of Glory" by Humphrey Cobb.

The opening shot appears at one minute and nineteen seconds into the film. We see what appears to be a scene on the order of Versailles. There are officers on horseback near the foreground, a man on a bicycle to the left, and a few clusters of persons both in the foreground and further away. The scene is black and white, and the words France 1916 are superimposed over it. 

Voiceover: "War began between Germany and France on August 3, 1914." 

The camera follows the bicycle to the foreground which turns to the left. Soldiers bearing arms are marching by as the narrator states that "the German army, five weeks later, had smashed its way to within 18 miles of Paris. There the battered French miraculously rallied their forces at the Marne River, and then a series of unexpected counter attacks drove the Germans back. The front was stabilized, and shortly developed into a continuous line of heavily fortified trenches zigzagging their way 500 miles from the English Channel to the Swiss frontier." 

During this narration soldiers line up in front of this stately French estate which may be the equivalent of our Capitol. A jeep approaches, the men present arms as a person of importance disembarks and strides into the building, accompanied by his aides.

Narrator: "By 1916, after two grisly years of trench warfare, the battle lines had changed very little. Successful attacks were measured in hundreds of yards and paid for in lives numbering hundreds of thousands."

The person of importance is General George Broulard who has come to call on General Paul Mireau. After a little small talk, Gen. Broulard cuts to the chase. "Paul, I've come to see you about something big." 

General Mireau has already heard rumors of what is coming. The Ant Hill has been the key to the whole sector. The Germans have held it for a year and will hold it for another if they want. 

"Paul, I have formal orders to take the Ant Hill no later than the tenth. That's the day after tomorrow," General Boulard says.

"That comes pretty close to being ridiculous, don't you think?" General Mireau replies. 

"I wouldn't be here if I thought that," Gen. Broulard says. He then begins his pitch. "If there's one man who could do this it would be you."

Mireau expresses frankly, "That's out of the question. Absolutely out of the question. My division has been cut to pieces. What's left of it is in no condition to hold the Ant Hill, let alone take it. I'm sorry, but that's the truth."

Gen. Broulard brings out his carrot, dangles a promotion and another star before him, but Mireau remains realistic. It can't be accomplished and he asserts that for him, "My men come first of all, George, and those men know it." And furthermore, "The life of one of those soldiers means more to me than all the stars and decorations and honors in France."

"So, you think this is absolutely beyond the ability of your men at this time," Broulard replies.

General Mireau, tilting his head and making direct eye contact, says, "I didn't say that, George."

And so it begins. The cat and mouse dialogue ends with a decision to make it happen, not for personal glory, but for France. 

* * * 
SPOILER ALERT

* * * 

At six minutes, eight seconds, we cut to the battlefield. Or rather, we see a desolate view of no man's land with the Ant Hill as a backdrop. The camera pulls back and we see that this is a view from an observation window. There's a bomb crater, naked trees stripped of leaves by artillery fire, a dank mist hovering across the blasted terrain.

The camera pulls back to reveal that we are in a concrete bunker, with a soldier standing there viewing the scene through a horizontal notch. He wears a grim expression as he turns away.

Cut to: General Mireau and his chief aide are walking through the trench, Mireau cheerful and with smug purposefulness as he greets the soldiers he passes. The soldiers bolt to attention as he approaches. At intervals he stops to engage in what he imagines to be an inspirational chat. It's not a real dialogue because he is clueless as to the interior condition of these men In point of fact he cares nothing for their welfare, as will become apparent later.

The first two men he stops to talk with will be unjustly placed before a firing squad by the film's end. The third soldier he stops to exchange banter with is clearly shell-shocked. When another soldier standing at this man's side says he's shell-shocked, the general declares that there is no such thing as shell shock. One more signal indicating how removed and out of touch the generals are.

The general, outraged, slugs the shell-shocked soldier in the face, then orders him removed from the regiment. As they continue on their way his aide says, "General, I'm convinced that these tours of your have an incalculable effect on morale. In fact, I think the fighting spirit of the 701st derives from it."

That scene is devastating.

* * * 

Kubrick is doing something subtle in these opening scenes. Before the battle even begins, he is already making a visual argument about war.

The first technique is camera movement. When General Mireau walks through the trench, Kubrick places the camera in front of him and tracks backward as he advances. The shot lasts far longer than most directors would allow. As the general strides forward confidently, soldiers snap to attention one after another, the muddy trench walls pressing in on both sides.

What makes the shot powerful is the contrast it creates. The general moves smoothly through space, confident and purposeful. The soldiers cannot move at all. They are wedged into the trench like parts in a broken machine. The camera forces us to look directly into their faces—tired, anxious, hollow. Mireau sees soldiers. We see human beings.

Kubrick used variations of this technique throughout his career. In The Killing, for example, the camera follows characters through corridors and racetrack passageways in long, deliberate movements that quietly build tension and reveal character. The motion of the camera itself becomes part of the storytelling.

The second technique in Paths of Glory is architectural contrast. The film opens in a grand French chateau where generals discuss strategy beneath high ceilings, polished floors, and ornate walls. War here is calm, civilized, almost elegant. Maps are studied, promotions hinted at, decisions made over polite conversation.

Then Kubrick cuts to the trenches.

The world changes instantly. The ceilings disappear. The sky is gray. The ground is muck. The soldiers live like burrowing animals in narrow corridors carved into the earth. The contrast is unmistakable: the war planned in the palace is fought in the mud.

Kubrick doesn’t have to say what he thinks about war. The camera has already told us. But as anyone knows who has seen this film the dialogue is priceless, especially the manner in which the lines are delivered.

Near the film's conclusion, Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax delivers this indictment of what was is and does:

"Gentlemen of the court, there are times when I am ashamed to be part of the human race, and this is one of them... I can't believe that the noblest impulse of man, his compassion for another, can be completely dead here."

At this instant my mind goes immediately to the people of Gaza, and the common people of all the other failed states that have been dismantled by imperialist aggression. 

* * * 

Related Link
Poilu -- A Grisly WWI Memoir from the Trenches

Hegemony and the Tragedy of Great Power Politics

"There are no status quo powers in the international system, save for the occasional hegemon that wants to maintain its dominating position over potential rivals. Great powers are rarely content with the current distribution of power; on the contrary, they face a constant incentive to change it in their favor. They almost always have revisionist intentions, and they will use force to alter the balance of power if they think it can be done at a reasonable price. At times, the costs and risks of trying to shift the balance of power are too great, forcing great powers to wait for more favorable circumstances. But the desire for more power does not go away, unless a state achieves the ultimate goal of hegemony. Since no state is likely to achieve global hegemony, however, the world is condemned to perpetual great-power competition."
--John J. Mearsheimer

John Mearsheimer's The Tragedy of Great Power Politics presents his theory of offensive realism, a stark view of international relations. In an anarchic global system—lacking any central authority to enforce order or guarantee security—great powers face constant uncertainty and potential threats from one another.

The book was published in January of 2001, only months before the Twin Towers fell on 9/11, an event that led to a whole series of disturbing events and much suffering.

Mearsheimer builds his argument on five core assumptions: the international system is anarchic; great powers possess offensive military capabilities; states cannot be certain of others' intentions; survival is the primary goal; and states act rationally to achieve it. From these, he concludes that great powers behave aggressively, not out of inherent malice, but because the best way to ensure survival is to maximize relative power and prevent rivals from gaining dominance.

My takeaway, from what I've read thus far, and that the great powers operate from a stance of fear. This seems counterintuitive on one level. You would think the lesser powers were driven by insecurity and thus strive to form alliances with the greater powers much like the remoras that hover around sharks and benefit from the scraps.

What Mearsheimer suggests is that everyone, from weakest to strongest, is fear driven. It makes me think of the manner in which individuals similarly are often driven by an underlying fear in order to protect themselves from being hurt. 

In other words, our natural inclination is self-interest instead of love, compassion, empathy. This is why loving others, truly caring and serving, is a miracle.

Returning to the book, Mearsheimer lays out the case for offensive realism, proposing that there can never be true security without absolute dominance, ideally global, but at minimum regional—to eliminate threats. This relentless pursuit creates a "tragedy": even security-seeking states provoke insecurity, competition, and often war, as cooperation remains limited and trust elusive.

Mearsheimer supports his claims with historical evidence from the 19th and 20th centuries, analyzing great-power behavior across Europe, Asia, and beyond, showing the driving forces behind Napoleon, Bismarck, WWI and WW2. He argues that post-Cold War optimism about enduring peace was misplaced; great-power rivalry persists as an enduring feature of world politics.

The events of these past 25 years only seem to confirm what he proposed in 2001, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Ukraine, Syria, Libya, and now Venezuela, Gaza, Iran and the Middle East.  

Related Link

Humanity Hanging from a Cross of Iron: Eisenhower's Forgotten Warning on the True Cost of War

Honoring Those Who Served: Today Is Veterans Day

Photo: Gary Firstenberg

It hasn't always been called Veterans Day. It originated as Armistice Day, proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919 to mark the end of World War I, which ceased with an armistice at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. The day commemorated the war’s conclusion and honored the fallen. 

In 1954, after World War II and the Korean War, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation renaming it Veterans Day to recognize all veterans, living or deceased, from every conflict.

World War II claimed over 70 million lives, including countless artists, thinkers, and innovators. Many who perished were not soldiers but civilians, resistance fighters, and creators whose work continues to define the human story of courage, suffering, and loss. Benny Goodman, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (author of The Little Prince), and John F. Kennedy's brother Joe Jr. were among the memorable who perished.

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The haunting 24-note bugle call played at military funerals and flag ceremonies is called Taps. This solemn tune was birthed in July 1862 during the Civil War’s Peninsula Campaign. Union Gen. Daniel Butterfield, dissatisfied with the harsh “Extinguish Lights” call, worked with bugler Oliver Norton to revise a softer French signal, “Tattoo.” Butterfield lengthened notes and reshaped the melody for a more mournful tone. First sounded at Harrison’s Landing, Virginia, it quickly spread to both armies. It honors the day’s end, fallen comrades, and the final farewell. Lyrics added later—“Day is done, gone the sun…”—reinforce its meaning: rest in peace.  

* * *

My father-in-law, Wilmer A. "Bud" Wagner, kept a diary throughout his 3+ years in the army during WWII. These diary notes later became the basis for a 500+ page book about those years. This is an excerpt from his book And There Shall Be Wars. 

Portion of the WW2 Memorial in Washington DC
showing some of the cities where Wagner served. 

Had to go to all battalions at midnight with firing orders. Moonlight so I didn't mind too much. Slept through breakfast. Were shelled twice here today. My nerves aren't able to take it anymore as well as they used to. Some shells came close enough.

     151 moved tonight; I moved with them to the other side of San Pietro, a rubbled mess, a battlefield, to be sure. Back here at 10:00, just got nicely to sleep when the guard called, "Wag, get to Message Center," so there was another Firing Order to all battalions. It must have been after 2:00 when I got back.
Friday, January 7, 1944

San Pietro and San Vitorre were two towns literally blown off the face of the earth. There were many trees around that were totally devoid of all branches, and were just sticks left from all the shell fire. The city itself was piles of concrete rubble. I didn't see life of any kind left any time I drove through. About this time the II Corps took Mts. Porchio and Chiaia, two objectives necessary for our Division to have before our ultimate objective of Cassino.

* * *

Veterans Day, observed annually on November 11, honors all U.S. military veterans for their service and sacrifice.  Today, it’s a federal holiday for reflection and gratitude.

Strange Word Game: What is a "Suicide Drone"?

Gemini-generated image

I saw this news story a while back and decided to copy it here as a topic for future consideration. 

BREAKING: 3 American soldier killed and at least 24 wounded after a suicide drone strike on a U.S. base in Jordan right on the border with Syria. Iran and it’s proxy groups are the main suspects. Major escalation!

Now as I understand it, suicide is the intentional taking of one's own life. It is something people do, and maybe lemmings. But does a machine intentionally take its own life? I mean, wouldn't the drone have been programmed to self-destruct? Does the drone have a mind of its own and volition? Does this mean that missiles should be called suicide missiles now? And why not call mines in a mine field suicide mines when they blow up? Should bombs be called suicide bombs?

Yet the phrase suicide drone has become a common part of our current vernacular, as illustrated here in these statements from X.com:

---Watch how HMS Diamond (D34) Type 45 air-defence destroyer of the #RoyalNavy targeted and destroyed one of the Kamikaze/Suicide drones of #Iran's #Houthi rebels.

---JUST IN: Multiple US senators, Including Lindsey Graham, Tom Cotton, and John Cornyn, are now calling for direct strikes on Iranian forces after the deadly suicide drone attack that killed three American service-members and injured dozens more

---China has developed a suicide drone considered the most cost-efficient in the world, with a price not exceeding $10,000. This drone, named Feilong-300D, is the cheapest in its class compared to well-known counterparts, such as the Iranian Shahed-136.

---According to REUTERS, the LUKOIL oil refinery in Volgograd has stopped operating after a Ukrainian suicide drone attack last night.

---An AQ 100 Bayonet suicide drone (called the HF-1 by the Germans) during an attack on Belaya Sloboda in the Kursk region. The AI software is supplied by the German company Helsing, and production is financed by Germany.

Even if inaccurately named, what I find disturbing is seeing how many countries are flooding the world with these small, medium and large military craft. In today's X feed you will see drones being manufactured in Russia, the U.S. and China (in massive quantities) but also in more than 20 other countries including, but not limited to, U.K., Canada, German, France, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Iran, North Korea, Israel, Ukraine, Algeria, Turkey, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Australia, Brazil, Nigeria, and Indonesia.

How do you like them apples? What are the implications for future warfare? 

"Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird... It's a plane... It's a Suicide Drone!"

More Land Mines? When Will We Ever Learn?

"The war is not meant to be won but to be continuous."
--George Orwell, 1984

In a year of appalling behavior by armed governments, this week's news from Ukraine was deeply disturbing.

Over the weekend, President Biden gave Ukraine permission to fire long-range missiles into Russia. On Monday, the missiles were fired, thereby escalating tensions. Next, President Biden gave Ukraine permission to use land mines extensively on its Eastern front. Despite our full awareness of the harm they do to innocent civilians, we're already leaping gung ho into sending these widely condemned weapons.

The minute I heard this news I thought of all the work the late Lady Diana did to raise awareness about the horrors wrought by land mines. What is wrong with us? Have we learned nothing? 

Evidently Russia has been mining areas of Ukraine. (Landmines, not mining for minerals.) So our response is to make still more areas unsafe for civilians.

Landmines can remain active for an indefinite period of time, meaning they can potentially stay lethal for decades or even longer until they are detonated or defused, as they don't have an expiration date and can lie dormant until triggered by pressure or movement; this is why they pose a danger long after conflicts end. This is why Lady Di was such a strong advocate against. their use.

According to one source there have been 15,000 to 20,000 people killed or maimed annually by land mines, mostly civilians and children. According to the Landline Monitor more than 7,000 were killed or maimed in 2021. More than 60 countries are still contaminated with mines.

According to James Madison University landmine-contaminated areas hinder economic recovery and development, as they restrict access to farmland, infrastructure, and resources​. Landmines don't distinguish between combatants and civilians, violating international humanitarian laws​.

Oh, but when has international law stopped the U.S. from doing whatever we want? Look at the endless and merciless slaughter in Gaza... Indeed, we are masters of war.

* * * 

Princess Diana brought global attention to the landmine crisis with her 1997 visits to Angola and Bosnia, where she met with landmine survivors and demining teams. Her advocacy, widely covered by the media, was pivotal in rallying public support for the Mine Ban Treaty (Ottawa Convention) signed at the end of that. year. She famously described landmines as a “plague on Earth,” emphasizing their disproportionate impact on civilians and the need for a global ban​.

Diana’s efforts contributed significantly to the adoption of the Mine Ban Treaty, under which 164 countries committed to banning the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of antipersonnel landmines. Over 55 million landmines have been destroyed as a result of this treaty​.

The U.S. is one of just a small number of major nations that have not signed on to the 1997 Ottawa Convention, which prohibited the use, production and transfer of antipersonnel mines. 

Sadly, it seems obvious that the countries that wield power don't really care about what happens to common people. In 2022 Human Rights Watch rightfully condemned Russia's use of landmines. So why are we behaving in the same atrocious manner?

 

EdNote: These complaints against our actions as a nation must not be construed
as an endorsement of Russia's behavior. What's your take? 

Gallipoli Remembered: The Anguish Behind "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda"

"And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" is one of the most powerful antiwar songs of the past century. I can't recall the first time I heard it, but the Joan Baez track is like a pearl. This version by Liam Clancy is equal in capturing the horror of that scene. It begins... 

When I was a young man I carried my pack
And I lived the free life of a rover
From the murrays green basin to the dusty outback
I waltzed my matilda all over
Then in nineteen fifteen my country said son
It's time to stop rambling 'cause there's work to be done
So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun
And they sent me away to the war
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we sailed away from the quay
And amidst all the tears and the shouts and the cheers
We sailed off to Gallipoli

The heartbreaking scene unfolded like this...

The August 1915 landing at Suvla Bay during the Gallipoli campaign was a descent into a hellscape of blood and chaos. Allied soldiers, under heavy fire from Turkish positions on the high ground, were cut down in droves as they struggled to disembark. Boatloads of men were decimated before even reaching the shore, their bodies littering the crimson-stained water. Those who made it faced a brutal landscape of barbed wire, shrapnel, and machine-gun fire. The stench of death and cordite hung heavy in the air, a constant reminder of the carnage.

Snipers perched on the cliffs picked off the vulnerable troops with chilling precision. The wounded lay unattended, crying out in pain as the sun beat down mercilessly. Dysentery and disease spread rampant through the unsanitary conditions, claiming as many lives as the bullets. Exhaustion and despair gnawed at the survivors, who were forced to endure the relentless pounding of artillery and the nightly terror of Turkish raids.

The failure of the Suvla Bay landings sealed the fate of the Gallipoli campaign. The once-optimistic Allied forces were bogged down in a bloody stalemate, forced to face the horrifying reality of trench warfare. The beaches of Suvla Bay became a graveyard, a testament to the tragic cost of strategic blunders and the unrelenting brutality of World War I.

* * *
What made the debacle more horrific was that in the first wave of the assault Turkish snipers struck down the officers, leaving their soldiers lost and confused, dealing with deteriorating conditions and decimated morale in a foreign land. It's hard to imagine a more terrifying nightmare.

When will we learn?

Illustration generated by AI

Thoughts on War, from Ancient and Modern Perspectives

After reading the following statement in a Substack post this morning I felt prompted to assemble some thoughts about war. I considered writing comments about each but concluded that their effect together did not require additional embellishments.

"Dopamine-inducing propaganda is an omnipresent feature of modern media, and emotions stirred by military conflict only increase the difficulty of separating reality from the innumerable synthetic varieties. It is not uncommon to find wildly different descriptions of the same event from seemingly credible sources."
--Doomberg, Mapping the War

“We experienced first-hand the horror of this war, witnessing the appalling injuries and death". --Senior medical officer Dr. Sandy Inglis, describing the impacts of the recent airstrikes in Rafah, and scenes from the Red Cross Field Hospital as staff received patients

"Wars invariably serve as classrooms and laboratories where men and techniques and states of mind are prepared for the next war."
--Wendell Berry 

"War is a highly planned and cooperative form of theft."
--Jacob Bronowski, The Ascent of Man

"I venture to say no war can be long carried on against the will of the people."
--Edmund Burke

They sent forth men to battle,
But no such men return;
And home, to claim their welcome,
Come ashes in an urn.

--Aeschylus, Agamemnon

"War is a quarrel between two thieves too cowardly to fight their own battle; therefore they take boys from one village and another village, stick them into uniforms, equip them with guns, and let them loose like wild beasts against each other."
--Thomas Carlyle, as quoted by Emma Goldman 

"I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its stupidity."
--Dwight D. Eisenhower 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

    That mark our place; and in the sky

    The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

     --John McCrae

I'm On the Side of Civilians

This week I was talking with a friend who made an interesting statement. "I'm not Conservative or Liberal, Republican or Democrat... I'm on the side of Civilians."

This resonated with me. And it reminded me of a statement I heard last fall: "The problem is the Bureaucrats." In fact, I heard that statement twice in two days, from different sources.

Whether it's Ukraine or Gaza, Israel or Somalia, it's apparent that the decisions made by those who wield power are going to have consequences that impact the powerless. America alone has been bombing countries since the beginning of World War II. The world was horrified by Guernica, a civilian village in Spain bombed by fascists during the Spanish Civil War, yet in how many times and places has this bombing of civilians taken place? 

America alone has bombed China, Korea, Guatemala, Indonesia, the Congo, Peru, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Libya, Bosnia, Sudan, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq. American bombs and missiles are being generously supplied to Israel to destroy Gaza. In many of these cases we claim to have been liberators. I'm curious what the civilians whose homes have been pulverized have to say about all that. 

At the end of Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness, Kurtz, a central character who has descended into madness in the heart of Africa, utters these memorable, haunting words as he reflects on the darkness and depravity he has encountered: "The horror! The horror!"

The statement encapsulates Kurtz's profound realization of the moral corruption and brutality that he has witnessed and participated in during his time in the Congo. It's all the more ironic because he is the one who supposedly came from a "civilized" culture. Ultimately Kurtz serves as a chilling commentary on the human capacity for evil and the consequences of unchecked power and imperialism. 

While headlines herald the machinations of the powerful and the elites, let's not forget the civilians. At the end of the day one must continue to ask, "What about the people?"