There have been countless World War I films made over the years, but according to fans on IMDb, Paths of Glory is the very best.
The 1957 classic is also the highest-ranked Kirk Douglas movie on the online database, and it’s only on Amazon Prime Video for a few more days.
Based on the novel of the same name, Stanley Kubrick’s anti-war movie was the Hollywood star’s first collaboration with the director before Spartacus.
Set in 1916, Douglas stars as a French Colonel whose soldiers refuse to continue a suicidal attack.
In the aftermath, his character attempts to defend the men against charges of cowardice in a court-martial.
Paths of Glory did not receive a single Oscar nomination, presumably because of its anti-military slant, with the movie being banned from US military establishments at home and aboard. Due to heavy criticism, the film received government censorship around the world. Due to heavy criticism from the French military and veterans over the portrayal of their army, the movie didn’t show in France until 1975. Additionally, the film was not screened in Germany until 1959, Switzerland until 1970, and Spain until 1986 because it was so “offensive.”
Paths of Glory is leaving Amazon Prime Video in six days’ time.