Paths of Glory 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Paths of Glory 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 6, 2024

Stanley Kubrick's "Paths of Glory" (1957) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video interview with film scholar Peter Kramer; new video interview with dierctor Richard Ayoade; new video interview with critic and author Richard Combs; new audio commentary with film scholar Adrian Martin; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring the words of Stanley Kubrick, and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory is a war film with strong anti-war sentiments. It is based on Humphrey Cobb’s popular novel, which tells the story of five French soldiers charged with mutiny and executed during World War I. Kubrick bought the rights to the novel from Cobb’s widow for $10,000, and shot Paths of Glory for under $1 million. The film was released in the United States in 1957, but it was banned in France and Spain (the French government eventually allowed the film to be screened in 1975, while in Spain the film remained banned until 1986).

France 1916. Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas, The Bad and the Beautiful) a respected division leader, is ordered to attack Anthill, a strategic German stronghold. It is a suicide mission and everyone knows it -- except General Paul Mireau (George Macready, Gilda), who dreams of capturing Anthill and earning himself a promotion.

Colonel Dax leads his men during the attack of Anthill but most of them are annihilated by heavy machine gun fire before they could reach the German positions. Upon witnessing the massacre, an entire company, which should provide support to Colonel Dax’s men, remains in the trenches. Angered by the news that the attack isn’t producing the result he had hoped for, General Mireau orders the artillery to shell the men in the trenches. But a brave officer (John Stein) refuses to obey the order and the attack of Anthill fails. and a court-martial gathered.

General George Broulard (Adolphe Menjou, The Front Page), a close friend of General Mireau, suggests that a dozen soldiers are tried by court-martial to set an example. Colonel Dax sarcastically offers that the entire division is punished, or at least its leader, which would be him. Realizing the absurdity of the situation, General Broulard asks that only three soldiers are selected to appear before the court-martial. A former lawyer, Colonel Dax volunteers to defend them.

The trial is a disgrace. Despite Colonel Dax’s attempts to convince the court that the soldiers are innocent and therefore should not be punished, they are quickly found guilty and sentenced to death.

Great anti-war films typically emphasize the fact that during war there are no victors. Kubrick’s Paths of Glory takes a slightly different approach, exposing the hypocrisy and arrogance of military leaders.

In one of the film’s most powerful scenes, Colonel Dax is seen contemplating General Mireau’s order to attack Anthill. He quietly attempts to explain that the attack won’t produce anything, other than a guarantee that his men will be killed in vain. Almost immediately, Colonel Dax’s patriotism and loyalty to France are questioned in a manner that strangely does not feel dated at all, prompting him to quote the great Samuel Johnson: "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."

The film is characterized by Kubrick’s favored long continuous shots and extreme close-ups, his camera following men and objects with equal devotion. Additionally, the tension throughout the film is unbearable but never marred by melodrama. Naturally, even the most passionate speeches the main characters deliver feel somewhat restrained.

Douglas is fantastic as the disillusioned Colonel Dax. He fights a battle that he cannot possibly win, but his determination to confront a corrupt regime is what makes Paths of Glory such a fascinating film to behold. Menjou and especially Macready are also very convincing as the coldhearted French generals.

Paths of Glory 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This 4K Blu-ray release introduces a recent 4K restoration of Path of Glory on 4K Blu-ray only. It does not have a Blu-ray copy of it. The native 4K presentation can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades.

Please note that all screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

I viewed the entire film with HDR and did not test the Dolby Vision grade. I chose the HDR grade because on the North American 4K Blu-ray release I was able to spot several small artifacts. On this release, I did not spot them and thought that the brighter daylight and darker nighttime footage looked terrific. The grayscale was again very impressive, so there are a lot of smaller nuances that are easier to see. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections, and the surfaces of the visuals looks strikingly healthy. I think that on a larger screen this becomes one of the easiest to appreciate improvements because it makes the entire film look far more attractive now. Fluidity is outstanding. All in all, if you like Paths of Glory, you should consider an upgrade because the move from 1080 to 4K introduces a range of very solid improvements. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free.

Paths of Glory 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I am going to echo my comments from our review of Kino Lorber's 4K Blu-ray release of Paths of Glory. All dialog is clear and very easy to follow. The lossless track sounds very healthy, too. However, Paths of Glory is one of those big classic films I would not have opposed seeing with a modern audio mix. I do not mean a new, drastically different audio track, just one carefully expands some areas of the original audio track. While revising the film, I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report.

Paths of Glory 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - in this recent audio commentary, film scholar Adrian Martin discusses the production history of Paths of Glory (and specifically why it was quite difficult to sell in certain territories), the main conflicts and themes in the film, the casting choices, the reception of the film, Stanley Kubrick's image at home and abroad, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Eureka Entertainment in 2016.

• Peter Kramer - in this recent video interview, film scholar Peter Kramer discusses Stanley Kubrick's career and relationship with producer with James B. Harris, the early stages of Paths of Glory and its rejection by United Artists, the casting of Kirk Douglas and the character he plays, the complicated production history (with interspersing comments about the locations that were chosen in Europe), the film's performance at the box office, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Eureka Entertainment in 2016. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Richard Ayoade - in this recent video interview, director Richard Ayoade (Submarine) discusses the unique qualities and cinematic style of Paths of Glory. The interview was conducted exclusively for Eureka Entertainment in 2016. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Richard Conbs - in this recent video interview, critic and author Richard Combs discusses the visual style and editing of Paths of Glory (the use of light, noirish qualities, etc.), the camera movement, the evolution of Stanley Kubrick's work, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Eureka Entertainment in 2016. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Trailer - original trailer for Paths of Glory. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Music and Effects Track - presented as LPCM 2.0.

• Booklet - a collector's booklet featuring writing by Glenn Kenny and Colin Young, illustrated with archival imagery, as well as technical credits.

Paths of Glory 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory happens to be one of your favorite films, and you have a 4K system, consider picking up this 4K Blu-ray release for your collection. After it was redone in 4K, the film looks outstanding in native 4K, and I think that this is the end of the road for it on the home video market because there won't be any more upgrades. The 4K Blu-ray release retains all bonus features from the previous Blu-ray release, but does not have a Blu-ray copy of the 4K restoration of the film. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.